Not many people know what a Zip is, but the Bearcats found out the hard way on Wednesday. It’s quick, strong and can not only shoot the three, but also dunk over four players.
That is what the Binghamton men’s basketball team (3-4) had to deal with Wednesday night as it was defeated handily at home by the Akron Zips (5-1), 90-55 — the Bearcats’ largest home loss since making the jump to Division I.
“They are a very good team, and I am disappointed in how we played,” said head coach Al Walker. “I knew they were good but that’s no excuse for the performance we put on.”
The Bearcats got off to an awful start, trailing 13-1 and 25-7, and taking more than six minutes to make their first field goal. After being down as many as 18 in the first half, BU managed to cut the lead to 10, but would get no closer.
Akron, up 15 at the break, pushed the lead to 26 early in the second half and led by as many as 40 points.
“Maybe they are 35 points better, but it’s the effort that is most disappointing in a game like this,” Walker said. “It’s lack of pride, and that’s embarrassing. I’m embarrassed.”
The Zips dominated every aspect of this game.
They scored at will from inside and out, shooting 52 percent from the field (34-for-65), 43.5 percent from behind the arc (10-for-23) and 80 percent from the free throw line (12-for-15). Akron had three players in double digits, led by Jeremiah Wood’s double double: 14 points and 12 rebounds.
The Bearcats were out-rebounded by 20, and their defense, supposedly a staple of the program, is giving up 71.6 points per game and has been outscored in the second half 269-216 this season.
“It’s a lack of communication,” said junior guard Mike Gordon, who finished the game with eight points. “We are drilled day in and day out to defend. We just have to do it when the lights come on. We just have to keep fighting. We have to be stronger longer.”
Binghamton also struggled on the offensive end shooting 15 percent (2-for-13) from behind the arc. Freshman Lazar Trifunovic led the team with 13 points while senior guard Steve Proctor added 10.
But the Bearcats got almost no production from two of their leading scorers, junior guard Richard Forbes and senior guard Troy Hailey. Forbes, who was averaging 15 points going into the game, managed to score just two points, and Hailey was held to four. After averaging almost 13 ppg in the first four games of the season, Hailey is scoring just four ppg in the last three games.
The Bearcats also had only four assists while Akron dished out 21.
“It’s been terrible the whole year; our assist to turnover ratio is atrocious,” Walker said. “This is a team game.”
While Binghamton has always started slow, including a 1-6 start last season, this season’s Bearcats seem to be plagued more by issues of trust, chemistry and effort, issues which have now led to a three-game skid.
When asked if everyone was pulling their weight and giving 110 percent, Gordon simply said, “no comment.”
He added that the team isn’t a selfish one, but is lacking chemistry.
How do you fix that?
“By winning. You win, everybody starts to come together,” Gordon said. “When you are down and out, sometimes things fall apart and that’s where we are at right now.”
The Bearcats have eight days off to continue to work out these kinks. Their next game will be on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Events Center against Long Island University, a rematch of Binghamton’s opening game this season, which they lost 73-59.
“Maybe we need more team meetings and to communicate more amongst each other,” Gordon said. “But we have to come together. I know that by the time conference play comes around, we’ll be a good team.”