BU Men’s basketball to hold “Pack the House Day” on Dec. 28

VESTAL, N.Y.—The Binghamton men’s basketball team and Weis Markets will host “Pack the House Day” on Dec. 28 when the Bearcats face Bryant at 2 p.m. Sponsored by Weis Markets, fans will be able to pick up free ticket coupons for the game.

Coupons are available now at all Binghamton area Weis Markets. The first 2,000 coupons redeemed at the Events Center box office will receive free tickets compliments of Weis.

“Pack the House” Night was also held in conjunction with Binghamton men’s and women’s opening night basketball doubleheader on Nov. 8. A season-high crowd of 4,318 came out to the Events Center for those games. Binghamton Bearcats

Fonda Speedway will be site for 2nd Race of Season

The famed dirt oval track Fonda Speedway will be the site of the first ECS event of 2014, so now that snocross legends can be written at this palace of power!   It will be held January 11th & 12th.

Racer gates open at 6:45 a.m., spectator gates at 10:30 a.m.  Pro racing begins at 12:30 p.m.

Adults $12.00, $5 kids 8-12, under 7 Free.

UAlbany Falls to Colgate

ALBANY, N.Y. – Junior forward Sam Rowley recorded his sixth career double-double (21 points, 11 rebounds), and his second this season, but it wasn’t enough for UAlbany (5-5), as they fell 69-60 to Colgate (5-4) at SEFCU Arena on Saturday night.  

Colgate got out to an early 10-point lead on two 3-pointers and two jumpers in the first three minutes. The Raiders came into the game making 11.6 threes per game, and left SEFCU Arena having made 13.
The Great Danes charged back with a 12-0 run of their own. A three from Peter Hooley gave UAlbany a 12-10 lead with 13:30 left in the first half. The Purple & Gold started the game 1-for-6 from the field, but went 6-for-8 heading into the second media timeout. DJ Evans scored nine points early on 3-for-4 shooting from the field, one made three and two made free throws.

Both teams shot well in the first half, and eight fouls between the teams kept the pace of the game moving. Gary Johnson went in for the flush off a steal at half court to give UAlbany a 36-34 lead to end the period. The Great Danes entered the locker room with a lead, after fouling four times on Colgate’s final possession to keep the Raiders from getting into a rhythm. Rowley had 12 points and five boards at the break.

UAlbany only committed two turnovers in the first half, and the Raiders did not attempt a free throw.
Colgate’s Austin Tillotson exploded for 14 points in the second half, going 3-for-3 from three-point range and 5-for-5 from the field. He made a three to open the second half and give Colgate the lead.

The Raiders opened the second half going just 3-for-11 from the field in the first seven minutes, but UAlbany went on a nearly-five minute scoring drought mid-way through the second 20 minutes of play.

The Great Danes showed some life after Colgate center Ethan Jacobs picked up his fourth foul with 7:18 to play. Johnson and Rowley went in for easy baskets to narrow the lead to three, 57-54.

But Colgate surged back to hit four-straight threes in two minutes. The Raiders finally got to the line in the final minute of the game, going 3-for-4 from the charity stripe to put the game out of reach.


“It’s all about match-ups,” said head coach Will Brown. “They’re a tough match-up for us. They have three or four guys on the floor at a time that could shoot the three, and that really bothered us. It spread us out and we didn’t communicate.”

“There was a 10-minute period in the second half where we just had too many breakdowns,” said Rowley. We knew they were a good shooting team, and especially for that 10-minute period, we let them shoot.”
Rowley led UAlbany with 21 points and 11 rebounds, matching a career-high in points. It was his second-straight 20-point game and his third of the season.

Starting center John Puk had 10 rebounds, recording his first double-digit rebounding effort since bringing down a career-high 11 boards against Hartford on Jan. 2, 2012.

Johnson went 6-for-8 from the field on his way to 14 points. The senior had 10 points or more for the second-straight game and for the fifth time this season. He also had four assists.

The Purple & Gold committed a season-low six turnovers. The UAlbany Division I program single-game record for fewest turnovers is five, set against Maryland on Dec. 28, 2011.

The Great Danes return to SEFCU Arena to face Yale on Friday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. 

#3 returns: Austin Dillon to drive car with Dale Earnhardt number

Austin Dillon, grandson of team owner Richard Childress, will pilot a Sprint Cup car in 2014 with a slanted 3, a number and style made famous by seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt.

“Dale Earnhardt is smiling down,” Childress said. “He would want to see this.”

Childress made the announcement Wednesday that the 3 would return to Cup with Dillon with sponsorship from Dow and General Mills.

Earnhardt, who won six of his Cup titles at RCR, died in a crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Childress changed the car number to 29 the following week, when Kevin Harvick took over the ride, and the 3 has not been run in Cup since then.

Austin and Ty Dillon have used the RCR-styled 3 in development series, as has Earnhardt granddaughter Karsyn Elledge.

With the 23-year-old Austin, the 2013 Nationwide series champion, going full time in Cup in 2014, Childress had to make a decision on whether to return the 3 to NASCAR's biggest stage.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 car (AP Photos)

 

He has indicated all year he would do it and that fans had hoped to see Dillon in a 3 car in the 2013 Daytona 500, where Dillon drove a No. 33 car.

