The Binghamton University men’s basketball team extended its current losing streak to five games this week, falling to conference rival Boston University 71-66 Wednesday evening.
As the snow fell outside Agganis Arena in Boston, senior forward Mahamoud Jabbi carried the Bearcats, scoring 14 of the team’s first 30 points. Jabbi finished the night with a game-high 22 points, matching his season- and career-high against Marshall University in late December.
“He’s one of our better players,” said interim head coach Mark Macon of Jabbi. “We just need to find more shots for him. I’ve been telling him, if you get open, shoot the ball.”
Binghamton (6-15, 3-5 America East) only trailed 33-32 after the first half, holding the conference’s leading scorer John Holland to only nine points. Holland, a senior for the Terriers, finished the game with 16, scoring all seven second-half points from the foul line.
Trailing 69-66 late in the final seconds of the second half, Binghamton had a chance to tie the game, but both Jabbi and senior Moussa Camara missed 3-point attempts. Holland, who shot only 3-of-11 from the field, sealed the win for the Terriers by making two free throws with only 3.1 seconds remaining.
Four Bearcats finished the game in double digits in points, including Camara’s 15-point performance. Junior center Kyrie Sutton added 12 for the Bearcats, while sophomore guard Jimmy Gray scored an additional 10.
With the loss, the Bearcats currently sit in sixth place in the America East Conference, but have only a one-game advantage over last-place UMBC.
But despite another losing stint, Macon insists his team is remaining positive.
“The morale is good, especially after [Wednesday],” he said. “They don’t get down too much. They hate losing, but they don’t get down too much. We just have to take it one game at a time. We were slow to start the season, but we got better and won a few games. We have to work at getting better and trying to get one win; every game is one game.”
Boston, whose early schedule included trips to both Villanova University and the University of Kentucky, provided an experienced opponent for the Bearcats.
“They play a lot like Villanova because that’s where [Boston University head coach Pat Chambers] came from,” Macon said. “They are a very disciplined team. I also think our kids played a great game, but we couldn’t pull it out. We have to go back to the drawing board and work on closing games.”
The Bearcats, who shot 9-of-13 from the free-throw line, attempted just over half as many foul shots as the Terriers did. Boston shot 19-of-25 from the stripe.
Even though the Bearcats have lost four or more consecutive games three times this season, Macon continues to express confidence in his players, backing their performance in Boston Wednesday evening.
“I’m so proud of, not only [Jabbi], but all of the guys. Things are looking up,” Macon said.
The Bearcats, whose sporadic offense has given them some trouble this season, heated up to shoot 48 percent from the floor in the first half. However, another late defensive struggle haunted Binghamton, as an 11-0 Boston run late in the second half saw a 62-56 Bearcat lead slip away.
Boston junior guard Darryl Partin led the Terriers in scoring, racking up 20 points, second only to Jabbi’s 22.
Bearcat forward Greer Wright sat on the bench Wednesday night after opponents held the senior scoreless in the previous three games. Wright led the Bearcats in scoring through their first 14 games, but an ankle injury caused him to miss the team’s three successive games. In his attempts to return, Wright averaged only 22 minutes per game, more than 10 fewer than his season average. Macon estimated Wright’s recovery to be day-to-day.