Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Epic Comeback in Burlington

Binghamton trailed by 25 early in the second half at Vermont Tuesday and was still behind by 20 with just 10:03 to go, but behind 22 second-half points by Emanuel "Tiki" Mayben the Bearcats fought all the way back for a stunning 85-83 win at Patrick Gym. D.J. Rivera hit a layup with 7 seconds remaing and Garvey Young's 3-pointer missed to mark to give Binghamton its fourth win in five outings and snap Vermont's seven-game win streak. Mayben, a highly touted tranfer from UMass via Hudson Valley Community College, had his breakout game as a Bearcat with 31 points on 11-of-17 shooting, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Rivera finished with 21 and 9 rebounds. America East Co-Player of the Week Marqus Blakely tallied a team-high 18 for the Catamounts, while Mike Trimboli contributed 14 and 7 assists.

Elsewhere, New Hampshire did but all coaches preach, finished halves, en route to a 62-55 win at Hartford. The Wildcats closed the first half on a 13-4 run and second on a 12-4 spurt to earn just their second win in six games. Alvin Abreu led the way with 19 off the bench, while Radar Ongonteu put together another strong effort with 16 points and 9 boards. Michael Turner had a game-high 22 for the Hawks, who have dropped seven straight. Morgan Sabia added 10 and 5 caroms.