Bearcats no match for 3rd ranked Wolverines

12/11/2012 (Updated 10:49:51 PM)

ANN ARBOR, MI -- Undefeated No. 3 Michigan (10-0) built a 20-point halftime lead and kept visiting Binghamton (2-9) at bay in a 67-39 win Tuesday night at the Crisler Center.

The Wolverines, the highest-ranked opponent BU has faced in its 12-year Division I history, are off to their best start since going 11-0 to begin their 1988-89 NCAA championship season.

Michigan guards Trey Burke and Nik Stauskas combined for 31 points and the Wolverines hit 10 three-pointers.

Freshman guard Jordan Reed led BU with 11 points and eight rebounds. Reed entered the game as the leading scorer (18.3 ppg.) and rebounder (10.0 rpg.) in the entire America East.

Im proud of our kids, head coach Tommy Dempsey said. I thought our effort was terrific. In this environment against a team of this national caliber, to hold them in the 60s spoke about our communication and hustle. We ran good offense and got quality shots  unfortunately we just didnt knock down enough of them. But we guarded them for 40 minutes and thats what I will take from this game. We were smaller but didnt back down.

Binghamton opened the game with steady play. Reed drilled a three-pointer from the top of the key for BUs first points 1:34 into the contest and the Bearcats were even 5-5 at the first media timeout. Later, senior guard Jimmy Gray stole the ball at midcourt and his feed to junior guard Rayner Moquete resulted in a Moquete trey which gave the Bearcats a 10-8 lead with 12:48 to play. But Michigan countered with a 13-2 run spanning 3:40 that featured back-to-back threes.

Reed provided a highlight-reel rebound and jam to snap a run of 12 straight MU points and make it 27-14 with 3:32 left in the half but the Wolverines scored the final seven points of the half and ultimately outscored BU 19-2 to end the period and take a 34-14 lead into intermission.

I thought we played a lot better than that 20-point margin in the first half, Dempsey said.

Early in the second half, the hosts rattled off 11 straight points to stretch their margin to 28 points before BU countered with an 8-0 run that featured threes from senior forward Taylor Johnston and Gray and a jumper from Reed.

Michigan had too much firepower, however, and used an 11-2 run to extend its lead. Binghamton put 25 points on the board in the second half was outscored by only eight, 33-25.

Moquete wound up with eight points, three assists and two steals and Gray added six points, six assists and a pair of steals.

Johnston chipped in seven rebounds and junior center Alex Ogundadegbe had six points on 3-of-4 shooting. Senior guard Mike Horn hit his first career three-pointer, canning a shot from the corner with 51 seconds left. Reed also hit his first three-pointer of the season to open the game.

Binghamton now begins a 17-day layoff for finals and the holidays before playing at Colgate on December 28.

NOTES
Michigan is 275-34 at home (89%) against non-conference opponents since the 1967-68 season It was the second meeting all-time between the two programs. Michigan posted a 59-46 home win over BU in the 2004 Preseason NIT The Wolverines are the only Big Ten team the Bearcats have ever faced Michigan represented the ninth Top 25 team BU has faced in its history and the highest-ranked.

Binghamton All-Time vs. Ranked Division I Schools
Feb.22, 2001 No. 25 PROVIDENCE 119, Binghamton 58
Nov.18, 2001 No. 21 SYRACUSE 103, Binghamton 56
Dec.29, 2003 No. 12 KANSAS 78, Binghamton 46
Dec.13, 2003 No. 19 SYRACUSE 75, Binghamton 54
Dec.11, 2004 No. 4 SYRACUSE 86, Binghamton 56
Nov.23, 2005 No. 5 OKLAHOMA 88, Binghamton 60
Mar. 19, 2009 No. 5 Duke 86, Binghamton 62
Nov. 11, 2011 No. 21 MISSOURI 88, Binghamton 59
Dec. 11, 2012 No. 3 MICHIGAN 67, Binghamton 39

(Courtesy BU Athletics)