For Immediate Release: March 6, 2005
Contact: John Hartrick (hartrick@binghamton.edu)
Phone: 607-777-6800

Binghamton men's basketball succumbs to No. 1 Vermont, 76-65, in semifinals
Bearcats keep pace for most of game in front of 5,003 fans at Events Center

Box score

VESTAL, N.Y. - Inspired by a deafening home crowd of 5,003 at the Events Center, fifth-seeded Binghamton (12-17) gave it everything they had before succumbing to No. 1 Vermont (23-6), 76-65, in the semifinals of the America East Championship Sunday afternoon.

Led by their super senior tandem of Taylor Coppenrath (34 points, 12 rebounds) and T.J. Sorrentine (25 points), the Catamounts shot 53% and withstood a late charge from the Bearcats. Binghamton, which led for much of the first half, trailed by 18 points with 6:17 left in the game before stringing together a 9-0 run with two steals and subsequent three-pointers. The run cut BU's deficit to nine, 68-59, with 3:34 left. But Vermont sank six free throws in the final 2:23, and BU made just two of its final nine shots.

Senior center Alex Adediran (Covington, Ga.) scored a career-high 21 points in his final collegiate game, and junior guard Andre Heard (Oklahoma City, Okla.) added 20 points for the Bearcats, who played inspired basketball against the two-time defending conference champions. During the regular season, BU had lost to Vermont by a combined 57 points in two games.

"We gave Vermont everything we had today," head coach Al Walker said. "Our boys played a heck of a game ... they competed and competed. I want to applaud the young men that play in this program. We had a strenuous journey this year and we kept telling them to hang in there, and we would become a good team. We became a good team. It was a good finish to the season."

The televised game was a college basketball fan's dream, as a raucus Events Center crowd featuring nearly 800 Binghamton students created a noise level that shook the basketball floor. Both teams were hot out of the gate, with the Catamounts hitting four of their first five shots and the Bearcats answering with 6-of-10 shooting to forge a 14-10 lead seven minutes into the contest. Binghamton led 25-21 with 8:08 left in the half before Vermont and specifically, Coppenrath and Sorrentine took over. The duo combined for 15 points to spark a 20-8 UVM run that ended the half and gave the Catamounts a 41-33 lead. Before missing its final two shots of the half, Vermont was shooting 63% from the floor, including 50% from beyond the arc (10-of-20).

Back-to-back buckets to start the second half brought the Bearcats to within four, 41-37, but UVM answered with an 8-0 run that featured two more three-pointers from Sorrentine (7-of-12 for game) and a Coppenrath layup. Binghamton never came any closer than nine points the rest of the way.

NOTES: Binghamton closed out the season by winning seven of its last 10 games ... Senior center Nick Billings (Kodiak, Alaska) played just six minutes in his final collegiate game - the second-lowest total of his entire career. He played in 107 career games and wound up with 336 blocks, which ranks second in America East history ... Freshman point guard Mike Gordon (Plainfield, N.J.) played a second-straight solid game, contributing eight points, five assists and three steals in 37 minutes. For the tournament, Gordon committed just one turnover in 62 mintues and totalled 17 points, seven assists and four steals ... The Bearcats are slated to return nine of 13 roster players in 2005-06, including four of the team's top five scorers.