Women fall to Cornell at home; Men to Navy on the road

11/14/2012 (Updated 10:59:38 PM)

VESTAL -- Allyson DiMango finished with a game-high 17 points and added eight rebounds, leading Cornell (2-1) to a 60-56 win over Binghamton (0-2) in a non-conference womens basketball game on Wednesday night at the Events Center.

The game marked the home opener for the Bearcats.

Binghamton looked to be in control of the game as it held a 54-49 lead with 3:20 left in regulation. Down the stretch, however, the Big Red went on an 11-2 run to record the come-from-behind win.

Its unfortunate because this is a game we let get away from us, head coach Nicole Scholl said. We can take a lot of good things away from this game. We stepped up our defense in the second half. If we can put together two halves like that, we should be right there.

After 20 minutes, however, Binghamton was already down 33-23. The Big Red hit six of their 10 three-point field goal attempts and DiMango had posted 11 points and seven rebounds.

Down 43-30 with 15:25 left in the second half, the Bearcats put the clamps on Cornells attack, outscoring the Big Red 15-2 to tie the game at 49-49 with 9:49 left to go.  From there, the Bearcats scored another five straight points to go up 50-45 at the 7:16 mark.

A big key to Binghamtons comeback was its performance at the free throw line. Binghamton sank its first 16 attempts and finished the game 19-for-24 (79.2 percent).

The momentum of the game, however, swung back to Cornells favor on what turned out to be a five-point play at the 3:06 mark. Taylor Flynn nailed a three pointer and as the ball was in the air, Clare Fitzpatrick was fouled away from the ball. Fitzpatrick then hit both free throws to tie the game.

Fitzpatrick sank two more free throws at the 2:05 mark and Shelby Lyman followed up with a three pointer, putting Cornell up 59-54 with 1:30 to go.

Fitzpatrick finished with 13 points in the winning effort.
Junior guard Jasbriell Swain finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds to record the eighth double-double of her career.

Sophomore forward Sherae Swinson added a career-high 12 points and senior forward Kara Elofson chipped in 10 points and six rebounds.

Up next for Binghamton is a two-game road swing in Tennessee, starting with a game at Austin Peay on Sunday at 2 p.m. EST.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Speedy freshman guard Tilman Dunbar compiled 16 points and 11 assists and host Navy (2-1) ended the game with a 25-7 run to pull away from visiting Binghamton mens basketball (0-3) 75-52 Wednesday night at Alumni Hall.

After clawing their way back into the game midway through the second half, BU managed just three field goals over the games final 11 minutes and saw a five-point deficit swell as the Mids used a steady stream of free throws to extend their lead. Both teams were in the double bonus with nine minutes remaining and Navy hit eight from the line to key a 10-0 run that turned a tight 50-45 lead into a 60-45 cushion with 7:36 left.

It wasnt a good performance overall, head coach Tommy Dempsey said. We were gritty for a while in the second half but our defense was unacceptable tonight. We have to continue to find a way when things are going in the wrong direction to rally and fight. We went away quietly and the score got lopsided.

After trailing by 11 at the break, freshman guard Jordan Reed keyed a rally with 11 points in a six-minute span. Reed had success driving to the hoop and either converting or making free throws. His pair of makes with 10:47 left closed out a 9-0 run and brought the Bearcats within five, 50-45.

But the wheels fell off shortly thereafter and a critical swing of trips to the charity stripe turned the tide in the hosts favor. Binghamton missed six straight (and 9-of-11) from the line while Navy made 8-of-10 in a 1:54 span to put the game away.

That was a turning point, Dempsey said. We came away with no points on those trips to the line and it seemed to take the steam out of us. We didnt look like we had another rally in us  and that was disappointing.

Reed wound up with a double-double in his collegiate debut, collecting team-highs of 15 points and 11 rebounds in 30 minutes. But he was just 3-of-14 from the floor and missed seven free throws - stats that will keep him hungry as his promising young career unfolds.

Jordan was trying to force the action because we were struggling offensively, Dempsey said. He knows he needs to work on his shooting but hes high energy and a talent. I thought for his first game he had some rust on him but he competed really hard. It was a good overall debut for him.

The Bearcats were whistled for 28 fouls  16 in the second half as the game came to a grinding halt on nearly every possession. Navy hit 17-of-25 from the line in the second half and 24-for-38 for the game. Binghamton, meanwhile, left 14 points at the line (18-for-32).

Junior center Roland Brown contributed 12 points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Jimmy Gray added eight points and six rebounds.

Binghamton shot just 33 percent from the field, and hit just 2-of-14 from three-point range.

In the first half, BU led 24-21 after six lead changes and seven ties ruled the first 15 minutes. But Navy, which missed seven of its first nine shots to open game, responded with eight straight points in a minute span to reclaim the lead. In the final five minutes of the half, BU went 0-for-5 with four turnovers and the Mids turned that loose play into a 16-2 run to carry a 37-26 cushion into intermission.

The Bearcats hit 2-of-11 from beyond the arc in the first half and committed 10 turnovers which resulted in 13 Navy points. Eleven different players saw action, including Reed, who started in his collegiate debut and made two free throws for his first collegiate points before two fouls sent him to the bench after 11 minutes.

Binghamton completes its two-game swing through the military academies with a game Friday afternoon in West Point against Army. The Bearcats then finish up a five-games-in-ten-days stretch with a home game against St. Peters on Sunday.

(Courtesy BU Athletics)