The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

Patrick Meltdown

“When [Marqus] Blakely gets touches, good things happen. And when he doesn’t, well …” That quote from Coach Lonergan sums up Wednesday night’s heartbreaking loss for the Cats. While the first half looked like an AND-1 mix-tape audition for UVM (7-4, 16-7), the second half could only be classified as a meltdown against a riled up Binghamton team (7-3, 14-8).Early on, two thunderous alley-oop flushes from forward Marqus Blakeley, who contributed 15 first-half points on six-for-eight shooting, had the Catamount faithful sensing a blowout early on. However, Blakely struggled in the second half, scoring just three points – all on free throws. Even more remarkable? No shot attempts in the second half for number 23. However, Blakely was not the only Catamount to struggle in the second frame.The Catamounts had 13 assists in the first half compared with just three in the second half. Binghamton head coach Kevin Broadus said he told his team at halftime that they need to “play for their pride” and “make this game respectable and close.” “Determination” was their key to victory. It was indeed. Binghamton’s Emanuel Mayben finished with a game high 31 points and six assists. Calling Mayben’s play superb would be an understatement. He was on a mission, hitting fade away 3-pointers from NBA range with ease. “We wanted people to know [that] we were here,” Mayben said after the win. Despite playing sub-par basketball in the second half, the Cats continued to claw back in the end. With UVM trailing by three and just 44 seconds remaining, senior guard Mike Trimboli drove down the court, sinking an acrobatic lay-up while drawing a foul. He sank the free throw to tie the game at 83. However, with seven seconds remaining, Binghamton’s D.J. Rivera netted a layup for Binghamton, giving them a two-point lead. The Cats drove down court for the final play, where freshman Gavey Young got the ball inside the arc, dribbled beyond the arc, and put up a wide open three that was just long. The shot, which looked good from the stands, had just a little too much on it, leaving the Patrick Gym faithful utterly disappointed as they hit the exits. “Looking back, I probably should have just taken the two, but I dribbled to take the three, the shot looked good but it was just too long,” Young said. In the end, the Cats poor shooting and the guards’ inability to get the ball to their scorers caught up with them. They shot 8-24 in the second half. Binghamton shot 21-34, including 8-13 beyond the arc. That in itself tells the story.The Cats pick themselves up on Saturday at Albany.In case you missed it: This week in Sports Photography

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Patrick Meltdown