Final Stats

Contact: David O'Brian (dobrian@binghamton.edu)

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Brandon Venturini poured in a game-high 26 points, leading Navy (1-4) to a 70-68 win over Binghamton (1-4) on the final day of the Hall of Fame Tip Off Tournament on Sunday afternoon at the Mohegan Arena.

With the game-tied at 62-62, Venturini took over, scoring five straight points to put his team ahead 67-62 with 2:17 left in regulation.

Freshman guard Romello Walker hit a big three-point field goal, shrinking the deficit to 69-68 with 25 seconds left.  Navy, however, hit one more free throw and the Bearcats' game-winning three-point field goal attempt at the buzzer hit the rim.

"I am disappointed we did not get the win," head coach Tommy Dempsey said. "But there are a lot of positives we can take away from this. We did a lot of good things tonight and we are getting better."

Freshman forward Willie Rodriguez scored a team-high 15 points for the Bearcats. He has now reached double figures in two straight games and has averaged 19.0 points during that stretch.

Three other BU players reached double figures in scoring. Sophomore guard Yosef Yacob and freshman forward Dusan Perovic each added 12 points while sophomore forward Nick Madray chipped in 10 points.

Binghamton went on a 14-6 run to go up 14-12 with 11:57 left in the first half. Yacob had six of his points during that stretch.

The Midshipmen regrouped and went up 32-25 with 2:20 left in in the first half. The Bearcats, however, reeled off the last six points, trimming the deficit to 32-31 at the break.

The Bearcats drained four three-point field goals in the opening 4:28 of the second half to take a 47-40 lead. Yacob hit a pair of those three pointers.

Navy got to within 60-57 with 6:23 left in regulation, forcing the Bearcats to call a timeout. The Midshipman then tied the game at 62-62 on a three-point field goal by Zach Fong with 5:10 left to go.

That set the stage for Venturini's decisive stretch.

Up next for Binghamton is a Tuesday game at Army. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.