Hindsight is a son of a bitch.

That’s not to say that I didn’t get the bang for my buck that was promised to me when I committed to this value-packed institution, however.

Four years at BU have certainly instilled in me the diligence, resiliency and frugality required of a graduating English major. And I’ve made some serious strides in terms of personal growth during my time here as well. My posture has come a long way and is finally somewhat respectable. I’m now a seasoned eye-to-eye looker as I made improving eye contact a priority my sophomore year, and I also don’t apologize for every little action I take, as “I’m sorry” is no longer my default response for everything. I still maintain a certain insecurity that is associated with consciousness of mediocrity, but I’ve been able to dilute that with my hope for a bright future (my academic adviser assures me that I’m on the right track).

But that, in my opinion, is the hallmark of a recent college graduate: disappointment laced with personal growth. In my case, it’s all merged into a level of dissatisfaction that will be my greatest asset as I leave the only routine I’ve ever known. I may be alone, more of a realist and an English major entering a relentlessly unforgiving real world, but I’ll be laughing about all of my young adult struggles one day, right? I’m diligent. I’m resilient. I’m frugal. (I hope I’ll be laughing.)

What’s really weighing me down though is the nostalgia that one can only truly fathom at the doorsteps of graduation. Despite my better judgment, these days I find myself playing the “Will I ever see this person again for as long as I live?” game every time I part with a friend, an acquaintance or even a stranger whom I see around Binghamton often. It’s quite the self-defeating activity and I’d only recommend it to someone you hate, but it’s something I’ve had a lot of trouble suppressing. It’s an even more depressing game than it sounds because it’s immediately followed by the type of debilitating nostalgia that brings you to your knees metaphorically and forces you to stop what you’re doing and take a deep breath literally.

The silver lining lies in something a friend of mine once wrote. A person’s physical absence does not dictate their involvement in your life. There will still be those that continue to dance in the auditoriums of your dreams long after you’ve told them goodbye. For me, it’s already begun.

Anyone who’s been around me for any amount of time is familiar with my proclivity for naps. As a result of this, I’ve also got a tendency to experience those trippy nap dreams that aren’t possible during REM sleep, during which close friends and even perfect strangers make random, uninvited cameos, and you remember the entire strange happening.

So it’s time to get real — this is probably it for you and me. We may very well have crossed paths for the last time. So with that in mind, I hope you live a wonderful life and that you laugh about all of this someday.

See you in my dreams.

“I didn’t know much about Nick entering into the fall tryout … only what his high school coach told one of my assistant coaches,” BU head coach Tim Sinicki said.

But Liegi knew he wanted to continue playing the game after high school, so he gave Sinicki a call over the summer.

“He responded and gave me times for a meet up, and practices in the fall,” Liegi said. “And so I started showing up to those throughout the fall.”

“What Nick did during the fall season was very impressive, and I felt he needed and deserved to be part of our program,” Sinicki said.

Flash-forward a few months: Liegi owns a 1.72 ERA in 15.2 innings and pitched three shutout innings to earn the win in the Bearcats’ 4-3 victory over Hartford last weekend.

Liegi’s success is rare for a walk-on, in that BU typically doesn’t carry many non-scholarship players. Traditionally, the Bearcats don’t even have a yearly walk-on tryout.

“This past year was an exception,” Sinicki said. “A couple of our returning pitchers were coming off injuries and one of our incoming freshmen was coming in with an injury so we were looking to add a walk-on pitcher if we felt there was a good candidate … That is when we found Nick.”

Sinicki didn’t hunt Liegi like a prized recruit — he stumbled upon him like a diamond in the rough. For a BU bullpen that’s been shaky the past couple of seasons, Liegi has shined especially bright.

“His numbers and effectiveness are impressive for both a walk-on or recruited player,” Sinicki said.

Liegi’s fastball tops out at 81 mph. While he doesn’t necessarily have a go-to pitch, Liegi mixes three pitches into his repertoire and throws whatever is working for him during any given outing. As for his approach on the mound, Liegi likes to keep things simple.

“I always just try and stay focused,” Liegi said. “Always being ready to go in. Work well with the catcher, be in sync with him. Make the most of every opportunity and practice hard every day.”

Liegi, who went to Sachem East High School in Suffolk County on Long Island, first picked up a glove when he was 10 years old, and played throughout middle and high school. He wasn’t promised a spot on a college team, but the itch to toe the rubber didn’t end for him when high school did.

“I really wanted to continue playing, and playing D-1 baseball has been a dream,” Liegi said.

As for his goals down the road, Liegi just wants “to get as much playing time as possible.” He has flashed sparks of dominance in a small sample size this season, and Sinicki foresees Liegi continuing to be the reliable arm he’s been looking for in his bullpen.

“All I know is, as long as Nick continues to buy into what we do here within our baseball program there is no reason he cannot continue to be successful,” Sinicki said.

As good as Liegi has been in the opportunities he’s had as a freshman, and for as good as he may be in the future, he’ll still carry the label of “walk-on” around with him for as long as he’s wearing the green and white. That alone, according to Liegi, is enough to continue to drive him to be the best pitcher he can be.

“I was not recruited by anyone else,” Liegi said. “I guess you could say I slipped through the cracks. I don’t have anyone specific to prove wrong but I always play with a chip on my shoulder because I wasn’t recruited by anyone.”

The Bearcats will return to action at Varsity Field this weekend with a three-game series against UMass Lowell. First pitch of Saturday’s doubleheader is set for noon. The series will conclude at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Shortstop John Howell and second baseman Daniel Nevares first met during summer ball in Florida before arriving at Binghamton University. They knew they’d be teammates in a few months, so Nevares stayed with Howell during the summer tournaments.

“I kind of accepted that as getting ahead of the game, getting to know some of the guys I was going to come in with and especially knowing the guy that was going to play shortstop next to me,” Nevares said.

“We both had goals to be starters for four years,” Howell said.

Nevares grew up in Puerto Rico before playing high school ball in Florida; Howell is a native New Yorker. They have different demeanors on the field: Howell a little more blue collar, Nevares with a little more flair.

“To say the two meshed right away isn’t necessarily true,” BU head coach Tim Sinicki said. “They both have their own way of getting things done.”

But it wasn’t the fact that they were both destined for the same college that sparked Howell and Nevares’ connection. It wasn’t their style of play, and it wasn’t even that they were next-door neighbors on the baseball diamond. It was their personalities.

“You have to enjoy being around each other if you really want to work at your craft and be good at something,” Sinicki said. “I think the fact that they clicked with their personalities was more important than anything else.”

As focused as they become once their pitcher goes into his first wind-up, Howell and Nevares joke around as much as anyone on the team. They share a level of comfort with one another that was bred from sharing a suite during their freshman year.

“Personality-wise, we both like to goof around a little bit,” Howell said. “Pick on each other a little bit. Quote movie lines and stuff like that. And I think just being close off the field makes it that much easier to get along with someone on the field.”

Being thrust into the every day lineup as a freshman isn’t an easy task. Compared to high school ball, the speed of the game increases dramatically, the level of competition is much greater, and then there are the eight new faces on the field you have to assimilate with.

Howell and Nevares were able to face their new beginning together, with their budding friendship lending way to a dynamic double-play tandem on the field.

“I think they both fed off each other,” Sinicki said. “When you come into a program as a freshman, you’re kind of feeling your way around the program a bit. But at the same time, they saw the opportunity that, ‘Hey, if we both work hard, this could be a pretty nice situation for four years.’”

Binghamton’s defense has been the team’s staple during Howell and Nevares’ tenure. For all the attention the starting pitching and timely offense got last year, BU’s efficiency in the field was the unsung hero of its 2013 America East title, and Howell and Nevares were right at the heart of it.

“They enjoy working with one another,” Sinicki said. “And I think because of that, they enjoy spending countless hours working on things such as double plays and tandem relays and all the things that go into being a good middle of the defense for us, which has been so crucial to our team the last three-plus years now.”

After so much time spent working with one another in practice and games, Howell and Nevares know exactly what to expect from each other once the ball is put in play. Much like the relationship between a pitcher and catcher, a second baseman and shortstop are constantly working to stay in sync with one another. Howell and Nevares are also talking on the diamond, and as important as anything else, they know each other’s limits.

“Like the pitchers and catchers have to be on the same page with signs they’re putting down,” Howell said. “We have to communicate who has the bag on a steal. Who’s got a ground ball back to the pitcher. Who’s covering the bag and stuff like that. Knowing each other, in and out.”

“It all comes down to communication,” Nevares said. “If you don’t click right away in terms of knowing each other and communicating with each other, it throws the whole play off. Because there’s some hesitation in between and you’re going to have to know in advance, prior to a play happening, you have to know in your head what’s going to happen and know where he’s going to be.”

During the preseason media day, Sinicki joked that he was going to petition the NCAA to get “maybe a fifth, six or even seventh year with that tandem up the middle.” While they’ve done a lot of developing from their freshman season until now, Howell and Nevares have remained the same in terms of how they approach the game.

“Their personalities are that they play the game hard, they lead by example in terms of the way they work, the way they get things accomplished, and they blend in very nicely with the rest of the ball club,” Sinicki said. “They did that as freshmen, and they continue to do it with each other as seniors… Ultimately, they not only want this program to be good while they’re here, but sustain that and be good down the road, and they’re making every effort to see that it happens.”

Both Howell and Nevares have taken positive strides with each passing season. Howell’s seven errors and .964 fielding percentage last season were an improvement from the 11 errors and .948 percentage he posted as a freshman. Nevares has seen a similar progression, committing four fewer errors and a .25 improvement in his fielding percentage from his freshman to his junior season.

Their increased efficiency in the field is a direct result of their growing trust and confidence in one another, and continues to trend upward in their senior seasons.

“We’ve both matured and come a long way since freshman year,” Nevares said. “I know freshman year was kind of rough for me and Johnny. We push each other to get better every day. And that’s what we’ve pretty much been doing for the last four years. It’s been pretty awesome, seeing each other grow up.”

Through 18 games this season, Binghamton (5-13, 1-4 AE) has accrued a team batting average of .230. Last year, the team finished with a collective mark of .266. But while the lineup certainly isn’t reproducing its 2013 efficiency, according to Binghamton head coach Tim Sinicki, what’s even more concerning is BU’s ineptitude at situational hitting.

“I think the biggest thing for us that we did last year that we’re not doing this year is not so much the amount of offense, but the timely hitting,” Sinicki said. “It’s not like we were a .300 hitting team as a group. Our team batting average was modest. But at the same time, when we were getting those hits was what was so valuable to us.”

