Considering Kenny Adeleke slammed in his first points of the game with 19:08 remaining in the second half, Al Walker couldn’t have been more pleased with his team’s defense. The Bearcats’ offense was a completely different story.

Setting season-low marks for points in a half (16 in the first), field goals (13) and field goal percentage (22.8 percent), the Binghamton men’s basketball team fell to the Hartford Hawks 52-46 at the Events Center Saturday, snapping its four-game winning streak.

“We couldn’t score the basketball for an extended period of time,” Walker said. “I just thought [Hartford was] the superior basketball team today.”

Led by Adeleke’s 16 points (all coming in the second half) and game-high 17 rebounds, Hartford withstood a late 10-2 run by Binghamton to take sole possession of third place in the America East.

“This game here was big because they beat us at our place, and that was a game we thought we should’ve won,” said Hartford head coach Larry Harrison, referring to the teams’ last meeting.

Senior guard Andre Heard and junior guard Steve Proctor proved to be the lone offensive stars for the Bearcats as they scored 21 and 11 points respectively. But the rest of Binghamton’s squad had trouble with Hartford’s zone defense, shooting a combined 4-for-34 from the field.

“We weren’t really attacking the zone,” said Proctor, who scored in double-digits for his second consecutive game. “Instead we would just stand outside the arc and pass it around. Against the zone you have to attack, make somebody step up and then kick it out.”

The Bearcats began the game missing 16 of their first 18 shots and trailing by seven at halftime, despite holding Adeleke, the conference’s leading scorer, without a point.

“Going into halftime and being up, with Kenny having zero points and seven rebounds, I felt pretty confident that we would be in good shape in the second half,” Harrison said.

After the Hawks opened up a 33-19 lead in the second half, the Bearcats responded with a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to six. Adeleke then showcased his rebounding prowess, scoring back-to-back field goals off two offensive boards (he had nine for the game).

“I just thought his physical presence was too much for us to handle on the glass,” Walker said.

Despite the loss, Proctor was confident his team would bounce back Monday against UMBC.

“We played hard, we played our hearts out,” Proctor said. “We still have momentum; just because we lost this game doesn’t mean we stop fighting.”

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Adeleke Domination

Binghamton might be one of the best teams in the America East, but on Saturday afternoon, Hartford showcased the best player in the conference.

Senior forward Kenny Adeleke has taken his game to the next level at Hartford. Out of all active Division I players, Adeleke ranks first in career rebounds (1,139).

The six-time America East Player of the Week is also leading the conference in scoring (20.5 ppg) and rebounding (12.8 rpg).

“Kenny is such a warrior,” said Hartford head coach Larry Harrison. “He plays hard every possession and feels every rebound is his.”

No one knows what the future holds for Adeleke, but four-time NBA All-Star Vin Baker has already seen his Hartford school records of consecutive games with a double-double, and most double-doubles in a season, snapped by the Queens native, with 12 and 20 respectively.

“When he goes as hard as he does, there’s not that much you can do but contain him,” said BU junior guard Steve Proctor.