Willie Rodriguez went 10-for-17 from the field on his way to 24 points on Saturday afternoon as Binghamton University earned a 78-68 America East men’s basketball victory over the University of Maine at the Events Center in Vestal, New York.
The Bearcats (8-21, 5-11 AE) claimed the No. 5 seed for the conference quarterfinals, while the Black Bears (8-21, 4-12 AE) finished sixth.
Coach Bob Walsh’s UMaine ballclub suffered their eighth consecutive loss and travels to take on No. 3 Vermont (19-12, 11-5 AE) in Wednesday’s quarterfinal matchup at 7:30 p.m.
Binghamton shot 47 percent (31-for-66) and received 14 points from Marlon Beck II and 10 points and five rebounds from Bobby Ahearn.
Freshman Issac Vann spearheaded the UMaine attack with a game-high 26 points and also contributed eight rebounds and four assists. Sophomore guard Aaron Calixte posted 14 points, while freshman Devin Eke (5 rebounds, 2 blocks), senior Shaun Lawton (4 rebounds) and junior Troy Reid-Knight added six points each.
The Black Bears shot 40 percent (26-for-65) from the floor, but missed 10 free throws. UMaine’s 13 turnovers led to 19 points by the hosts.
UMaine trailed by only five points (34-29) at halftime, but Binghamton opened the second half with a 20-10 run. The Bearcats pushed their advantage to as many as 19 points.
A layup by Vann had UMaine within six at the 16:20 mark, then Binghamton pulled away. Beck opened the surge with a 3-pointer, then Everson Davis cashed in on a Lavar Harewood turnover with a layup.
Another Harewood miscue opened the door for Ahearn’s layup, before Lawton hit a jumper and Rodriguez countered with a dunk for the Bearcats. Ahearn’s jumper at the 12:33 mark gave the hosts a 54-39 advantage with 12:33 to play.