Binghamton, looking ahead to a non-conference series with Mount St. Mary’s this weekend, dropped two out of three last weekend to Hartford. After only plating four runs in the series, BU has now failed to score over three runs in its last seven games.

Compiling hits up and down the order has been the Bearcats’ sore spot all season, but when they do get runners on base, they haven’t fared much better. Poor decision-making on the base paths has prevented BU hitters from even a chance at capitalizing in timely situations, but Sinicki said that as the weather improves and the team gets more exposure to outdoor practice, everything should come together.

“It’s not easy sometimes to be cooped up in the gym. And you just can’t simulate some baseball type of situations that you really need to work on in terms of our ability to make good decisions on the bases,” Sinicki said. “Those are all things that you do in the fall, but at the same time, you need to revisit them in the springtime, just as refreshers, and unfortunately, we haven’t had a chance to do that yet.”

A change in the weather can only help BU’s efficiency at the plate. Though the entire lineup has to be more productive with its at-bats, Sinicki says it starts with the middle of the order.

Junior right fielder Zach Blanden, senior second baseman Daniel Nevares and junior left fielder Jake Thomas, three of Binghamton’s biggest bats, are all hitting at least 30 points under their 2013 batting averages. Last season, BU had six position players finish above a .280 clip. This year, only Nevares and senior center fielder Bill Bereszniewicz are above that mark.

“The way our program is and the way we’ve always been, we’ve got to be pretty balanced one through nine in the lineup,” Sinicki said. “I think we have the ability to do that. But when your middle-of-the-order guys aren’t hitting the way you want them to, then what happens is the guys down in the order get more exposed, and it’s created a situation where it looks like the entire lineup is struggling.”

For all of BU’s shortcomings at the plate, it’s been producing on the mound. Last year’s championship team held opponents to a .262 batting average. But even with the graduation of its two most potent arms, Binghamton’s pitching staff is actually faring slightly better against opposing hitters, only allowing a .260 clip from the plate.

Against Hartford, BU’s trifecta of junior Jack Rogalla, sophomore Jake Cryts and junior Mike Urbanski baffled the Hawks, allowing only one earned run over 19 innings.

“They’re doing exactly what we ask them to do,” Sinicki said. “They’re keeping us in the ballgame, and giving us a chance to win at the end. They can’t do any more right now. And I’m very optimistic that they’ll continue to throw the baseball that way because they’re a talented group.”

So perhaps this non-conference matchup comes at exactly the right time for BU. With starting pitching holding down the fort, the sleeping Bearcat offense will have some free swings this weekend to try and startle itself from hibernation.

“I think it does come at a good time for us,” Sinicki said. “I think we’ll get a chance to play with the lineup a little bit this weekend. Whether it’s different players, whether it’s a different batting order, whatever the case may be, I think non-conference games give you a chance to do that.”

First pitch of Sunday’s doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. while Monday’s single game is set for 4 p.m. Both will be played at E.T. Straw Family Stadium in Emmitsburg, Md.

With a 4-9 non-conference season in the books, the Bearcats are staring down the barrel of a 24-game America East schedule that starts on Saturday at UMass Lowell.

In 2013, the Bearcats roared into AE play with an 8-4 non-conference record, but this year they’ll be less reliant upon momentum and more reliant upon experience.

“I thought we challenged our guys with a pretty good non-conference schedule,” Binghamton head coach Tim Sinicki said. “I thought we left a win or two out on the table that we probably could have had that we just didn’t close the door on, but I thought we did some things. I’m hoping that what we’ve learned from our successes and some of our failures, that we can kind of put it all together and play complete games as we head into the conference part of our schedule.”

The nine position players from last year’s championship team are back to stage another title run this season, but Sinicki said experience is only important if it yields production.

“It’s great to have the experience, but at the same time, we can’t just sit back and keep running those same guys out there every game if we’re not getting production and we’re not playing as well as we want to play,” Sinicki said. “I love the fact that some of our younger guys and some of our guys who didn’t play on a regular basis last year, are working hard and challenging our returning guys. I think competition is healthy for a ball club.”

With BU’s top two starting pitchers having graduated at the end of last season, senior Jack Rogalla has stepped into the role of staff ace and hasn’t missed a beat. In four starts this season, the right hander is 2-1 with a 2.16 ERA. In 25 innings pitched, he has struck out 17 batters and held opponents to a .167 batting average.

But Rogalla isn’t the only pitcher who has performed well. BU’s starting staff has continued to get the job done despite missing its two biggest arms from a season ago, which has helped to compensate for a shaky and still developing bullpen.

“[Rogalla’s] been everything you can ask of an ace. Every time he takes the mound, he gives your team a chance to win,” Sinicki said. “I think [sophomore] Jake Cryts has thrown the ball well. Unfortunately, [junior] Mike Urbanski is still kind of resting at this point with a minor injury. But in his place, [junior] Mike Kaufman started last weekend, and he’ll get the ball again this weekend. Again, I think our starting pitching has been pretty solid so far this season. It’s more the bullpen that’s a concern.”

Defensively, Sinicki said the Bearcats have performed “pretty consistently” and that it’s been the area they’re most ready to rely upon in conference play. But while starting pitching and defense have been strong for BU, the team’s bats have been inconsistent and are only now starting to wake up.

“Guys are showing signs of breaking out,” Sinicki said. “They’re hitting balls hard and at people. Sometimes, statistics don’t reflect nearly how a young man is doing. But at the same time, we need contributions from one through nine in the lineup, not just relying on our two-through-four hitters.”

Senior outfielder Jake Thomas is hitting .283, a respectable mark for a team’s cleanup hitter, but not anywhere close to his 2013 numbers. His .371 batting average a season ago led the America East and ranked 52nd in the country. Sinicki attributes the dip to a number of factors.

“People are going to pitch to him a little differently,” Sinicki said. “He might not sneak up on people like he did last year. What has to happen is the guy behind him has to produce, and [Thomas] needs to continue to be patient and take what pitchers give him.”

Senior center fielder Bill Bereszniewicz has started in all 13 games this season, and his .340 clip has jump-started the offense on many occasions. Senior second baseman Daniel Nevares and sophomore third baseman/designated hitter Reed Gamache are also hitting above .300. Gamache also leads the team with 11 RBIs.

After plating 10 runs in its series-opening win against Virginia Military Institute last weekend, Binghamton managed only three runs in the following two games combined. But with a clean slate ahead of them, the Bearcats have an opportunity to put all of their offensive woes behind them.

UMass Lowell is new to the conference, and with no exposure to the America East, Sinicki said he expects the newcomers to be chomping at the bit to get their first conference wins this weekend.

“They’re a ball club that we don’t know much about, obviously never having seen them play or compete against them,” Sinicki said. “All I know is that their coach is widely respected in the northeast. And they’ve beaten some good teams, too. They’ve beaten Virginia Tech, they’ve beaten University of Rhode Island, they’ve beaten Cincinnati. So I expect them to be hungry to get their first crack at America East play, and we’ll have to go out and be prepared for that.”

First pitch of Saturday’s doubleheader is slated for noon at Bill Beck Field in Kingston, R.I. Sunday’s series finale is also set to begin at noon at the same location.

Just like last season, the Hawks enter the America East tournament as the No. 3 seed. Their 10-6 conference record mimics their mark from a year ago. And as it did in 2012-13, Hartford goes into the postseason with a winning streak at its back.

But that was then, and this is now.

“Every year is a different year, and every year is a different feel,” head coach John Gallagher said.

The Hawks, who will coast into the tournament with six wins in their last seven games, aren’t dwelling on their season-ending 69-62 loss to UMBC in the AE quarterfinals a year ago. In fact, with sixth-seeded Binghamton playing as well as it has been of late, Gallagher said his team isn’t even feeling any of the pressures associated with being a favorite.

“At least two or three people put on social media that they expect Binghamton to win,” Gallagher said. “As I talked to my team, pressures never came up. The only word that comes up with the guys is just being the most excited group to be there. I can’t tell you how excited we are.”

Hartford finished this season with a 16-15 overall mark, a year after earning 17 total victories to give them a Division I program-record 33 wins in back-to-back years.

“We’re proud of that. But it’s not something where we stop playing and stop competing,” Gallagher said.

When the Hawks and Bearcats square off Saturday night in the quarterfinals, Hartford’s primary concern will be sophomore forward Jordan Reed, whom Gallagher referred to as “the best player in the league.”

“I don’t know if you can fully stop him, you just have to try and make sure he doesn’t go for 30, which the last two opponents haven’t been successful in doing, and we were one of them,” Gallagher said.

Hartford’s answer for Reed is junior forward Mark Nwakamma. The Hawks’ leading scorer with 15.1 points per game, Nwakamma is not only Hartford’s go-to offensive option, but is responsible for creating the floor space that has his team atop the America East in 3-pointers made.

“Just like Jordan Reed, [Nwakamma is] one of the better players in our conference,” Gallagher said. “Anytime you have a player like him, he just makes everybody else calmer.”

Still, the Hawks have proven that they can compete at a high level without Nwakamma, and Gallagher points to their games on Jan. 29 and Feb. 1 against Vermont and Stony Brook, which were seven- and four-point losses, respectively, as evidence.

“I thought that really changed our season,” Gallagher said. “It gave us unbelievable confidence from every player. We’ve won six of seven, but now I think Mark’s playing his best and we’re really just excited about being there.”

In the teams’ last matchup, Hartford overcame Reed’s 33-point outburst with a 89-83 double overtime victory. On Jan. 23, the Hawks also tiptoed past the Bearcats with a two-point, 56-54 win. A gritty, hard-fought game on Saturday night has been foreshadowed, and the Hawks are giving BU the respect their closely-contested matchups have elicited.

“The biggest advantage, and maybe the reason we came out on top, was just a play here and a play there and that can turn at any time,” Gallagher said. “So we understand what we’re going against Saturday night. We just have the utmost respect for Binghamton and their program.”

Junior guard Wes Cole tops the conference this season with 77 3-pointers made to lead a Hartford team that drained 246 baskets from beyond the arc, 45 more than the next closest AE team. Binghamton head coach Tommy Dempsey puts a lot of stock in Hartford’s ability to spread the floor by way of its 3-point ability, and will place a heavy emphasis on guarding the perimeter.

“The one offensive balance they have is they spread you out with a ton of shooters and you can’t bring a lot of help,” Dempsey said. “In both games [against Hartford this season], we were so concerned with Nwakamma and they made 21 threes against us. So we’re going to have to find that balance of doing our best to neutralize Nwakamma without giving as many 3-pointers as we gave up in the first two contests.””