"With Austin running it in Nationwide as much as he did, it's kind of re-energized a lot of the fans," Childress said earlier this year. "The fans come up and the cards and the calls and the emails we get, when we said he was going to run the 33 at Daytona, overwhelmingly people wanted to see the 3."

Childress, who owns the trademark on the slanted 3 style, said only one of his family members or an Earnhardt family member would drive the 3.

"I do like running it, but you always question certain things every now and then when you think back about it and people say things," Dillon said earlier this year. "The great thing is I had a lot of support with it, especially lately. … People come up to you and say, 'Man, we'd love to see you in the 3 in the Cup Series.'

"That's all I need to hear is a little bit of support here and there. Past that, it's a number and I have to give 110 percent if I'm in the 3 or not in the 3."

But Dillon's accomplishments in the 3 are special. In the Nationwide Series finale last month, Dillon was struggling and was in danger of losing the title. It was the second time in Dillon's career where he won a championship that came down to the wire, as did his 2011 truck title.

"I remember before that (truck) race was over, I looked up to the sky and said, 'Old pal, we need you,'" Childress said the night of the Nationwide title. "I did that again tonight. He came through."

Jennie Finch to be featured speaker at CWA Luncheon on Feb. 3

The Binghamton Bearcats Athletic Association (BBAA) will host the ninth annual Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon presented by M&T Bank at noon on Monday, Feb. 3, at the Events Center. Held each year to recognize the achievements of Binghamton University’s female student-athletes, the luncheon also raises scholarships awarded to female student-athletes at BU.

Tickets for the event are $50 and table sponsorships are $600.

To request a Table Sponsorship or purchase tickets, please call 607-777-BTIX (2849) or go to bubearcats.com. To support this event, contact Bette Anne Gaube at 607-777-2093 or bgaube@binghamton.edu.

Women’s basketball inks three prep standouts

VESTAL, N.Y. – The Binghamton women’s basketball program has received a National Letter of Intent (NLI) from three high school seniors as part of the early signing period. All of them will join the Bearcats as freshmen next fall.

“We are excited about our three early signees,” head coach Nicole Scholl said. “They all have the ability to come in and make an immediate impact in our program.”

Indiya Benjamin (Lima, Ohio) is a 5-5 guard from Lima High School. She is a three-time, first-team all-conference selection and was named third-team all-state as a junior. Benjamin averaged 13.7 points as a freshman, 16.8 points as a sophomore as well as 17.7 points and 6.8 rebounds in her junior season. Her AAU team is All Ohio.

“Indiya is a true point guard,” Scholl said. “She has the ability to break down defenses with her dribbling and passing.”

Imani Watkins (Jamestown, N.C.) is a 5-8 guard from Wingate Andrews High School. She too is a three-time all-conference selection and was named to the N.C. State All-Prep Team her junior season. During the 2012-13 campaign, Watkins averaged 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 steals and 6.0 assists per game. Her AAU team is the Team Reign.
“Imani is a dynamic point guard with the ability to play the wing,” Scholl said. “She can score in a variety of ways and will also be a great addition defensively.” 
 
Devin Conley (Danville, Ky.) is a 5-8 guard from Boyle County High School. She is a three-time All-Area selection and is currently included in the Rick Bolus Top 50 State Player Rankings. As a junior, she averaged 16.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Her AAU team is Kentucky Premier.
“Devin has great court vision and will help with our transition game,” head coach Nicole Scholl said. “In addition to being a great passer, she has a quick release from the outside and will add depth to our outside shooting.”

BU Women’s Basketball Defeated by Princeton 75-49

VESTAL, N.Y. – Blake Dietrick poured in a game-high 21 points, leading Princeton (5-4) to a 75-49 win over Binghamton (1-8) in a non-conference women’s basketball game on Wednesday night at the Events Center. The shorthanded Bearcats, who only dressed nine players, have now lost four straight.

The Tigers came into the game averaging 75.9 points per contest and proceeded to nail 11 three-point field goals and dish out 23 assists. They shot 48 percent for the game (31-of-64) and turned the ball over just nine times.

“Princeton is a good team,” head coach Nicole Scholl said. “They like to run the ball in transition and their big players get open. It was tough for us tonight missing some players but give (Princeton) credit for how they played.

The two teams traded leads for the opening 10 minutes but the Tigers went on a 20-5 run in a span of 6:12 to go up 35-19 with 4:33 left in the first half. Princeton made three of their three-point field goals during that stretch.

From there, the Tigers went up 42-27 at the break.

Binghamton stayed within 56-41 with 12:14 left in regulation. From there, however, Princeton outscored the Bearcats 19-8 the rest of the way. Dietrick had her final eight points during that stretch.
Senior guard Vaneeshia Paulk paced the Bearcats with a team-best 15 points for the second game in a row. Fellow senior guard Stephanie Jensen drained four three-point field goals to finish with 12 points.

The Bearcats were missing starting sophomore forward Morgan Murphy, who had the flu. Senior forward Julia Barac took her place and finished with a career-high nine points and nine rebounds.

Michelle Miller added 11 points for the Tigers.
Up next for Binghamton is a 1 p.m. game on Saturday at Rider.