For the second straight game, the Binghamton men’s basketball team failed to drive its opponent off of the 3-point line.
One game after surrendering 11 3-pointers to Army, the Bearcats (0-3) allowed Cornell to drain 12 shots from behind the arc as the Big Red (2-1) topped BU, 76-59.
“This is a bit of a tough start for us, but don’t count this team out,” BU head coach Tommy Dempsey said. “We’re going to be a good team. I really believe that.”
From the opening tip-off, Cornell managed to disrupt the Binghamton offense. The Big Red’s frenetic defense trapped the Bearcats pick-and-roll attempts, forcing BU’s ball-handlers — mainly junior guard Marlon Beck and freshman guard Everson Davis — out of their rhythms. This strategy was effective, as Cornell jumped out to an 8-0 lead just two minutes into play.
“I think we just have to keep running through our stuff, trusting the offense, trusting our game plan on offense,” Beck said. “They kind of blitzed us on defense a little bit with their traps, got us out of rhythm a little bit. We just have to play through it.”
BU, however, adjusted to Cornell’s defensive pressure and worked its way back into the contest. With 9:26 left in the half, Davis knocked down a mid-range jumper from the right elbow to give the Bearcats a 16-15 lead, their first and only advantage of the contest.
From there, Cornell went on a 23-11 run over the last nine minutes of the period to head into the locker room leading, 38-27. The Big Red shot 48.3 percent from the field in the half and knocked down seven 3-pointers, while BU knocked down just 30.3 percent of its shots.
After the break, it appeared as if Binghamton was going to play its way back into the game. Led by sophomore forward Willie Rodriguez — who finished the contest with 14 points — and Beck, who led BU with 17, the Bearcats cut the deficit to just five points eight minutes into the period.
“I thought we got the ball inside during that stretch,” Dempsey said about his team’s run. “We got Willie some touches inside and we were sharing the ball well.”
But BU failed to get any closer. Two minutes later, Cornell increased its advantage to 10, and from there, every time the Bearcats managed to come any closer, the Big Red drained a clutch 3-pointer to maintain control of the game. Cornell finished the contest with 12 triples and shot 50 percent from long-range en route to its 10-point victory.
“We’ve played against some really good guards in the last couple of games and their kids played really well,” Dempsey said. “But, yeah, it’s certainly an area of concern guarding the 3-point line.”
In only his second career game, Cornell guard Matt Morgan dominated. BU had no answer for the freshman as he recorded a game-high 24 points — draining five 3-pointers and shooting 56.3 percent from the field. Junior guard Robert Hatter — who entered the contest averaging 26 points per game — registered a double-double, scoring 15 points while dishing out 11 assists.
“We lost sight of our game plan as far as throwing the ball inside,” Dempsey said. “It’s a learning experience. We talked about it in the locker room after the game … We were immature on the road tonight but we’ll learn from it and get better.”
BU is set to return to action on Tuesday at Central Connecticut State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. from the Detrick Gymnasium in New Britain, Connecticut.