UMBC rolls past Binghamton, 68-49
The UMBC Retrievers (10-9, 2-2) took advantage of their first home game since January 5th and rolled to an easy win against the Binghamton Bearcats (5-13, 1-2) Wednesday evening, 68-49.
The Retrievers got contributions from graduate student forward Joe Sherburne (15 points), junior forward Arkel Lamar (12 points) and junior guard K.J. Jackson (10 points). Sherburne also led the team with seven assists, and junior center Sam Schwietz pulled in seven rebounds.
Slow starts have plagued the Retrievers all season, but this game was different. UMBC and Binghamton battled back and forth for most of the first half and the game was knotted at 20 with 8:55 remaining until halftime. The Retrievers then went on an 11-0 run before the Bearcats hit a 3-pointer with 41 seconds remaining until intermission, to take an eight-point lead into the locker room.
The start of the second half didn’t go much better for Binghamton, with UMBC going on a 9-point run after the Bearcats scored the first bucket of the half. The Retrievers had a 40-25 lead with 13:48 remaining in the game, and they never looked back.
The Bearcats were led by a pair of guards, junior Caleb Stewart, who posted 16 points, and freshman Sam Sessoms who scored 15 points, but got little help from the remainder of the squad.
The game marked the 113th start for Sherburne, which sets a school record.
It wasn’t all good news for the Retrievers. Earlier in the day they announced that sophomore forward Daniel Akin will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury. Akin joins senior forward Max Portman, senior forward/center Nolan Gerrity, and junior forward Max Curran as players who have missed games this season or who are out for the season with an injury.
The Retrievers will square off against the Albany Great Danes (5-13, 0-3) on Saturday at the UMBC Event Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
