For Immediate Release: December 19, 2004
Contact: John Hartrick (hartrick@binghamton.edu)
Phone: 607-777-6800

Binghamton men's basketball overpowered by Vermont 83-53
Catamounts' Coppenrath pours in 39 points in conference opener

Box score

BURLINGTON, Vt. - Host Vermont (3-2, 1-0 America East) closed out the first half on a 19-2 run and never relented in the second half, riding the play of All-American Taylor Coppenrath en route to an 83-53 win over Binghamton (2-6, 0-1 AE) Sunday afternoon in the America East Game of the Week.

Coppenrath scored 23 of his game-high 39 points after intermission, and the Catamounts kept BU winless at Patrick Gym, where the Bearcats have been outscored by 84 points in four meetings since joining the conference.

"He's absolutely fantastic," head coach Al Walker said of Coppenrath. "We just couldn't keep him off the glass." Playing in front of his usual collection of NBA scouts, the 6-foot-9 senior hit 12-of-17 from the floor, 15-of-17 from the free throw line and added 12 rebounds in 39 minutes.

Sophomore guard Troy Hailey (Hyattsville, Md.) matched his career-high with 17 points to pace the Bearcats. Senior center Nick Billings (Kodiak, Alaska) added 10 points and five rebounds in 23 minutes of work. Junior guard Andre Heard (Oklahoma City, Okla.), the team's leading scorer, was held to just five points on 1-of-10 shooting.

The Bearcats played a strong opening 12 minutes, building a 22-17 lead. But after hitting seven of the team's first 12 shots, BU misfired on 16 of its last 19, and the Catamounts used the decisive 19-2 to close the half and take a 36-24 lead into the break. Then in the second half, Coppenrath went to work, scoring 13 points in a 5:30 stretch as Vermont continued to build on its lead.

Binghamton, statistically the worst shooting team in the 10-member conference, made just 4-of-27 three-pointers and converted only 32% for the game and suffered its second straight 30-point setback. The Bearcats have lost three games in a row and four of their last five.

"We had good looks but couldn't make any shots," Walker said. "I like the way we competed. I just have to take my hat off to Vermont."

Binghamton is off for eight days before heading to Miami on December 27-28 for the Florida International Holiday Tournament. The Bearcats will face Ohio University in a first-round game on December 27. Colgate plays the host school in the other matchup.

NOTES
The Catamounts continued their dominance over BU, winning for sixth time in seven games, including all four contests at Patrick Gym, where they have outscored Binghamton by an average of 21 points per game ... BU suffered its second straight conference-opening loss at hands of Catamounts (67-60 last season at West Gym) ... Senior center Alex Adediran (Covington, Ga.) didn't play after receiving a one-game suspension from head coach Al Walker for a violation of team rules.