The Binghamton men’s basketball team entered its America East (AE) conference matchup against Vermont tied with the Catamounts for second place in the conference standings. Despite the standings’ competitive nature, the visitors gained an early lead over the Bearcats and did not look back. The Bearcats dropped the Wednesday night contest 80-55, allowing Vermont to overtake them in the standings.

“Going into the game I think we were the two best defensive teams in the league in terms of points per game,” said Binghamton head coach Levell Sanders. “That held true for [Vermont], and we can’t give up 80 points and expect to win.”

The Bearcats (8-12, 4-3 AE) had a back-and-forth start to the matchup, as they and the Catamounts (11-10, 5-2 AE) traded their first five baskets. Vermont followed this start with an offensive flurry, drilling three straight three-pointers and making nine of its first 11 baskets. Despite this, the Bearcats kept themselves in the game, answering every one of UVM’s scores with their own basket. The visitors, however, began to pull away, as their lead grew to 11 points just under eight minutes into the action. Both teams combined for 52 points in the first 10 minutes of game time.

“I thought we had a poor start,” Sanders said. “When you give teams the opportunity to come on your floor, make easy baskets and score early on, you gotta settle them down. It was a poor start offensively, especially in the first half. I thought we were playing a little selfish.”

Despite the early deficit, Binghamton remained competitive in the first half and closed in on Vermont’s lead, cutting it to as little as six. However, the Catamounts’ scoring did not slow, as they took a 16-point advantage with just under two minutes remaining in the period. BU could not cut into this lead, as Vermont’s five first-half three-pointers allowed it to maintain a 46-31 advantage heading into the break.

“We gotta know when guys are shooters and not [give] them the opportunity to get open shots,” Sanders said. “We can’t allow that, and we can’t turn the ball over as many times as we did and give them opportunities to get out [in transition].”

The second-half scoring began slower than the first as both teams added just four points each to their totals four minutes in. Both offenses stalled at the start of the period, with Binghamton trailing by 15 points with 10 minutes left in the game. The Bearcats failed to capitalize on the slower-paced offense, and the visitors began to run away with the contest. Vermont had only five turnovers compared to the hosts’ 14.

“Today a lot of it was just careless turnovers,” Sanders said. “Vermont doesn’t really pressure you or trap you or anything. They play solid half-court defense, and I thought a lot of our turnovers were unforced.”

BU began to show life late in the game after graduate student forward Miles Gibson drilled the team’s second 3-pointer, following it up with another bucket during the next possession. Gibson scored seven straight Binghamton points, although it was not enough as UVM’s 3-point shooting kept its lead sizable. Ultimately, the Bearcats fell to the Catamounts 80-55.

“[Junior guard Armon Harried] comes out and does what he does all the time, he plays hard,” Sanders said. “He guards the other team’s best player [and] he competes. I thought he had one of the bright spots today of just being able to play, contribute and play within the team. He did a wonderful job for us.”

Despite the loss, two Bearcats reached the double-digit scoring mark — including Gibson, who had 13 points, and Harried, who led the team with 16 points and also grabbed seven rebounds in the one-sided loss. Binghamton failed to hold a lead at any point in the contest and struggled on defense, allowing Vermont to convert on 12 three-pointers in the game.

“Saturday is gonna be a totally different game because Bryant is gonna press and play zones, and they’re gonna be switching a lot,” Sanders said. “Obviously we can’t turn the ball over, which we did a good job of when we played down there in Bryant.”

The Bearcats remain at home for their next contest against Bryant on Saturday, Jan. 28. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center in Vestal, New York.