But Gallagher insisted that his squad isn’t a one-trick pony, and even said the 3-ball isn’t necessarily the Hawks’ greatest asset offensively.

“It’s a misconception, very similar to Chip Kelly and the [Philadelphia] Eagles,” Gallagher said. “Everyone thinks they throw the ball every possession. Meanwhile, they had one of the best running games.”

“We have one of the best two-point field goal percentages in the country,” Gallagher added. “We don’t discriminate. We take twos and threes. And offensively, we don’t focus solely on one or the other, we just focus on what the defense gives us.”

Tipoff is set for approximately 8:30 p.m. at SEFCU Arena in Albany.

On Sunday afternoon, the junior middle distance runner became the second Binghamton University athlete in program history to break the four-minute mile. His time of 3:59.37 at the Boston University Last Chance Meet earned him first place and put him beside Erik van Ingen as the only other Binghamton runner to cross the finish line in under four minutes.

“We knew right away as a freshman that Jesse had a really bright future,” Binghamton assistant coach Annette Acuff said. “It’s been in the works the last two and a half years, working with him to develop.”

Shattering the four-minute mile was certainly atop Garn’s list of goals this season, but earning the victory on Sunday carried an even greater significance in his mind.

“To break it is certainly a huge accomplishment for myself and for the program as well,” Garn said. “It was even more surreal that I won the race on top of making my mark. It was just a good feeling all around, even though I threw up for probably an hour afterward.”

Villanova’s Robert Denault was the runner-up on Sunday with a time of 3:59.52. Despite the fraction of a second difference between Garn’s and Denault’s finishes, Acuff said the lack of disparity between the two times is misleading.

“The results are kind of deceiving because it looks like it was [Garn] and [Denault] the whole time,” Acuff said. “But Jesse was probably a good 20 meters ahead of [Denault] going into the last 400. [Garn] started to tighten up a little bit in the last 100 meters or so, and so [Denault] had a chance there to close the gap there but Jesse was able to hold him off.”

Garn’s time is the 18th-fastest at the NCAA Division I level this season. While only the top 16 clocked times that qualify for the NCAA Championships on March 13-14 at the University of New Mexico, Garn still has a chance to earn a spot when the final list is revealed tonight if five of the top 16 performers don’t declare entrance in the event in order to focus on another one at the NCAA meet.

Van Ingen, a former four-time All-American, was Binghamton’s first runner to break the four-minute mile. His time of 3:59.41 at the 2010 Penn State National Open was the first of three instances in which van Ingen would post a time under four minutes. At the 2012 Millrose Games, he finished with a program-best time of 3:56.37.

As a senior, van Ingen left a meaningful impression on then-freshman Garn. Racking up accolades and posting record-setting times with each passing meet, van Ingen was a natural role model for Garn. Acuff said she knew from the get-go that the potential was there, and with van Ingen serving as an example of what a runner could accomplish in the Binghamton green and white, it was only a matter of time before Garn found similar success.

“[Garn] was fortunate to come in at a really good time,” Acuff said. “When Erik van Ingen was graduating, I think that really kind of set the stage for him. Going forward and seeing what Erik was able to accomplish throughout his career certainly created a great vision for Jesse and for our program over for the next few years to come.”

Regardless of whether or not Garn qualifies for the NCAAs, he’ll still have an opportunity to race this weekend, as the Bearcats are scheduled to compete at the ECAC/IC4A Indoor Championships at Boston University. No matter where Garn races next, his goal will remain the same.

“Qualifying [for the NCAAs] would definitely be the icing on the cake. It’s been my biggest goal this season,” Garn said. “But whether it’s at the NCAAs or IC4As, I’m always just trying to improve my time. There’s always room to improve.”

In their 4-3 loss to Niagara, the Bearcats (2-5) were forced to default at third in doubles and sixth in singles due to injury and illness, costing them a possible two team points.

Sophomore Agatha Ambrozy and freshman Annie DiMuro dominated at No. 2 doubles, 8-1, and then each recorded a win at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, respectively. Sophomore Alexis Tashiro represented BU’s third team point, after she defeated her opponent in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2.

On Saturday, the top three singles matches went to a third set, but only DiMuro managed to record a team point for Binghamton in its 6-1 loss at Buffalo. DiMuro, who won in three sets of 2-6, 7-5, 10-6, had then won three straight matches.

BU concluded its road trip with its victory at Colgate. The Bearcats swept all nine matches, including six straight-set wins in singles. Tashiro, DiMuro, Ambrozy, junior Katya Medianik, freshman Sara Kohtz and sophomore Shea Brodsky all found the win column for Binghamton.

The Bearcats will have off until Friday, when they are set to travel to New Jersey for a matchup with Rutgers. Play is scheduled for 1 p.m. at East Brunswick Racquet Club in East Brunswick, N.J.

The No. 1 doubles tandem of sophomores Alexander Maisin and Aswin Nambi earned BU’s sole victory on Friday. The Rams (11-6) scored wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles to lock up the point and proceeded to down the Bearcats in all six singles matches. Junior Robin Lesage and sophomore Sid Hazarika took their opponents to a third set in No. 2 and No. 4 singles, respectively.

But on Saturday, BU found success again, winning four of the six singles matches to clinch a win over Georgetown (5-4). Maisin won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, to remain unbeaten at No. 2 singles, and sophomore Eliott Hureau dominated in the first and third sets en route to a 6-1, 6-7 (9-7), 6-0 victory at the fifth position.

The Bearcats, winners of six of their last seven matches, are set to face Columbia and Fordham next Saturday in Manhattan.

After losing by a program-worst 51 points at Albany on Feb. 19, Binghamton’s loss on Saturday marked its 12th straight defeat.

“Our kids are still playing hard,” Binghamton head coach Nicole Scholl said. “I think it’s just disheartening for them at times when teams do go on those big runs and we don’t seem to have an answer back for it.”

The Bearcats (4-23, 1-13 America East) were within two points, 26-24, with 6:40 left in the first half, but the Catamounts embarked on a 13-4 run to head into the locker room with a 39-28 advantage. Over that span, BU committed six turnovers.

For the game, the Bearcats were plagued by 27 turnovers in comparison to the Catamounts’ 13.

“If you look at the box score, turnovers were the big key,” Scholl said. “They ended up getting at least 20 more shots than we did. Again, it’s been kind of a thing for us all season, especially as of late, not taking care of the basketball.”

Binghamton remained in striking distance midway through the first half but, with 7:55 remaining, Vermont (7-20, 4-10 AE) began an 11-1 spurt over the ensuing 2:43 to put the game beyond doubt, 67-42.

Vermont’s defense managed 12 steals and converted BU’s turnovers into 22 points. While coughing up the ball has been a theme in Binghamton’s undoing over the course of this season, Scholl noted that it’s the turnovers that lead to easy transition baskets the Bearcats can’t afford if they want to avoid big runs by the opposition.

“One turnover is one thing, but then to have two or three in a row, I think it’s just a matter of recognition and having an awareness of it,” Scholl said. “We’re turning the ball over, and we’re allowing teams to come down in transition and get an easy hoop. Whereas, at least if we’re turning the ball over and we can come down and get a defensive stop, that will help us out.”

Senior guard Sam Simononis tied a game-high with 13 points to lead Vermont. Junior forward Niki Taylor and freshman guard Jordan Eisler finished with 12 points apiece, while junior forward Kayla Burchill also reached double digits with 11.

For the Bearcats, junior forward Sherae Swinson matched Simononis with 13 points, and senior guard Vaneeshia Paulk chipped in with nine points and seven rebounds.

Binghamton is slated for two more conference games this season, both of which are at home, before the AE tournament kicks off. More so than anything, Scholl says these last upcoming games are crucial for the team’s mindset heading into the postseason.

“We have to find a way to build some confidence,” Scholl said. “Right now, we kind of have a mentality of we don’t have anything to lose, so we’re just trying to go out and play as hard as we can for as long as we can.”

BU and Hartford are set to tipoff at 7 p.m. Wednesday from the Events Center.

But O’Donnell was just beginning his afternoon.

The junior attackman, who scored five times against Sacred Heart, matched his career goal total and led the Bearcats to an 8-6 victory.

“I think he’s had a great year since the first day in the fall,” Binghamton head coach Scott Nelson said. “He’s worked really hard, he’s practiced great and so from that standpoint, we weren’t surprised.”

BU seized control in the first half with some aggressive offensive play, and got on the board first when Sacred Heart allowed an unassisted, man-up goal from O’Donnell at 12:37. Redshirt senior attackman Matt Springer, who has 96 career goals, followed suit with a score of his own to double the lead.

After Sacred Heart cut the deficit in half, O’Donnell tallied his second score of the game with 1:54 left in the first. Twenty-five seconds later, O’Donnell struck again for his third man-up goal and first career hat trick. The Bearcats would carry the 4-1 lead into the locker room after outshooting Sacred Heart, 25-8, in the first half.

Considering the lopsided shot differential, Nelson thought his team could have gotten more in the first.

“I think offensively, we really dominated the first half and only had four goals to show for it, so that was a little disappointing,” Nelson said.

“I think we’re going to play better on the offensive end as the year goes on,” Nelson added.

Sacred Heart took advantage, tallying two goals in the opening 8:03 of the third quarter to get within a single score. Later in the third, junior attackman Tucker Nelson, who had 27 assists in 2013, set up O’Donnell for his fourth goal. But Sacred Heart senior attackman Cody Marquis answered 1:11 later with his second goal of the game to pull Sacred Heart back to within one, 5-4.

After senior midfielder Michael Antinozzi found Springer for his second score, Sacred Heart found the back of the net to make the score 6-5 heading into the final quarter.

Sacred Heart senior attackman Mike Mawdsley knotted the score at six just more than three minutes into the fourth, but O’Donnell was able to put an exclamation point on his career game with the go-ahead score a few minutes later that would prove to be the game-winner. Sophomore attackman Mitchell Rick put the game on ice with a man-up goal with 4:40 remaining.

In net, redshirt junior goalie Max Schefler made seven saves to earn his sixth career win. He was aided by a BU defense that forced 12 turnovers and won the ground ball battle 29-22.

“Letting them get back in it in the third quarter was frustrating, but overall I thought it was a great game because they tied it up at six and our guys kind of got together after that, got the last two goals and we shut them out,” Nelson said. “I was really impressed with the defense.”

