Most games have their highs and lows, but the Binghamton men’s basketball team faced mountains and valleys against Boston University on Wednesday. Binghamton’s skid extended to five in the 77-65 loss, keeping the Bearcats (1-7) winless against Division I opponents in 2014-15. But the same night saw resounding success for one Bearcat: Freshman forward Dusan Perovic shattered a program record, dropping 34 points in the contest to surpass former guard Jordan Reed’s 33-point mark against Hartford, set last February.
Perovic dominated in the second half, pouring in 29 points for a Binghamton squad that trailed Boston (2-4) by as many as 22. The 6-foot-9 sharp shooter out of Montenegro sank 11 of 18 from the field, including 6 of 8 from 3-point range. Those numbers bumped up Perovic’s America East-leading perimeter shooting percentage, which now sits at a 71.4 percent clip.
Perovic has seen success before — Wednesday was the third time he’s led the team in scoring this season — but not quite like this. Almost every time the ball came into his hands in the second half, his shots fell in, despite being double-teamed, despite launching from everywhere on the floor. And though he proved extremely effective from distance against Boston, Pervoic is capable in the low-post region as well. That much is evident from his performances against Hartwick and Providence, in which he went 6 for 9 and 5 for 8 from in the paint, respectively.
Though Perovic’s late-game heroics were sufficient to break the school record for points in a contest, they weren’t enough to pace the Terriers, who got their first win over an America East opponent this season at Binghamton’s expense. Boston — part of the AE until 2013 — fell to its former conference rival in University of New Hampshire, 75-68, before dropping its next match, 69-59, to the AE’s newest addition, UMass Lowell.
And in the first eight minutes against Binghamton, it looked like Boston might not secure a win over an AE team this season. The Terriers lagged behind, 11-6, while they shot 0 for 7 from 3-point range.
But with 10:32 left in the half, things turned around. Ignited by a sunken trey from junior guard John Papale, the Terriers were suddenly aflame. They shot 7 for 10 from the perimeter, building a double-digit lead over their visitors with a 25-5 run. Papale and sophomore guard Cedric Hankerson combined for 18 points from outside, with Papale shooting 3 for 5 and Hankerson converting 3 of 6. Binghamton requited with a 7-0 run of its own nearing the end of the half to close up the gap, and the visitors entered the locker room down by only 11, 34-23.
In the second half, the hosts didn’t let up, gaining as much as a 22-point advantage. With the pressure on, Perovic began taking more shots, and they started falling in. Almost single-handedly, Perovic kept Binghamton on pace with Boston. But the Terriers kept their heat on and finished out the half shooting 64 percent from the field. The Terriers actually only outshot BU by one in the latter 20, holding a 43-42 advantage. Overall, Boston shot 50 percent on 14-of-18 shooting from 3-point range, and finished shooting 51.9 percent from the field.
After this matchup, Perovic overtook fellow freshman forward Willie Rodriguez as the team’s leading scorer. Rodriguez had averaged 11.5 points through the seven games heading into Case Gym on Wednesday. A quiet performance against the Terriers, in which he scored just three points, saw Rodriguez’s mark dip to 10.4 points per game. Perovic, on the other hand, jumped from 9.9 to 12.9 points per contest.
Rodriguez and Perovic have been the core of Binghamton’s offensive production this season. Each has led scoring in three contests apiece, with Rodriguez eclipsing the 20-point mark twice.
Freshman guard Romello Walker was the only other Binghamton scorer to reach double-digits against Boston, contributing 12 points and a team-high six rebounds.
Next up for the Bearcats is a home contest on Saturday against University of Pennsylvania. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at the Events Center.