With just over eight minutes to go in the Binghamton men’s basketball team’s America East (AE) quarterfinal game against New Hampshire, sophomore forward Willie Rodriguez drained a mid-range jump-shot to cut BU’s deficit to 44-42.
But, over the next four minutes, the Bearcats (8-22, 5-12 AE) failed to steal the lead from UNH. The Wildcats grabbed four straight offensive rebounds, turning them into six second-chance points, to pull away from BU and secure a 56-51 victory.
“The offensive rebounds were significant, they just kept possessions alive,” BU head coach Tommy Dempsey said. “I thought our initial defense was really good, but the more shots you miss the more chances you have for offensive rebounds.”
The Bearcats contained a strong New Hampshire offense throughout the game. Binghamton limited the Wildcats to just 56 points — 16.1 points below their season average — while holding UNH to just a 27.1 percent shooting clip from the field. Despite this, UNH grabbed 13 offensive rebounds — leading to 16 second chance points — took 14 more shots than BU and shot 82.6 percent from the free-throw line en route to their victory.
“You have to give New Hampshire credit, they found a way to get it done tonight,” Dempsey said. “We really guarded them well and played solid defense.”
Freshman guards Timmy Rose and Everson Davis carried the Binghamton offense in the first half, in which Binghamton headed to the locker room trailing by just two, 27-25. Rose, making only his second career start, scored nine points and six rebounds in the period, while Davis, who hadn’t reached double-figures in 11 of BU’s last 12 games, poured in 10. Rose finished the game with 15 points and eight rebounds.
“Timmy really got better all year,” Dempsey said. “As he continued to get more time, it just become really obvious to us that he deserved to play more and he could help us.”
Rodriguez found his scoring touch in the second half for the Bearcats. After registering just four points in the opening 20 minutes of play, Rodriguez poured in 13 in the second half, including nailing a pair of clutch 3-pointers from the top of the key to keep BU in it.
UNH’s prowess on the offensive glass and at the free-throw line, however, was too much for BU to overcome. Wildcat junior guards Daniel Dion and Jaleen Smith combined to go 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final three minutes to keep the game out of reach for the Bearcats. Smith and Dion finished first and second, respectively, in the conference free-throw percentage rankings.
“Something that Coach stressed the last couple of days before we played was that it was going to come down to the wire,” said BU junior guard Marlon Beck. “We knew it was going to be a grind, each possession really counts.”
With the loss, Binghamton failed to advance past the quarterfinal round in the America East Tournament for the seventh consecutive season. The Bearcats are set to return all 14 players on their roster this season, including sophomore guard J.C. Show, who is currently redshirting after transferring from Bucknell. Binghamton has no seniors on its current roster.
“We’re definitely heading in the right direction,” Dempsey said. “We have the whole team back, so I feel really positive about where we’re headed in this conference.”