Binghamton will have a week to rest and practice before its home opener against Siena on Feb. 22.

After losing to Syracuse to begin its 2014 campaign, the Saints defeated Hobart 12-7 on Sunday to move to 1-1.

“I think Siena’s a very, very good team offensively,” Nelson said. “They struggled against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome, and people were probably saying they weren’t very good and then they took it to Hobart. They’re well-coached, they’re in great shape, they can shoot the ball. That’s going to be a tough one.”

Action from the Events Center is set to begin at noon.

With 4.5 seconds left in regulation and the Binghamton men’s basketball team trailing 62-59, Beck, a 57 percent shooter from the charity stripe this season, calmly drained three consecutive free throws to force overtime, where the Bearcats (6-19, 3-9 America East) would escape with a 72-71 victory at New Hampshire.

“Even if you’re an 80 percent shooter, to make three with the game on the line is tough,” Binghamton head coach Tommy Dempsey said. “When you’re a 57 percent free throw shooter, to make three at the end of the game, it’s just all heart.”

After Beck drained a 3-pointer from the left wing with a minute remaining to give BU its first overtime lead, 69-68, senior forward Roland Brown went toe-to-toe with UNH 6-foot-10 senior forward Chris Pelcher, blocking his shot and grabbing the rebound.

Beck then converted two more free throws with 31 seconds left in overtime to give the Bearcats a 71-68 advantage, but freshman guard Daniel Dion answered right back for New Hampshire (6-18, 4-7 AE) with a 3-pointer from NBA range to tie the game with 19 seconds left.

With Binghamton holding the ball for the final shot, Dempsey put the game in the hands of sophomore forward Jordan Reed. The most recent America East co-Player of the Week drove hard at the basket and missed a  layup in traffic, but was fouled in the ensuing skirmish for the ball and went to the line with 1.5 seconds to go.

After missing his first free-throw attempt, Reed rattled home the back-end in what proved to be the game’s finishing touch.

“I knew I wanted to get it into his hands, and we got him the ball on the right side of the court where he’s most effective,” Dempsey said. “You put a lot of pressure on the officials in that spot because anyone who’s watched Jordan play for the last two years, when he gets a full head of steam going to the basket, there’s going to be contact. And I think the initial contact wasn’t called, but he competed for the ball when it came off the rim as he always does and then the refs were forced to call a foul.”

The victory marked the first time Binghamton has won consecutive games against Division I opponents since Jan. 2011. It was also BU’s first AE road win this season.

“My confidence was growing even through some of the losses,” Dempsey said. “I was starting to feel better about our process here but it is really nice to get a couple of wins in a row to just validate our efforts.”

In their first matchup this season at the Events Center on Jan. 9, Binghamton torched New Hampshire, 67-38. But the Wildcats were without Dion and Pelcher in that loss, two assets that nearly got them over the hump this time around.

“[Dion] is a really good young point guard in this league. And Pelcher gives them a great presence on the inside. I mean they shot over 50 percent from three, and a lot of that is because of all the attention that you have to put on Pelcher,” Dempsey said. “Tonight, we had to pick our poison, and what we tried to do was put a crowd around Pelcher, make them beat us from three. They had a good night shooting the ball from there, but we were able to overcome it.”

While senior guard Jordon Bronner was virtually a nonfactor in the teams’ first game (1-of-8 from the field for six points), his 3-point shooting stunted any plans the Bearcats had of pulling away tonight. Bronner began his night 5-of-5 from beyond the arc, but in the second half, it took him over 12 minutes to score from the field.

“He’s a good shooter, not a great shooter, but he had a great first half, so we had to make an adjustment,” Dempsey said. “Once we cleaned up our underneath out-of-bounds defense and then gave a lot of attention to him when we were running out of our press, we were able to limit his looks.”

Beck’s late outburst gave him a team-high 17 points, and Reed contributed across the board again, finishing with 16 points, six rebounds, a career-high six steals and three assists. Brown and sophomore guard Karon Waller added nine points apiece, while senior forward Alex Ogundadegbe pulled down eight rebounds.

For New Hampshire, Pelcher finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks, and Bronner contributed 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. Freshman foward Jacoby Armstrong also reached double figures, finishing with 14 points, while Dion just missed a double-double with nine points and nine assists.

The Bearcats are still scraping the bottom of the America East standings, but they now have some company — Maine and Binghamton are tied for last, 1.5 games behind seventh-place New Hampshire.

Up next, BU will try and avenge a Jan. 20 loss to fourth-place Albany when the two meet again at the Events Center on Feb. 19. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

That wasn’t the case tonight.

Fueled by a season-high crowd of 4,635 and an ESPN3 audience, the last-place Bearcats went punch-for-punch with the first-place Seawolves (17-7, 9-1 AE), but it was Stony Brook’s 8-2 run in the final 1:45 that dealt Binghamton a 58-53 loss.

“Just very proud of my team. I feel bad for these guys because they spilled their guts out there tonight and thought they deserved to win,” Binghamton head coach Tommy Dempsey said. “I told these guys that if we were going to have a chance to win tonight, we had to fight for every inch of the court and that’s exactly what we did.”

The Bearcats, catalyzed by a combined 11 points from sophomore forward Jordan Reed and freshman guard Marlon Beck II, held a 17-12 advantage through the opening eight minutes of play. Where Binghamton’s level of play would normally dip, it was maintained tonight — over the next nine minutes, BU would extend its lead to 22-13 after a 3-pointer by Reed and a jumper by senior guard Raynor Moquete.

Stony Brook would slice BU’s lead to 23-18 at halftime after not allowing a Binghamton field goal in the final 3:18 of the first.

Stony Brook finally began to flaunt its superior experience and skill in the second half when it went on a 12-0 run in a span of 5:39 to grab a 32-28 lead. But after Dempsey elected to take a timeout to regroup his team, Reed drove hard to the basket and converted a conventional 3-point play to end BU’s scoring drought.

“Let’s not let this last. We’ve all seen that throughout the year. How long’s our drought going to last?” Dempsey said. “I thought about taking the timeout to try to get one right at 32-28… I was glad I swallowed that timeout and Jordan made a play to bail me out.”

After five more lead changes, a 3-pointer by senior guard Dave Coley with 7:44 left to play gave Stony Brook a three-point lead. From there, Binghamton embarked on a 7-0 run, highlighted by three of senior forward Roland Brown’s six points.

But offensive fouls and missed free throws burned the Bearcats down the stretch. With the score tied at 50 and 1:45 to go, Stony Brook scored twice from the field and cashed in four times from the charity stripe, while Binghamton only managed three points.

As thirsty as they’ve been for a win, the Bearcats won’t hang their head over tonight’s loss.

“As long as we can be proud of our performance every time we step onto the court, I don’t think we’ll be down,” Dempsey said. “Their senior guards got them over the top but it took everything that Coley and  [senior guard Anthony] Jackson had to get them out of here with a win…. Even though those guys played great down the stretch, I thought we still were good enough tonight to win.”

Binghamton stifled Stony Brook’s offense, holding it to 15 points under its season scoring average of 73 ppg. Equally impressive was the Bearcats’ effort against sophomore forward Jameel Warney. The 6-foot-8 forward, whom Dempsey called the “best player in this league,” was held to just seven points and eight rebounds tonight as the Bearcats made sure to always have a body on him.

“I feel like we guarded him pretty well,” Brown said. “He didn’t have double digits, he wasn’t a non-factor, but we kept him out most of the game.”

Reed said “the right kind of aggression” allowed him to break down Stony Brook’s defense tonight for game-highs of 23 points and 15 rebounds. It was Reed’s first double-double since a Jan. 5 contest with Maine.

“If we can get [Reed] going like he was going tonight, we’ll be a handful the rest of the way,” Dempsey said.

Jackson finished with 16 points for Stony Brook, while Coley finished with 14, including three 3-pointers.

The Bearcats will next take on Maine. Unlike Stony Brook, who is known for its imposing defense, the Black Bears (5-16, 3-6 AE) will try to get a win by running up the score.

In the teams’ last matchup on Jan. 5, Maine scored 49 points by halftime en route to an 82-66 victory.

“It’s going to be a much more open, up-and-down game. We’re just going to have to stay disciplined and get to their scorers,” Dempsey said. “I think our defensive performance tonight is something that we can build on.”

Tipoff from the Events Center is set for 2 p.m. on Feb. 8.

Friday’s contest saw the Bearcats (3-9) jump out to a 3-0 lead after junior 125-pound David White earned an 11-6 win. From there, however, Old Dominion (4-8) began to dominate, taking the next four duels en route to a 14-3 lead.

Sophomore Vincent Grella stopped the bleeding with a 4-3 decision at 165 after a takedown with only 26 seconds left in the bout, but back-to-back wins by ODU at 174 and 184 sealed the match. BU’s one-two punch of senior 197-pound Cody Reed and junior heavyweight Tyler Deuel each defeated their opponents in the final two bouts, with Reed earning a 3-1 victory and Deuel notching a 6-2 win.

On Saturday, Binghamton made some adjustments that nearly translated into a victory over American, but junior 149-pound Joe Bonaldi was on the wrong side of a 2-1 decision in the final match that came down to the final seconds and gave the Eagles (6-5) a 21-19 win.

“It was highly competitive, highly entertaining — had all the elements of a great athletic competition,” Binghamton head coach Matt Dernlan said. “Even though we came up on the short side, coming down to the last minute, it was a fun match to be a part of. The guys really competed hard.”

Reed earned his most impressive win of the season, defeating 12th-ranked Daniel Mitchell on a takedown in the final three seconds. He moves to 20-8 overall in 2013-14, and 10-3 in duals.

Deuel followed suit and pinned Blake Herrin in the first period after just 2:24. Herrin was ranked No. 23 in the NCAA Coaches’ Panel, while Deuel entered the match ranked 31st. It was Deuel’s team-high 22nd win of the season (22-5, 11-2 duals).

“I’ve been pretty pleased with our growth the last month of the season collectively,” Dernlan said. “I think from an individual standpoint we’ve got a lot of great individual performances. It was probably highlighted this weekend by Reed. And I think obviously Tyler continues to set the bar for our team. With his style of wrestling, he’s putting a lot of points on the board. He’s getting a lot of bonus points almost every single match.”

The Bearcats are less experienced and pack less of a punch than in recent years past, but Dernlan says his team has steadily progressed through 2014 and that he expects another hard-fought and close battle when the Bearcats host Boston University next weekend.

