VESTAL, N.Y. - Sophomore point guard Marlon Beck II scored a game-high 16 points and freshman forward Willie Rodriguez tallied all 13 of his points in the second half as Binghamton men's basketball eased past Mansfield 66-60 in an exhibition game Saturday afternoon at the Events Center.
The game was in doubt when Rodriguez drilled a three-pointer with one minute left that stretched BU's lead to 60-56. Rodriguez then hit a pair of free throws with 0:44 left and the Bearcats sank four more free throws in the final 28 seconds to ice the win.
"It couldn't have played out much better for us, "head coach Tommy Dempsey said. "You want to be in tough situations ... these are learning situations for us. It wouldn't have done us any good to play in a blowout. Give credit to Mansfield ... they played very physical, kept battling and took us right to the wire and we were fortunate to pull away in the last minute. We have a lot to learn and a long way to go but hopefully we can learn and draw on this experience."
Binghamton led 29-24 at half, thanks in part to 10 first-half points from freshman guard Romello Walker, who hit 3-of-5, including a pair of three-pointers in the first frame. But BU hit just 3-of-17 from beyond the arc and the visiting Mounties held a margin on the boards to keep the game tight.
In the second half, the Bearcats extended their lead to 43-32 after Walker hit a pair of free throws with 14:21 remaining. But Mansfield outscored BU 24-14 over the next 13 minutes to pull within striking distance. Charles Pemberton made a free throw with 1:20 to trim BU's lead to just one, 57-56, before a second attempt was wiped out on a Mansfield lane violation. On BU's next possession, Rodriguez drilled the big three-pointer, giving the Bearcats a cushion they would ride out over the final minute.
Beck hit 4-of-7 field goals, went 6-for-6 from the line and grabbed a team-high six rebounds. Rodriguez had 13 points and six boards and Walker and junior wing Jordan Reed added 12 points apiece.
The Bearcats were hampered by 14 misses at the free throw line (25-for-39).
Binghamton hosts Oswego State in its second and final exhibition game on Friday.
