Binghamton Snaps 27 Game Losing Streak

Photo Credit: usatoday.com

Twenty-six times the Binghamton Bearcats had trotted out onto the court this season only to wind up on the losing end every single game. It'd been almost a year since they defeated the UMBC (University of Maryland-Baltimore County) Retrievers this past March in the first round of the America East tournament for their last win. There weren't a lot of reasons to be optimistic last night either as the were hosting the Vermont Catamounts, a team on a 10 game winning streak that entered play tied for first place atop the America East Conference. That's why you play the game though. Sophomore guard Robert Mansell scored 18 points and freshman forward Ben Dickinson chipped in 16 points and 11 rebounds as Binghamton pulled off a stunning upset 57-53 snapping the longest losing streak in the country. The Catamounts struggled from the floor all night shooting 39% and made just 4 of 20 3-pointers while the Bearcats held Vermont's leading scorer on the year, Four McGlynn, to a mere 3 points in the game on 1 of 9 shooting. Binghamton will now try for 2 wins in a row, something they haven't done since last January when they rattled off 3 straight, tomorrow night when they host Albany.

Photo Credit: pressconnects.com

With the win, Binghamton also avoids the possibility of equaling Towson's mark for futility set earlier this season. When the Towson Tigers beat UNC-Wilmington last month, it snapped a 41 game losing streak, the longest in NCAA Men's Division I history. Both streaks however pale in comparison to the Caltech Beavers who lost 207 consecutive games in Division III between 1996 and 2007 before defeating Bard College to end their skid.