“There’s some minor technical adjustments we need to address throughout the week. But I think from an effort and an attitude and a fight standpoint, we’re really starting to click,” Dernlan said. “The reality is, there’s several weight classes where our guys, they’re kind of outgunned, to be honest with you. So they have to find a way to fight, scratch and claw and not give up bonus points. And if they can do that, if some of our weak spots can stop the bleeding and not give up big bonus points, and then we have some of our other guys get bonus points, that will probably be our reality for the next month here.”

Action is set to begin at 1 p.m. on Feb. 2 at the West Gym.

McKenzie, a senior forward, finished with 27 points and 20 rebounds, both career highs, as she put Rider ahead for good with a layup with about four minutes left in overtime. The Bearcats missed a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer, and Rider took the contest, 66-63.

“[McKenzie’s] a good player — very athletic and knows her role on her team,” BU head coach Nicole Scholl said. “And she’s one of those types of players that if you’re not paying attention to her, if you’re not boxing her out, she’s going to get some easy ones. I thought there were times when we played her well, and I thought other times we just gave her too many easy, open looks.”

Less than one minute into the second half, McKenzie freed herself under the hoop and converted a layup to tie the game at 28-28. The Bearcats had led, 28-23, at the break, but sophomore guard Mikal Johnson buried a 3-pointer on Rider’s first possession out of the locker room, and McKenzie followed suit with her bucket.

“We talk a lot about putting two halves together, and I thought we just came out a little bit sluggish in the beginning of the second,” Scholl said.

But near the midway point of the second half, the Bearcats embarked on a 15-4 spurt to take a 51-43 lead with 7:45 left in regulation. Senior forward Julia Barac highlighted the run with six points.

But the Broncs countered with a 9-1 surge of their own, capped by a 3-pointer from freshman guard Stephanie Mason.

After McKenzie put Rider up, 58-56, by sinking a pair of free throws with 11.9 seconds remaining, senior guard Vaneeshia Paulk got inside and converted a layup to tie the game at 58-58.

In overtime, Rider never trailed as McKenzie grabbed a rebound on one end of the floor and knocked down a basket on the other to put her team up, 60-58.

With one second remaining and the score at 66-63, BU senior guard Stephanie Jensen managed to get off a desperation 3-pointer, but Scholl said it wasn’t the clean look she was hoping for.

“It was a triple screen that we ran for [Jensen] to try and get her a shot,” she said. “Rider’s defense was pretty good. They switched out on everything and were able to get a hand in her face, and unfortunately we didn’t get a clean shot off.”

The Bearcats didn’t score from the field in the extra period, and only managed to make three free throws.

McKenzie’s huge stat line stole the spotlight from Barac’s career day. The forward finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

“[Barac] is playing well right now. She’s come in and taken advantage of the time she’s getting, and she keeps improving with each practice,” Scholl said. “With her frame, at 6’2”, I think she’s been helpful on the defensive end and she has the ability to knock down shots, and I think she’s gaining a lot of confidence right now.”

Paulk contributed 15 points and has now scored in double figures in three consecutive games.

Sophomore guard Kandace Newry added 11 points for BU, while Johnson chipped in with 16 points for Rider.

After a 26-point loss to Princeton on Dec. 11, Scholl said Saturday’s effort was a step in the right direction.

“I think we’re still really continuing to improve,” she said. “I see shades of things that we’re getting better at each and every game, and it’s been a while since we’ve been in a tight game like this, let alone an overtime game. So I think just the experience, in and of itself, I think we can really take a lot from this and we’ll learn from it.”

Next up for the Bearcats is a matchup at Siena on Dec. 21. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. from Times Union Center.

But then the Orange (9-0) pressed.

“It was what changed the complexion of the game for sure,” Binghamton head coach Tommy Dempsey said.

The Bearcats (2-7) raced off to an 11-3 start in their 93-65 loss tonight at the Carrier Dome, but Syracuse’s swarming defense effectively made inbounds treacherous, forced traps and caused turnovers that would quickly set aside Binghamton’s fantasy.

After Syracuse freshman guard Tyler Ennis hit a 3-pointer to open the game, freshman guard Marlon Beck II answered right back with a 3 of his own with the shot clock winding down to ignite the Bearcat offense. Sophomore guard Jordan Reed converted two foul shots, and freshman forward Nick Madray buried consecutive baskets from downtown to put the Bearcats up 11-3.

“I thought we were focused, we were ready, we were excited, we came out and got off to the good start,” Dempsey said.

“We came out firing,” Reed added. “[Madray] had a couple of shots. I got a couple of foul shots. [Beck] hit a 3. It felt good. I was like, ‘Jeez, I hope this happens the whole night.’”

But sophomore forward Michael Gbinije drilled a 3 to bring Syracuse to within 11-6, and the ensuing timeout by the Bearcats would allow the Orange to implement their full-court press.

Binghamton’s early 11-0 run was upstaged by Syracuse’s subsequent 18-0 spurt that stretched the score to 21-11 with 12:48 remaining in the first.

Unable to figure out Syracuse’s zone defense and press, BU found itself in a 24-point hole at the break, 54-30.

With the game beyond doubt, Syracuse head coach Jim Boheim pulled his starters late in the second half, and the Bearcats were only outscored by Syracuse by four points, 39-35, in the final 20 minutes.

“I give [Binghamton] a lot of credit. They moved the ball, they played well. They did a lot of good things,” Boheim said. “We’re bigger and stronger than they are, but they did all the things you need to do to try to be successful. The press hurt them a little bit, or it would have been a much closer game.”

Binghamton’s starting lineup, which is composed of four freshmen and a sophomore, received most of the minutes tonight, as Dempsey used only seven players until he emptied the bench in the final minute. For such a young team, a crack at one of the top contenders in the nation is a powerful learning tool.

“After they opened the lead up with their pressure in the first half, they opened up the big lead by halftime [but] there was no quit in us,” Dempsey said. “I don’t think we hung our heads. I told them we’ve got to play like brothers. I thought through a tough stretch in that first half we never wavered and we kept coming at them.”

Syracuse’s hounding press allowed Binghamton plenty of chances at the foul line. While the Bearcats only mustered a 66 percent clip from the charity stripe, they got to the line 32 times.

“To get to the free throw line 32 times against Syracuse, I think that’s impressive,” Dempsey said. “I think that’s a sign that our guys were trying to enforce their will on the game as well.”

Reed led all scorers tonight with 26 points, including 13-of-14 free throw shooting, and added seven rebounds.

“[Reed] picked his spots really well in transition and just played a great game,” Dempsey said.

Beck contributed 14 points for Binghamton, while Madray chipped in with 11, including three 3-pointers.

For Syracuse, senior forward C.J. Fair led the way with 19 points, and redshirt sophomore guard Trevor Cooney nailed five 3-pointers en route to a 17-point performance.

Sophomore forwards Jerami Grant and Dajuan Coleman also finished in double figures for the Orange with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

“We’re not going to play another team of this caliber the rest of the year,” Dempsey said. “We look at our schedule now and I think we have a chance to really compete with everyone left on our schedule.”

Binghamton will next travel to West Long Branch, N.J. on Dec. 14 to face Monmouth.

Tipoff from the Multipurpose Activity Center is set for 7 p.m.

1. “Annie Hall” (1977)

All the peaks and valleys of modern-day relationships are precisely sculpted by Allen in his masterpiece. The quintessential romantic comedy, “Annie Hall” is so cleverly written, so sharp with its humor and so poignant that even as Allen’s character breaks the fourth wall and speaks into the camera, you forget you’re watching staged interactions. The chemistry between Allen and Diane Keaton transcends the screen, and their characters become people that we can not only genuinely relate to and empathize with, but also people that we all know in our own lives. — Erik

2. “Crimes and Misdemeanors” (1989)

Allen’s finest drama, “Crimes and Misdemeanors” thoughtfully explores man’s relationship with God and man’s ideas of success. Sometimes, Allen finds doing the right thing is more important than happiness. — Jacob

3. “Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986)

While it may not top our list, “Hannah and Her Sisters” is one of my all-time favorites. Allen shares his take on the meaning of existence, the fine line between lust and love and the implications of life and death in this tapestry of brilliantly interwoven stories. While certainly a drama, Allen’s delightful charm and wit are still on full display here, and his blending of characters in the film is beautiful. — Erik

4. “Manhattan” (1979)

This, in my eyes, is objectively Allen’s finest film, at least from a film school point of view. It’s his most complete, his most beautiful and his most straightforward movie. If you love the New York City or old-fashioned romance, you will fall in love with this film from the second the iconic opening sequence begins. “Manhattan” is a true classic. — Darian

5. “Midnight in Paris” (2011)

This movie appeared out of nowhere and got an Oscar nomination in 2011, the year that everyone was talking about Paris. (There was also “The Artist” and “Hugo.”) “Midnight in Paris” is not as thematically mature as Allen’s other films, but it’s a lot of fun and one of his essential movies. — Darian

6. “Zelig” (1983)

“Zelig” is one of Allen’s greatest creations. Allen stars as Zelig and is a human chameleon, changing his appearance to adapt to his surroundings. Among doctors, he mysteriously conjures a lab coat. Among black people, his skin darkens and his nose widens. But what makes “Zelig” a masterpiece is its heart and its construction. The movie is a mockumentary that follows Zelig for decades and inserts him into archival footage, “Forrest Gump”-style. And then there’s Mia Farrow’s character, a doctor scorned by the medical establishment but who doggedly studies Zelig to understand his condition and who slowly falls in love with him. — Jacob

7. “The Purple Rose of Cairo” (1985)

“The Purple Rose of Cairo” is arguably Allen’s most inventive film. The film blurs the line between fantasy and reality as the protagonist steps out off the screen and into the real world. As Allen’s love letter to cinema, this is a must-see for anyone who loves everything about the movies. Also, the ending will have you weak at the knees. — Erik

8. “Love and Death” (1975)

“Love and Death” is the best of Allen’s “early, funny” films — as Allen himself agrees. He’s once again paired with Diane Keaton (his cousin and love interest) in an elaborate, smart and hilarious satire of Russian literature and European history. The movie’s title isn’t just a poke at grand Russian novel titles like “Crime and Punishment” and “War and Peace.” In 85 minutes, it seriously engages with the “to be or not to be” conundrum that Allen seems to always be grappling with. He is, as ever, a secret optimist: “I’d hate to blow my brains out and then read in the papers that they found something.” — Jacob

9 & 10 (tie). “Match Point” (2005) = “Sleeper” (1973)

Two very different movies, yet both completely deserve to be in the top 10. “Matchpoint” is a total departure for Allen: It’s straight thriller. The film follows a pretty hot British love triangle and, while it’s slow burning, the finale packs a punch. “Sleeper” is one of Allen’s earliest films, in which he finds himself in a futuristic world fighting an oppressive government. If you have a free afternoon, hey, watch them both. — Darian

After four straight losses to start the season, the Bearcats (1-5) stormed back from a nine-point deficit to defeat host New Mexico, 58-53, in the first round of the tournament Friday night at the Pit in Albuquerque, N.M., only to fall victim to Arkansas’ elite defense in the final round on Saturday night, 72-23.

