A woeful second half littered with mistakes and poor shots led to Binghamton’s demise Wednesday night at Penn, as the Quakers shot their way to a 65-54 victory.
The Bearcats (2-5), who entered the evening looking for their first three-game winning streak since Jan. 2011, opened in a man defense but switched to a 2-3 zone early in the first half. Limiting inside touches for the 6-foot-8 Fran Dougherty and keeping Miles Cartwright out of the lane were two of the keys to beating Penn (2-5), as the Quakers’ outside shooters had not performed well through the season’s first six games. The strategy essentially seemed to focus on forcing anyone other than Dougherty and Cartwright to carry the opposition.
For the most part, that plan worked. Penn’s top duo shot just 8-for-22 from the floor for 26 points after averaging 34 points thus far. Cartwright took just four shots from inside the arc while Dougherty struggled to finish as the bottom of the zone converged on him down low.
But Penn’s other players — primarily the bench, actually — made the difference. The Quakers’ reserves totaled 32 points on 6-of-14 three-point shooting. Overall, Penn shot 40 percent from deep, but open looks were expected due to the nature of a 2-3 zone.
Binghamton had plenty of opportunities on offense, and for the first 30 minutes, the Bearcats seemed capable of making a push for the lead, keeping Penn within a 1-9 point margin. With 12:26 remaining, a Jimmy Gray three-pointer — the only one he would make on the night — cut the deficit to 51-46. From there, though, Binghamton would score three points over the next 11-plus minutes. The Bearcats missed the few good looks they were afforded and took several ill-advised shots during the stretch.
Penn found itself in the same boat. Binghamton relinquished a handful of open looks at the hoop, but the Quakers failed to convert many of them. They did, however, convert enough to keep the lead near 10 points the rest of the way.
Binghamton out-rebounded Penn 43-33 but shot 29.3 percent from the floor and 12.5 percent from deep.
Players
Once again, Jordan Reed posted a double-double, his fourth in five games. However, his 5-of-18 shooting and five turnovers somewhat undermined his overall performance of 17 points and 11 rebounds. Reed’s two three-point attempts did not come close, and a couple of his shots from close seemed forced. But with a player like Reed, you can live with forces from inside because of his penchant for drawing fouls. He entered the night at No. 18 nationally with 8.3 fouls drawn per 40 minutes, and tonight he earned 12 foul shots and drew a couple of whistles off the ball.
Alex Ogundadegbe played a crucial role off the bench, as Roland Brown battled foul trouble. Brown played well before fouling out, but Ogundadegbe’s career-high 12 rebounds — five offensive — helped Binghamton finish defensive possessions and get second chances on offense.
Jimmy Gray had his least impressive performance this season. After picking up two fouls early in the first half, Gray saw just 22 minutes of floor time — keep in mind he entered the night averaging 35 minutes per game. While on the floor, Gray did not produce at his usual level, finishing with five points, two assists and three turnovers.
Rayner Moquete had his moments en route to a 10-point, five-rebound, three-steal night. The junior guard loves the transition three from the wing, and he converted one tonight — the only trey he would make on six attempts. Moquete also finished two challenging layup attempts in style.
Returning to the lineup after missing the past two games, Taylor Johnston played 30 minutes. His only bucket, however, came off the dribble from the top of the key. A 63.6 percent long range shooter prior to tipoff, the senior missed both of his shots from beyond the arc. He has a sweet stroke, but for the third time in five games, Johnston’s teammates didn’t find him.