Bearcats top turnover-plagued Black Bears

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VESTAL, N.Y. – Binghamton University took advantage of strong post play and capitalized on numerous University of Maine turnovers on its way to a 65-52 America East men’s basketball victory at the Events Center.

The Bearcats withstood an early second-half charge by the Black Bears, regained the lead and never relinquished it while improving to 4-8 overall, 1-2 in league play.

Coach Ted Woodward’s UMaine squad (7-4, 2-1 America East) had difficulty defending Binghamton in the post, struggled to find an offensive rhythm, and committed 22 turnovers in the loss.

“We struggled a little defensively inside and really we just had far too many turnovers,” Woodward told WZON radio after the game. “Our ballhandling was a little shaky and we’re going to have to find a way to get that turnover number down, especially without Chris [Markwood] in the lineup.”

UMaine’s senior point guard is sidelined four to six weeks with a broken left hand.

The Bears placed four players in double figures for the eighth consecutive game, paced by 16 from Mark Flavin. Jermaine Jackson netted 13 points, while Bangor’s Joe Campbell contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds. Ernest Turner chipped in with 10 points.

However, UMaine got no points from senior guard Kevin Reed.

“I give the kid a ton of credit for stepping up and playing for us because he’s really giving us everything he’s got right now and he’s certainly not at 100 percent,” Woodward said of the banged-up senior.

Alex Adediran paced a well-balanced scoring effort for Binghamton with 18 points and also pulled down nine rebounds. Schafer Jackson scored 14 points, including three 3-pointers, while Billy Williams and Sebastian Hermenier posted 11 and 10 points, respectively.

UMaine stormed out of the locker room at halftime, quickly turning a four-point deficit into a one-point lead with a 7-0 run.

Jackson and Flavin each converted two free throws, then Jermaine Jackson drained a 3-pointer in transition to give the Bears a short-lived 29-28 lead with 18:32 remaining.

After a 30-second timeout, Adediran hit a free throw and the Bearcats then received a Nick Billings dunk before Flavin answered for UMaine with a lay-in to make it 31-31.

The hosts countered with Adediran’s driving layup, a Schafer Jackson 3-pointer, and Jackson’s hoop from the paint that gave Binghamton a 38-31 advantage with 14:24 to play.

The Bears later got as close as 40-38 on two Campbell foul shots, but the Bearcats scored the next five points and were able to maintain the lead.

The Bears had their share of struggles in the first half, yet still trailed only 26-22 at halftime.

Binghamton took advantage of a strong inside game and an effective transition attack while building a 12-point lead at one juncture. The hosts benefited from 14 UMaine turnovers in the half.

The Bearcats pulled ahead initially with a 10-3 scoring run midway through the half and led 18-11. They eventually pushed the advantage to 28-16 on Hermenier’s long baseline jumper with 1:38 left.

However, Flavin and Turner each hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of the half to help UMaine overcome its turnover- and foul-plagued effort.

BEARCATS 65, BLACK BEARS 52

Maine (7-5) Binghamton (4-8)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Flavin 5 10 4 4 16 Hermenier 2 10

Campbell 3 6 6 6 12 Williams 4 11

Turner 4 10 0 2 10 Adediran 7 10 4 6 18

Bruff 0 0 0 0 0 Hailey 0 4 0

Reed 0 5 0 0 0 Heard 3 16 2 9

Hight 0 1 0 2 0 Jackson 5 8 14

Jackson 4 13 2 2 13 Casseus 0 0 0

Dubois 0 0 0 0 0 White 0 0 0

Ahvenniemi 0 0 1 2 1 Fithian 0 2 0

Billings 1 3 3

Totals 16 45 13 18 52 Totals 22 54 14 28 65

Maine 22 52

Binghamton 28 65

3-pt. goals – Maine (7-21): Flavin 2-3, Campbell 0-1, Turner 2-5, Reed 0-3, Jackson 3-9; Binghamton (7-20): Hermenier 1-3, Williams 2-2, Hailey 0-3, Heard 1-6, Jackson 3-6

Attendance: 2,580