The Wait Is Over: Binghamton Wins!

The Binghamton University Bearcats had lost 27 straight games dating back to last season; they were the only winless team in all of Division 1 basketball. They were coming off a 14-point loss in a game many (myself included) perceived to be their best, and perhaps only, chance at victory. If you didn't notice, I used past tense in stating those facts because, at long last, the Bearcats walked off the hardwood as the victor Tuesday night.

Binghamton's opponent, the Vermont Catamounts, tied for first with a 12-2 record in America East play, entered the game on a streak of their own: ten consecutive wins. They were also the team who started this losing streak of Binghamton's back on March 5th during the 2010-11 America East tournament. Needless to say, this was not a game any followers of the America East had pegged as a likely candidate for Binghamton to record their first victory. But, as Chris Berman would say, "That's why they play the game!"

The game started off just as one might expect. Vermont controlled the tip, dribbled down court, and Sandro Carissimo handed off to Matt Glass, who pumped in a jumper from just inside the arc. Score: 2-0 Catamounts. No one in the Events Center knew it at the time, but it would be the last time Vermont held a lead all game. Jimmy Gray scored the first two for Binghamton on a layup, followed by buckets from Dickinson, Ralling and Johnston, enabling the Bearcats to jump out to an early 9-2 lead. Binghamton continued to effectively beat the lackadaisical Catamount defense and maintained their seven-point lead into the under-12 media timeout. At this time, Vermont head coach John Becker instructed his players to double-team the man with the ball, but even with added pressure, Binghamton made sound passes to avoid disaster, a few times leading to wide-open layups for junior Javon Ralling and opening lanes for Robert Mansell to attack the basket. Combined with Ben Dickinson collecting offensive rebounds and putting them back up for two, the Bearcats would hold a lead at the break for just the fourth time this season, by a score of 35-25.

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Despite the double-digit lead, Bearcat fans knew all too well to not get too excited at the notion of winning. There were 20 long minutes of basketball to be played and, let's not forget, Vermont entered the game atop the standings, and they didn't get there by folding when faced with an adverse situation.

Binghamton would score the first basket of the second half, giving them their largest lead of the season with a 12-point advantage. Vermont's Clancy Rugg would narrow it to just seven (39-32) with 16:44 to go, but it would be the last Catamount basket until Josh Elbaum converted a layup with 9:48 left in the game. Fortunately for Vermont, the Bearcats would score just two baskets of their own in that nearly six minute span, keeping the game well within distance for a late rally.

As the clock winded down, Binghamton would have a chance to maintain a comfortable lead by sinking their foul shots. After both Mansell, who led Binghamton with 18 points, and Mike Horn each split a pair at the line, Taylor Johnston would miss the front end of two one-and-one situations, allowing Vermont to dwindle the Bearcat lead to just 53-51 on a Glass three-pointer with 2:13 to play. A clutch jumper from Ben Dickinson, who finished with a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds, put the Bearcats up four (55-51) with just over a minute remaining and it proved to be all Binghamton would need. Carissimo responded with a jumper of his own to get it back to a single-possession game, but Glass' contested three-point attempt with :06 seconds hit the front of the rim, and the smallest man on the court, Jimmy Gray, would come up with the rebound. Quickly fouled, the Binghamton native who scored the Bearcats' first two points to take away Vermont's only lead, would also score the Bearcats' last two points to assure Vermont wouldn't get it back. As the second attempt fell through the bottom of the net, putting Binghamton ahead 57-53, the crowd of 2,427 erupted, for they knew a victory was mere seconds away.

The lightly-populated student section readied themselves for a court-storming. Symbolizing the anticipation of victory all Binghamton fans had felt ever since it became painfully obvious a winless season was a real possibility, they clustered the aisles...waiting...and waiting...and waiting for Vermont to inbound so the final 4.8 seconds could tick off the clock and the buzzer could sound.

"The waiting is the hardest part", and the wait was finally over.