Bearcats eke out win over UMaine Green hits winning FTs with 1:30 left

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VESTAL, N.Y. – The University of Maine men’s basketball team used a 13-0 run to erase a 12-point deficit in the final 3:51 but the Bears couldn’t answer Anthony Green’s free throws with 1:30 left as Binghamton held on for a 63-62 America East win Saturday afternoon.

Binghamton improved to 12-11 overall and snapped its three-game losing streak while Maine fell to 12-13 after having its four-game winning streak stopped. Both teams are 7-6 in the conference.

Binghamton is 9-2 at home, including a 6-1 mark against America East rivals.

“It was an important win for us,” said Binghamton coach Al Walker. “We’ve still got a shot at finishing third in the conference. I was proud of the way the guys hung in there after they came back on us.”

Following Green’s free throws, Kevin Reed missed a 3-pointer with 1:12 left and, after Green missed a jumper, Eric Dobson grabbed the rebound and the Bears called a timeout to set up the final play.

Dobson’s layup rolled off the rim and Binghamton’s Nick Billings grabbed the rebound with two-tenths of a second left and was fouled.

After Green’s 3-pointer had given the Bearcats a 61-49 lead with 4:03 left, two Clayton Brown foul shots triggered Maine’s 13-point run.

Reed made a foul shot and Rickey White sank two to pull Maine within 61-54 with 3:34 left.

Dobson stole the ball and passed to Thomas Hill for a 3-pointer and Dobson’s steal and layup off a White pass made it 61-59 with 3:04 left.

Hill’s 3-pointer off another White feed gave Maine a 62-61 lead with 1:46 left before Dobson fouled Green.

Green finished with 18 points and five assists, both game-highs, and he also grabbed six rebounds. The 7-foot Billings added 10 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.

Brown’s 16 points; Dobson’s 15 points, four assists and four steals; and Hill’s 12 points paced Maine. Seven-foot Justin Rowe had a team-high nine rebounds but was held to just two points and one blocked shot, which tied Jeff Cross’ UMaine career record with 209.

Rowe entered the game as the nation’s top shot blocker at 4.5 per game while Billings was third at 4.4.

Binghamton used a 12-3 run to build a 33-24 lead with 3:54 left in the first half but Dobson nailed a 3-pointer and added a pair of free throws to close the gap to 33-29 at the half.

The Bearcats used a 9-2 run in the second half, featuring a pair of 3-pointers by Jeff St. Fort and another by Green, to build their 61-49 advantage.

Binghamton went 11-for-24 from 3-point land while Maine was just 8-for-23.

BEARCATS 63, BLACK BEARS 62

Maine (12-13) Binghamton (12-11)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Jackson 0 0 0 0 0 Carter 2 5 4

White 3 9 2 2 8 St. Fort 2 7

Rowe 1 6 0 3 2 Billings 5 11 10

Reed 0 7 3 4 3 Baker 2 5 0 5

Hill 4 7 0 0 12 Green 6 13 2 18

Dobson 5 12 4 4 15 Hermenier 1 5

Petkus 2 3 0 0 6 Ocitti 3 3 8

Campbell 0 0 0 0 0 Casseus 0 1 0

Brown 5 12 5 6 16 Williams 2 6

Totals 20 56 14 19 62 Totals 23 54 12 63

Maine 29 62

Binghamton 33 63

3-pt. goals ? Maine (8-23): Hill 4-7, Petkus 2-3, Brown 1-3, Dobson 1-4, White 0-1, Reed 0-5; Binghamton (11-24): Green 4-8, Ocitti 2-2, St. Fort 2-2, Williams 1-3, Baker1-3, Hermenier 1-4, Carter 0-2

Attendance: 2,120