Box Score

Contact: John Hartrick (hartrick@binghamton.edu)

Emmitsburg, Md. – Host Mt. St. Mary's (4-6) sank two free throws with 2.9 seconds remaining to sneak past Binghamton men's basketball 69-68 Monday night at Knott Arena.

The Bearcats (1-13) shot a season-high 57 percent from the floor and put a season-best 43 points on the board in the second half in a gallant effort.

"I'm proud of my team," head coach Tommy Dempsey said. "Heartbreaking is probably underestimating how we feel right now. We're fighting our butts off to win, but I saw a lot of good out there. We banged the glass, made big plays and took care of the ball. It's a tough foul call at the end and a tough way to lose 30 feet from the basket. Our shooting numbers were great. We settled into the game and played with a lot of heart."

Freshman forward Willie Rodriguez, who tallied a season-high 25 points, made two free throws with 13 seconds left to give BU a 68-67 lead – its first lead of the game. But with The Mount working its final possession, the Bearcats were whistled for a foul at the top of the key and junior forward Andrew Smeathers made the deciding pair of free throws. After a timeout, BU had one last gasp but sophomore guard Yosef Yacob's heave from inside half-court banked off the front rim at the buzzer.

Rodriguez made 8-of-11 from the floor and 8-of-10 from the line and added seven rebounds. He tallied 22 points after intermission and produced nine points in the final 4:03. Freshman center Dusan Perovic scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half to give BU two double-digit scorers. Perovic was 6-of-7 from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Freshman wing Justin McFadden had nine points, five rebounds and two steals.

The reigning Northeast Conference champion Mountaineers jumped out to a 23-9 lead to start the game. The combination of BU turnovers (15) and Mt. St. Mary's offensive rebounds (12) gave the hosts 13 more shot attempts and despite shooting a season-best first half percentage of 58 percent, the Bearcats trailed 32-25 at the break.

Rodriguez and McFadden had seven points apiece to pace BU in the opening period. A 13-4 BU run midway through the half featured a three-point play from Rodriguez, a reverse layup from first-year forward Bobby Ahearn and a three-pointer from McFadden. The three ball from McFadden, after a great drive and dish from sophomore guard Marlon Beck, brought BU to within six, 27-21. But Mt. St. Mary's drilled a deep three on its next possession to quell the momentum.   

But the Bearcats only had five turnovers in a well-played second half, when they outscored Mt. St. Mary's by six.

Binghamton now enjoys its longest layoff of the season (seven days) before hosting fellow SUNY school Buffalo on Dec. 30 – the team's final non-conference game of the season.