In BU’s first victory of the 2013-14 season, UNM redshirt junior guard Antiesha Brown knocked down a jumper with 6:22 left in the second half to extend the Lobos’ lead to 48-39. But BU sophomore guard Kim Albrecht, who finished with 15 points, drained a basket with 3:29 left to put the capper on a 12-3 run that would even the score at 51-51.

After the teams traded baskets to knot the score at 53-53, sophomore guard Kandace Newry connected on a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left to put Binghamton up for good. With 14 seconds left, senior guard Vaneeshia Paulk put the game beyond doubt when she sunk a pair of free throws.

Junior forward Sherae Swinson led Binghamton with a game-high 18 points, while Newry, in her first start of the season, stuffed the stat sheet with seven points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Redshirt senior guard Sara Halasz led the Lobos with 14 points.

Saturday was a different story for the Bearcats, as Arkansas’ defensive prowess was on full display.

Heading into the weekend, Arkansas (8-0) boasted the second-ranked defense in the nation, only surrendering 44 points per game. In their two weekend contests, however, the undefeated Razorbacks held their opponents to just 30.0 points per game.

The Bearcats were unable to carry over the momentum from the previous night into the championship round as they fell behind 35-9 going into the break. The Razorbacks held BU to just 14 percent from the field on 3-for-22 shooting.

In the second half, the Bearcats didn’t fare much better, posting a 21 percent clip from the field on 5-for-24 shooting.

Junior forward Jhasmin Bowen led Arkansas with 15 points, while junior guard Gintare Surdokatie led the Bearcats with a career-high eight points.

“This weekend was good experience for us, especially playing two games on back-to-back nights,” head coach Nicole Scholl said, according to BUBearcats.com. “The win over New Mexico was great but [Saturday night] (against Arkansas) was a bit of a letdown with our intensity. Arkansas is a very good team but we were hoping for a carryover from last night.”

“Looking ahead, we can take a lot from this weekend,” she added. “We grew as a team [Friday night] in our win and [Saturday], we had some of our younger players come off the bench and play significant minutes for us. Overall, this weekend was a positive for us.”

Up next for BU is a trip to Cornell on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Newman Arena in Ithaca, N.Y.

“What I needed to see today was a response to a poor performance [against Navy],” Dempsey said. “And I thought that was very much there from the opening tip. Unfortunately, we didn’t close the game, but we were ready, we were focused, we were energetic and I thought we played really good basketball most of the day.”

After building a lead that peaked at 14-points with 17:58 to go in the second half, the Bearcats (1-4) blinked, and suddenly found themselves up by only five with 13 minutes to go. After trading baskets a few more times and the teams breaking even at 55-55, BU blinked again, and was down seven with 4:40 to play.

Binghamton turnovers and missed shots in the second half translated into easy transition baskets for Radford (3-1), keying its quick comeback.

The Bearcats also struggled offensively in the second half. From 17:58 until 0:44, BU managed just 16 points.

“I think we just missed easy shots. We missed our free throws,” freshman forward Nick Madray said. “It was a really winnable game.”

Over that same span, the Highlanders scored 38 points.

“They were making great shots” freshman forward Magnus Richards said. “They were attacking us. They came out in the second half and did a lot of positive things. I don’t think it was anything that we didn’t do, but I think that they were getting some good bounces.”

While both Binghamton and Radford committed seven turnovers in the first, BU committed nine in the second to the Highlanders’ six.

After only managing to shoot 24.1 percent from the field in the first half, the Highlanders posted a 12-for-22 (54.5 percent) clip in the second that allowed them to surmount the 14-point deficit.

Many of the good things Dempsey saw came in the first half. BU carried a 37-28 advantage into the break, and was led by a spotless performance from Richards. The 6-foot-7 forward went 4 of 4 from the field in the first half as he was doing everything right in the paint. He also pulled down five rebounds, four of which came off the offensive glass.

“I told myself that I’d focus more on just being aggressive,” Richards said. “I felt like I wasn’t in it the beginning of the season, the first four games. [Today], I tried to come out and just give energy.”

While Richards has gotten off to a slow start this season, Dempsey attributes it to the normal growing pains associated with a freshman adjusting to college ball. Still, Dempsey says his young forward is capable of these types of performances on a regular basis, and the Bearcats will be reliant upon him when conference play rolls around.

“If we’re going to be better this year, we really need him to step up,” Dempsey said. “He’s a very capable player. He was a kid who I was so excited for when he committed to come here and I think you saw some of the reasons why today… he showed the type of player he can be and we’ll need to see more of that.”

Another positive draw from the loss was Binghamton’s success inside. The Bearcats outscored Radford 22-20 in the paint, a point of emphasis for the Bearcats in this past week’s practices.

“We have good post players, we’re just not utilizing them,” Madray said. “That was really a focus throughout this week. Coach was telling us to push it in the paint and whenever they didn’t, Coach would get on them.”

BU also out-rebounded the Highlanders, 37-36.

“We’ve been outscored by a pretty drastic amount in the paint, we’ve been getting outrebounded,” Dempsey said. “Those were two things that were really the focus of the game, to establish ourselves inside and rebound the ball. We did those things, we just didn’t win the game.”

Sophomore guard Jordan Reed couldn’t find a rhythm in the contest, only making 4-of-15 shots from the field and 8-of-15 from the foul line. While he finished with a team-high 16 points, he also committed three turnovers.

Madray finished 5 of 6 from the field for 13 points.

Radford was led by sophomore forward Javonte Green, who scored a game-high 17 points, including an 11-for-13 mark from the charity stripe.

The Bearcats will try and build off today’s performance on Nov. 26 when they’re set to face Saint Peter’s. The Peacocks (1-3) earned their first win of the season on Saturday after slipping by Fairleigh Dickson, 67-63.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Yanitelli Center.

But the Bearcats (0-3) aren’t looking for silver linings — they’re looking for results.

“Overall, I thought we played much better than our last two performances, but this team isn’t about moral victories right now,”  Binghamton head coach Nicole Scholl said.

After an 18-point season-opening setback to Buffalo and a 41-point thrashing at Bucknell, the largest margin of defeat in Binghamton’s 13-year NCAA Division I era, the Bearcats took to the Events Center hardwood against Canisius (3-1) looking to avoid putting themselves in yet another early hole.

For the first seven minutes of play, BU executed, trading baskets with the Golden Griffins on its way to a 9-9 tie.

But from there, a 3-ball from junior guard Kayla Hoohuli sparked a 9-2 run over the next 3:26 for Canisius, and the Bearcats would spend the remainder of the contest clawing back in vain.

“Basketball is a game of runs. And if they go on a run, we have to respond with a run of our own,” sophomore forward Sherae Swinson said. “I think we have to work on that.”

Sophomore guard Kim Albrecht knocked in the back-end of a shooting foul to bring the Bearcats to within 19-17 with 5:34 left in the first half, but three turnovers and a couple of missed layups by BU in the closing minutes allowed Canisius to establish a 29-23 lead heading into the break.

In the second half, the Bearcats hung around but were never able to trim the Golden Griffin’s lead to less than eight points.

“I don’t think our offense is our problem right now,” senior guard Stephanie Jensen said. “Like Sherae said, it’s just a matter of responding better when teams have runs on us. Because we do have runs, but I don’t think we utilize what we have well enough right now on the floor.”

Binghamton has had trouble taking advantage of its two bigs, sophomore forward Morgan Murphy and Swinson. Coming into the season, BU adopted an inside-out mindset, looking to feed its two forwards to create easy opportunities inside, and, if not, drawing defenders off its outside shooters.

But the Bearcats simply haven’t gotten the job done down low.

Murphy, who finished with nine points, is averaging just six points per game through Binghamton’s first three contests, and Jensen believes the team isn’t doing enough to get the most out of the 5-foot-10 forward.

“It definitely didn’t go inside as much as it should have. Morgan should have had the ball way more and Sherae, too,” Jensen said. “We draw up plays and we go in and we don’t do it. We have to be better at just following our game plan and recognize that Morgan could kill it in there if she wanted to. She could have 20 points in the paint every single game but we don’t do a good enough job of giving her the ball at the right time.”

Swinson, who leads the Bearcats with 47 shot attempts this season, is getting plenty of opportunities with the ball, but has to remain aggressive for the Bearcats’ new offensive strategy to be effective.

With 10:50 remaining in regulation, Swinson hesitated on a wide-open 10-footer, surprised by how open she was, and instead of going straight up with a shot, put the ball on the floor as she looked to dish it. After quickly realizing she was the best option, Swinson opted to shoot, but it was already to late — a hand in her face altered her shot, forcing an air ball.

But only seven minutes later, with 3:28 to go, Swinson flashed an elusive dribble cut to the basket and converted on a layup to bring BU to within 11. BU’s apprehension and hesitation with shot selection have inhibited its ability to cut into large deficits this season, according to Scholl, and being more aggressive from close distance will be crucial in the team’s turning things around.

“I think a handful of them are thinking there is a better shot when they should be the one taking the shot,” Scholl said. “The one thing I give them credit for is that they are a very unselfish team and right now, at this point in time, I wish they would be a little more selfish when it came to shot selection and that’s something that we’re continuing to work on with them.”

Sophomore guard Tiahana Mills and sophomore forward Crystal Porter, Canisius’ fourth and fifth scoring options, respectively, each finished with career-high point totals. Mills posted 15 points to go along with five rebounds, while Porter netted 14 points.

Junior guard Kayla Hoohuli, who averaged seven points in the Golden Griffins’ first three games, delivered a season-best 17 points, including a 4-of-5 performance on 3-pointers.

“In our first two games, [senior guard] Jen Morabito made a boatload of threes and [senior forward] Jamie Ruttle was scoring the basketball really well. So they drew a lot of attention,” Canisius head coach Terry Zeh said. “I thought it was nice to see Crystal Porter step up and Kayla [Hoohuli] step up and knock down some points. And obviously Tiahana [Mills] had a huge game for us.”

