The Binghamton men’s basketball team dropped its sixth straight game on Saturday afternoon, suffering a 79-70 loss to University of Pennsylvania at the Events Center.

The game was actually closer than it appears: Although the Bearcats (1-8) struggled out of the gates, they rallied back from a deficit as large as 11 points and kept to within three of UPenn (2-5) through much of the second half.

Ultimately, however, the host’s late shots weren’t falling in, and some opportune Quakers free throws in the last 43 seconds allowed the Ivy Leaguers to secure their victory.

“We’re all a little bit frustrated right now,” BU head coach Tommy Dempsey said. “We’re working hard to get on the winning side and we’re having good practices and our spirit is good and our energy is good and we deserve to win a game. … There were a lot of positives, and we need to focus on the positives right now.”

One of those was being able to bounce back from a start that saw the Bearcats shoot 0 of 9 from the floor in the opening 7:20. UPenn didn’t get out to much of a lead — they went 4 for 14 through the same stretch — but they dominated on the glass, leading to more opportunities. The Quakers led, 8-2, with 12:57 left in the half, and things were looking futile for the Bearcats.

“It kind of had the appearance of, it was going to be one of those games where we just wouldn’t play well,” Dempsey said. “And then we rallied, and I thought we played pretty good basketball.”

Sophomore guard Marlon Beck II incited that comeback effort, nailing a 3-pointer with 12:40 remaining. The Bearcats then converted five of their next seven shots, four of them from the perimeter. Through the game, they would hit 11 treys, featuring contributions from seven players.

UPenn didn’t grow complacent, however. The Quakers were dominant in the paint, and they followed each of BU’s scores with points of their own. They jumped out to an 11-point lead twice, especially behind 6-foot-11 junior center Darien Nelson-Henry’s potency in the post and junior guard Tony Hicks, who led all scorers with 18 points.

Though the margin would wax and wane through the game, the Bearcats showed two things: One, they won’t let poor shooting stretches stop them from competing. In the second half, freshman center Dusan Perovic opened scoring with his characteristic right-handed hook shot and drained a 3-pointer on the next possession. He picked up his third personal foul just a minute later, but with him out, sophomore forward Nick Madray and freshman forward Willie Rodriguez picked up the slack. Madray hit back-to-back threes to get the Bearcats to within three, 50-47, for the fourth time in the afternoon. Rodriguez was more effective in the last ten minutes. He scored six of his 13 points — including his first collegiate 3-pointer — and recorded his second double-double of the season — grabbing 10 rebounds — in that time.

The second thing the Bearcats showed is, they can compete without former star guard Jordan Reed — whose release from Binghamton was granted on Friday — and they can press without Jordan Reed. They forced 18 turnovers through the game even without their two most athletic players in Reed and sophomore forward Magnus Richards, who is injured.

“We’re not as built to press right now without some of our athletes, without Jordan and with Magnus Richards being hurt … but I still think we are able to press,” Dempsey said. “And we did press. We pressed pretty effectively at times, and I thought we were a little bit disruptive in causing turnovers.”

Perovic led BU scorers for the second straight game with 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Rodriguez followed with 13 and led the team in rebounding. Freshman guard Romello Walker continued to showcase his consistency, contributing 12 points.

With Binghamton essentially having to alter its game plan with Reed gone for good, and with Dempsey playing three or four freshmen on the floor at once, it’s not too surprising that the team is still without a win against a Division I opponent. But it’s still relatively early, and the team has time.

“I really feel that once we can break the ice here and get a couple of wins, I still think we can be a factor in the second half of the season,” Dempsey said. “That’s what we’re most focused on right now — coming together over these next few weeks and becoming a team that can compete and win games in the America East. I looked at our team today and I was looking at a team that can compete in our conference, and that was a good sign.”

Next up for Binghamton is a Monday night contest against Division II Caldwell College. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Events Center.