Binghamton University’s men’s basketball team (4-3) took a step backward from its recent success last Tuesday, as the team lost to Bucknell University, 63-60.
The loss marked the end of the Bearcats’ recent three-game win streak.
The Bison (2-6) got off to an early lead that was matched only twice, though never surmounted, by the Bearcats. Binghamton was able to come within one point with 54 seconds remaining in the game thanks to a jumper by senior swingman Dwayne Jackson. Clutch free-throw shooting by Bucknell’s freshman swingman Bryan Cohen and senior guard Justin Castleberry kept the game out of reach, though. A Malik Alvin 3-pointer, which would have tied the game, was off target as the final buzzer sounded.
Binghamton head coach Kevin Broadus felt that his team was still impressed with itself after defeating a Big East opponent, Rutgers, for the first time in school history last week, and that this caused a letdown in preparation and focus for the players against Bucknell. He also felt that his team may have underestimated the Bison due to their sub-par record, because according to Broadus, the Bison are “better than [their] record states.”
The student-athletes also may have been thinking about something which every other college student could relate to at this time of year.
“I think a lot of guys were looking ahead to finals,” Broadus explained, “which is no excuse, but they had that on their minds.”
The Bearcats could never find their touch on the offensive end, shooting just under 40 percent from the field. The team also only shot 10 free throws, converting on six.
However, Broadus was impressed by his team’s ability to stay in the game on the road despite ugly shooting numbers.
“For us to have the ball with 25 seconds left down one after going 0-16 from three is amazing,” he said. “I felt our defense was pretty good; it was just that we didn’t shoot the ball well.”
Junior transfer D.J. Rivera of Binghamton led all scorers with 21 points in the game, while Cohen and junior forward Patrick Behan paced a balanced scoring effort by the Bison with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Senior forward Reggie Fuller also had a very strong game for the Bearcats, finishing with 17 points on 7-10 shooting and seven rebounds in 39 minutes.
This was the fourth straight game in which the Bearcats were without senior transfer Sean Watson and sophomore Chretien Lukusa, both of whom are integral parts to the team. However, the team now has time to rest and rebound from the loss. The next game will be this Saturday, Dec. 20, at 2 p.m. in the Events Center against nearby team Manhattan College — a team which features many players from downstate, including Devon Austin from White Plains High School, Andrew Gabriel of Christ the King High School in Queens and Darryl Crawford of All Hallows High School in the Bronx, among others.