After a hard-fought performance against Long Beach State on Thursday night, the Binghamton men’s basketball team fell to FIU on Sunday.
Despite facing a seven-point deficit at the conclusion of the first half against LBSU (1-7), the Bearcats (4-4) scored 55 points in the second to put away the 49ers, 72-64. The victory marked one of BU’s best offensive performances in several years.
“We got every 50-50 ball, made big shots and played harder and more together than Long Beach, and it showed up over the course of 40 minutes,” said BU head coach Tommy Dempsey. “To score 55 points in the second half … that showed incredible fight.”
In the decisive second, BU shot an efficient 52 percent from the field and drained seven 3-pointers against the 49ers. LBSU was picked to finish first in the Big West’s preseason media poll and has made national postseason tournaments in four of the last five years.
“That’s as big of a win as we’ve had in my time here,” Dempsey said. “We played like a family and that’s what you have to do when you are undermanned.”
BU captured the win behind the lights-out shooting of junior forward Dusan Perovic and redshirt sophomore guard J.C. Show. Both Bearcats were influential in sparking the second half, contributing 21 points apiece in the contest.
BU was unable to carry its success into its road trip-ending matchup against FIU (2-4), coming up short, 74-57. The matchup was BU’s fourth in six days.
“In order to win, we had to play harder and I didn’t feel like we did,” Dempsey said. “I wish we had played better tonight, but it was more about how well FIU played.”
Show continued to display his offensive prowess by tallying a team-high 22 points in the contest, surpassing the 20-point mark for the fourth time this season. He shot 45 percent from beyond the arc and went 8-for-14 from the field.
Bouncing back from a six-point performance against Long Beach State, junior forward Bobby Ahearn recorded 13 points and six rebounds. Sophomore forward Thomas Bruce contributed eight points.
Over the past several games, opposing teams have exposed BU’s undersized frontcourt. BU was out-rebounded by five against Long Beach State and by 14 against FIU.
“You have to give FIU credit … they played great … they forced their will on us with size and athleticism,” Dempsey said. “They needed to win on their home floor and we weren’t able to keep up tonight.”
BU is set to host Mansfield on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. from the Events Center in Vestal, New York.
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