For the Bearcats, Swinson tied a game-high with 17 points, and senior guard Vaneeshia Paulk chipped in with 11.

On Saturday, Binghamton is scheduled to travel to Lewiston, N.Y. for a matchup with Niagara. The Purple Eagles (0-3) have lost each of their games by double-digits this season.

“Niagara is very similar to [Canisius],” Scholl said. “They’re going to be putting up a lot of shots. So defensively, we’re going to have to be prepared. But coming into somebody else’s gym, we’re going to have to be ready to go and be willing to take shots, try and get the ball inside but play that inside-outside game.”

Tipoff at the Gallagher Center is set for 2 p.m.

Simms, a sophomore forward, beat a couple of Binghamton defenders on the dribble and found the left post from 20 yards out for his seventh goal of the season.

“It was a world-class goal,” BU head coach Paul Marco said. “Now if your season is going to end … could we have done something about it before we got to the position to shoot? Sure. Could [sophomore goalkeeper] Stefano [Frantellizzi] maybe have seen it before he went past him? Sure. It was in traffic, and he shot between players and those things happen.”

BU freshman forward Alex Varkatzas nearly netted a game-winner in the closing seconds of regulation, but Hartford freshman goalkeeper David MacKinnon got in front of the ball to end the threat.

The Bearcats (3-11-5) had another chance to extend their season in the first minute of overtime, but junior midfielder Ben Nicholson’s shot on goal was stopped by MacKinnon.

Hartford (13-3-3) outshot Binghamton, 20-11, and held the advantage in corner kicks, 5-1.

“I thought we came out and played extremely well,” Marco said. “There wasn’t really a part of the match where I thought, ‘I wish we could just a little more here or there.’ Other than, in front of goal, I thought maybe we could have been a little bit better. We created good opportunities to score some goals, but we didn’t get one. From the energy and effort that the team put into the match, it was first class.”

With the season-ending loss, senior back Robbie Hughes’ and senior forward Marts Reid-Warden’s careers in the green and white are now over. Both players transferred to Binghamton and started the past two seasons.

“They’re guys who have helped us become who we are,” Marco said. “And with the two guys who are graduating, I feel kind of incomplete. I wish we had them for another year. They transferred in. I’d like to see what they could have been another year, which would have been their senior year with me. But I’m very proud of who they’ve become, and they’re certainly ready to go take the world on. Where they are in five years from now is still to be determined. But they’ll be on top wherever they are.”

The Bearcats were plagued with injuries all season long. Sophomore midfielder Danny Carrillo, freshman back/midfielder Charlie Novoth, junior forward Pascal Trappe, junior back Jamie Forbes and senior midfielder Tommy Moon all sustained significant injuries in 2013.

“I think this has certainly been one of the years — probably the most injuries, certainly to a starting team that I’ve incurred in my 20 [plus] years in college athletics,” Marco said. “I think that the challenge that was presented to the team, but I don’t think they ever really saw it as a challenge. They saw it more as an opportunity.”

Binghamton is set to return all but the two graduating seniors as it looks to make another playoff run in 2014.

This story was updated on Nov. 12 at 1:22 a.m.

“I think we had a tough first half and we didn’t come out playing as aggressive as I would have liked to and weren’t knocking shots down,” head coach Nicole Scholl said. “I think this is definitely a team that we can play with and we should have played with and we just didn’t produce the result we were hoping for tonight.

The Bearcats (0-1) tried to implement their new half court strategy, looking to feed the ball to their scorers, junior Sherae Swinson and sophomore Morgan Murphy, early and often.

Buffalo (1-0), however, planned perfectly for BU’s bigs, utilizing a matchup zone defense to clamp down on the forwards whenever they got the ball down low.

“They were crowding us in the paint,” Swinson said.

“It’s a good zone, it’s a tough zone,” Scholl said. “Really for Sherae and Morgan, we need them to go. As our primary post players on the inside, they weren’t being aggressive right away in the first half. But Morgan’s still young and we’re asking a lot from her. And I’m challenging Sherae to be more aggressive and to be more of that go-to person that I think she can be.”

After Buffalo’s 9-0 to start the game, BU got to within 12-6 before the Bulls broke down Binghamton’s defense over the next five minutes, scoring 11 consecutive points to build a 23-6 lead.

Mackenzie Loesing, who scored a game-high 16 points, and Margeaux Gupilan, who finished with 15, combined for 17 first-half points to lead Buffalo into the break up 36-19

After Buffalo extended its lead to 42-21 two minutes into the second, Binghamton began to show some signs of life. The Bearcats pulled to within 15 with 8:04 left on a jumper by sophomore guard Kadance Newry. But the Bulls proceeded to go on a 12-2 run over the next 3:51 to put the game on ice.

“We just have to practice harder and come out aggressive in games,” Swinson said. “Because we can see that we played well in the second half but just the way we start games will depend on if we get a win or not.”

Swinson posted a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 12 boards, while Murphy and sophomore Kim Albrecht each added seven points. Freshman forward Kristin Ross contributed nine points in her collegiate debut.

The Bearcats, who lost their first eight games last season, are hoping to turn things around quickly. The key, according to Scholl, is defense.

“I think just for us, consistency of our defense and coming out strong with that,” she said. “Because we say it time and time again, if your offense isn’t falling, you can always rely on your defense and we didn’t do that in the first half.”

BU will get its chance to even its record when it travels to Lewisberg, Pa. on Nov. 14 to play Bucknell.

Tipoff at Sojka Pavilion is set for 7 p.m.

Who said the transition to Division I wouldn’t be easy?

The River Hawks are set to begin their first season in college basketball’s top tier, after reaching the NCAA Division II tournament in four of the past five seasons. Last year, the team went 15-13 and sunk to eighth place in the Northeast-10 Conference.

Albany head coach Will Brown, who was with his program in its Division I infancy, said progress occurs slowly for a transitioning team.

“If I had to tell Pat Duquette anything, I would tell him that it’s a journey,” Brown said. “It’s a marathon. It’s not a sprint. Until he gets his players in there — and it’s going to take a while because it’s going to be hard to get kids until you’re getting closer to being eligible to play in the conference tournament and then the NCAA tournament — I would tell him to roll up his sleeves and go to work.”

Obstacles and challenges aside, making the leap to Division I with a new head coach at the helm seems appropriate. For Duquette, the chance to build something from scratch the way he sees fit couldn’t be a more enticing situation.

“I think it’s a perfect opportunity for a first-year head coach to come into a situation where you can really build it from the ground up,” Brown said.

Duquette lost one of his key building blocks this offseason, however, to a torn ACL. Freshman guard Jahad Thomas, who Duquette said would run his offense, will miss all of 2013-14.

Senior forward Antonio Bivins also suffered an ACL injury during the summer and won’t suit up for year one of the Duquette era. At 6-foot-5, Bivins was one of UML’s most imposing players a year ago, averaging 15.5 points and 7.4 rebounds, while starting all 28 games.

Both players will redshirt this season and have an extra year of eligibility.

“It obviously slows us down in the short term,” Duquette said. “But they’ll be back.”

With the injuries, UMass Lowell will be even more reliant upon senior Akeem Williams. The 5-foot-10 guard led the Northeast-10 with 19.9 points per game last season and earned first-team all-conference honors. Still, while Williams is the clear focal point of the River Hawks’ attack, Duquette remains adamant about not putting too much pressure on his leading scorer.

“We’re going to rely heavily on Akeem. He’s got more experience and talent than most guys on our team,” Duquette said. “But at the same time, I don’t want him feeling like he’s got to do more than he’s capable of because then he’s not going to play to his potential. So he’s got to find a balance between being aggressive and taking on a lot of responsibility, but also sharing and using his teammates.”

One of those teammates is junior guard Chad Holley. Only Bivins and Holley started all 28 games for UMass Lowell in 2012-13, and Holley also posted 11.2 points and 3.2 assists per game. He’s shown he’s capable of the 25-point nights he had in the River Hawks’ 82-65 win over Le Moyne the first round of the Northeast-10 Conference tournament.

“[Holley’s] role definitely increases this year,” Duquette said, “especially with the injuries.”

Even with the few bright spots, it’s no surprise that America East coaches picked the River Hawks to finish last in the preseason poll.

“Realistically, that’s where we expected to be picked,” Duquette said. “When you’re picked that low and other peoples’ expectations are that low, it’s a lot of fun trying to prove them wrong.”

While the 16 America East games the River Hawks are scheduled for this season will allow them plenty of opportunities for upsets, the NCAA requires programs to complete four seasons of Division I basketball before earning postseason eligibility.

While the wait isn’t necessarily a positive, it gives Duquette and his team plenty of time to establish a brand.

“Most importantly, we’re working hard at instilling our own culture into this program, developing a work ethic and defining a style of play that’s going to make up UMass Lowell,” Duquette said. “I think that by doing that, we’re preparing our current players to be as competitive as we can in the short term. But we’re also laying the foundation for our future success at the same time. We’re doing both.”

Nine players — including the top three scorers and all five starters — from that 21-win team a season ago will suit up again in 2013-14 for third-year head coach John Becker. The loss to the Great Danes cast a giant shadow over the team’s offseason, but Becker and his team only think of it now in ways that will help them earn a championship this year.

“We really haven’t talked much about [the loss] since we’ve all gotten back, since we started practice basically, but I definitely see a sense of urgency with the guys, especially our six seniors,” Becker said. “We’ve put that behind us, but definitely in the way the guys are carrying themselves and working, I can see it’s not forgotten.”

So while most teams will work hard during the offseason to replace their lost talent, the Catamounts already have their identity. The cohesion and meshing are already there. The groundwork for a championship has been laid.

”I know whenever a team has that many seniors that have won that many games that that’s a proven veteran team,” Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell said. “They’re well-coached. They’re a winning culture and a winning program. They win as a team. It’s not just one player, and I think that’s what makes them so hard to play against. They’ve got a lot of good players that can beat you on any given night.”

On paper, the Catamounts’ individual numbers don’t jump out at you. Seniors Clancy Rugg (11.4 ppg), Luke Apfeld (10.7 ppg) and Sandro Carissimo (10 ppg) were the only players who averaged more than 10 points per game last season. Only senior Brian Voelkel (4.9 apg) and Carissimo (2.3 apg) averaged more than an assist per game, and as a team, the Catamounts shot at relatively ordinary percentages (43.7 percent from the field, 70.9 percent from the foul line, 32.2 percent from 3-point).

But it’s the intangibles that have the Catamounts atop the coaches’ preseason poll. Their roster is filled with grind-it-out players who hustle for all 40 minutes.

“I think without question, I don’t know how anybody doesn’t put Vermont No. 1,” Albany head coach Will Brown said.

Vermont has been in this position before — they were tabbed to finish first in the preseason poll last season as well, only to earn the one-seed in the conference tournament and fall to the fourth-seeded Great Danes in the finals.

“We were picked to win it last year, and I think the guys understand that it’s certainly an honor to be picked among your peers as the preseason favorite, but it really doesn’t mean anything,” Becker said. “I don’t know if we’re clearly the best team. I think Stony Brook and Albany and Hartford are pretty good, too.”

If it wants to live up to being the preseason favorite, Vermont will need to continue working on its offense this season. But the Catamounts’ established bread and butter are defense and rebounding.

Becker’s team held opponents to just 59.2 points per game last season, which was good for 28th in the nation. They also ranked second in the conference in both defensive rebounding and rebounding margin.

“Defense and rebounding continues to the core of what we do here,” Becker said. “And hopefully offensively we can be a little bit more dynamic and score the ball better this year. We were pretty bad last year offensively, and that’s something we have to get better at, and I think we will. But day in and day out, it’s defense and rebounding that we preach in practice and that will continue to carry us through the season.”

Perhaps the complete encapsulation of Vermont’s style of play can be seen in Voelkel. The 6-foot-6 forward, who started all 33 games last season, averaged just six points per contest, but was named to the America East all-conference first team for his significant contributions elsewhere.

Voelkel finished the year ranked second in the conference in rebounding (8.6 rpg), assists (4.9 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (2.2). In a Feb. 20 matchup against Maine, his 13-rebound, 10-assist performance marked the first time since the 1996-97 season that a Division I player took one or fewer shots and had double-digit assists and rebounds in a game.

“Brian isn’t necessarily a flashy player,” Becker said. “But he’s definitely at the heart of this team and such a large part of what we do here.”

But Voelkel isn’t the only player on Vermont’s roster who is always ready to get his hands dirty. While Rugg may end up being Vermont’s premier player offensively, he’s another all-around player who fills up the stat sheet game in and game out and whose hustle has earned him praise from across the America East.

Count New Hampshire head coach Bill Herrion as one of Rugg’s biggest fans. Herrion said he has followed Rugg since the former walk-on’s high school days, as he recruited Rugg’s teammate.

“I remember seeing Clancy when he was a young kid, and he was really, really skinny, really weak, when he was a high school kid,” Herrion said. “So he kind of flew under the radar screen from a recruiting standpoint, but then he went to Vermont as a walk-on, and now, four, five, six years later, I’ve seen how far this kid has come as a player. I just think he’s a really, really good basketball player.”

Voelkel and Rugg will lead Vermont into one of the most challenging non-conference schedules of any team in the America East. The 14-game slate kicks off against Saint Joseph’s and also features the likes of Providence, Duke, Illinois State and Harvard.

Becker hopes to use the challenging schedule leading up to conference play as a means to see “where [they] are as a team, and what [they] need to get better at.” If the Catamounts learned anything from last season, it’s that preseason rankings, the non-conference schedule and even America East play only matter if they’re playing their best basketball when it counts most.

“Everyone understands that it’s going to be a process, the non-conference schedule,” Becker said. “We can’t really get too high or too low and worry as much about the wins and losses but just get better as a team and really understand what we are and what we need to get better at, so that as we go into league play, we’re playing better. And hopefully by the end of league play, we’re playing our best basketball and poised to do what we weren’t able to do last year.”

But the Binghamton women’s basketball team isn’t approaching 2013-14 as if it’s in the middle of a transition phase.

The Bearcats have a new one-two punch in their backcourt. They’ve got a pair of all-conference returnees down low. And they’ve got support off the bench that is capable of providing a spark.

They just have to get off on the right foot.

“I think the big thing for this team is how well we start this year,” head coach Nicole Scholl said. “Obviously, with only winning six games last year, we got off to a very slow start. I think that type of mentality needs to change for this group.”

The Bearcats lost their first eight games last year and that was back when they still had their energizer bunny, Jasbriell Swain. But Swain transferred after the end of last season, leaving a giant void on Binghamton’s roster and forcing players to adjust to larger roles.

“I think everyone who’s out on the floor this year is going to have to take charge and replace some of those points,” Scholl said. “Right now on the inside, [sophomore forward] Morgan Murphy and [junior forward] Sherae Swinson have been looking very good, and I think will help balance some of that out. And with our experienced players like [senior guard] Stephanie Jensen and [senior guard] Vaneeshia Paulk out on the perimeter, I think they’re going to help some of that load as well.”

Jensen, who has traditionally played the two-guard but is being called upon to co-run the point in 2013-14, shared similar thoughts on how each player on the roster will have to step up to make up for the loss of Swain.

“Jas was a huge piece for us offensively and defensively,” Jensen said. “But we return our leading scorer in Sherae Swinson, so I think [Swain] can be replaced. We’ve got some good players off the bench who are ready to step up and take some responsibility this year.”

Jensen, who led BU with 37 3-pointers, and Paulk, who reached double figures in scoring six times, will replace Swain in coordinating the offense as the tandem is set to lead Binghamton down the floor.

While Jensen is a shooter and Paulk is a penetrator, Scholl hopes the two different styles of play will keep defenses on their toes.

“Paulk is push with dribble first where Jensen is push with the pass first,” Scholl said. “So I think that combination, if we can get that working for us, I think it’ll definitely help us getting the ball up the floor. It’s nice thing to have … two primary ball handlers on the floor and they were named our captains this year, too, so obviously providing a lot of leadership for us also.”

With conflicting styles of play, it’ll take some time before the duo operates fluidly together, but Jensen is confident that “the more [they] play together… it’s going to show on the floor.”

“We’re two different players,” Paulk said. “If I penetrate and drive, she should be looking to me for a kick. If she’s on point, she can kick out to me and I can attack.”

Sophomores Kim Albrecht and Kandace Newry, both of who have experience as starters for BU, figure to see increased roles in the backcourt and will serve as reliable options off the bench.

And while Jensen and Paulk will try to tire their opponents by running the ball in transition, in the half-court, the Bearcats will default to their formidable weapons up front, Morgan Murphy and Sherae Swinson.

Swinson took on a new role last season as the focal point of the offense. The 6-foot forward led Binghamton with 9.9 points per game and reached double figures in scoring a team-high 15 times. Despite her inexperience in the role, Swinson is once again ready to be the first option offensively for BU this year.

“I’ve never been in this position as a basketball player so it’s very new to me, to be the go-to player,” Swinson said. “But I’m accepting the role and since my coaches and teammates have a lot of confidence in me, I’m sure I can do it.”

Murphy, meanwhile, averaged seven points per game in 2012-13 and was named to the America East all-rookie team. The 5-foot-10 forward led BU in points five times and rebounding four times.

“I think Morgan’s potential is unlimited,” Scholl said. “For her, it’s just a matter of continuing to improve every year. She works extremely hard both on and off the floor as far as in the classroom and on the floor. I think from this year, you’ll see a little more inside-out play because we can capitalize on a little bit of both of that.”

With Kara Elofson and Simone Thomas having graduated last year, seniors Julia Barac and Kyra Aloizos and sophomore Jessa Molina will be trusted sources of experience. Freshman Kristin Ross, who earned all-state honors, will also help in replacing the graduates.

Binghamton was picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll, but Jensen spoke for the team when she said, “I think all of us agree on the fact that we should have been higher … It’s definitely a motivator for us.”

“I think this year, as far as the conference goes,” Scholl said, “obviously Albany and Hartford are always two very strong programs, but I think you kind of look down the line with who people graduated last year and I think there’s going to be a lot of parity this year in the conference.”

The Bearcats only managed a single non-conference victory last season and had only two wins at home. With opening tipoff against Buffalo set for Friday night at the Events Center, Binghamton has an opportunity to start 2013-14 on a much different note.

“[Dempsey] texted me as soon as I committed, I’m going to have to come in here with a senior mindset,” Beck said. “Coming in as a freshman, even though I have a big role, it’s not something that every freshman gets to do. So coming off that, I’m just looking forward to playing and not proving them wrong.”

Beck, who averaged 12.3 points and seven assists last year to lead Maret School to its first-ever conference title, will share the responsibility of running the offense this season with Yosef Yacob. While Yacob is a versatile and composed option, Beck — with his speed, energy and leadership — will push the ball and force a fast tempo.

“We’re both fast, we look to get the ball up the court, we look to find others,” Beck said of himself and Yacob.

Redshirt junior guard Rob Mansell compared his team to the Philadelphia Eagles, citing both teams’ tendency to push the tempo as the common denominator.

And if Mansell had to compare one of his teammates to Michael Vick, one comes to mind.

“I’ll probably say Marlon,” he said. “He’s our fastest guy. He’s in control of the ball most of the time. I hope he doesn’t get hurt like Vick does, but he’s definitely our fast quarterback.”

Freshman forward Magnus Richards, who met Beck three years ago when they first suited up as AAU teammates, said the floor general has always shown leadership qualities.

“He’s a very vocal person, so I definitely think that plays into it,” Richards said. “For as long as I’ve been playing with him, he’s been a very good leader. He’s always in the huddles.”

With six freshmen donning the green and white, growing pains are expected throughout the season, especially in the early going. Dempsey admits that “teams that count on a lot of freshmen tend to struggle,” but is confident in his own team’s potential.

“I think it’s going to be hard with the amount of youth we have,” Dempsey said. “The fab five spoiled it for everybody I guess when they proved how good you could be with freshmen … We’re going to have to fight through that and hopefully develop these guys’ confidence along the way and get better as we go.”

While everyone expects the Bearcats’ youth and inexperience to keep them at a distance as a non-threat for at least a couple of more seasons, Beck sees this as an opportunity.

“We want to use that as our advantage,” he said. “Even though we have a lot of freshmen, we think a lot of teams are going to come into conference thinking, ‘Oh, we can get after them, they’re young.’ But no, we have the mindset where we can get after them.”

The meeting marked the first between fans and athletes, but the T-shirts exchanged promised it wouldn’t be the last. “Tradition starts now” served as the night’s motto, and the group followed up with promises of mixers and more pizza.

“This is the first time we met, hopefully the next time will be better,” said Brenda Gorelik, the Zoo secretary and a junior majoring in financial economics. “This is just the beginning.”

The idea for the meeting came together after a season of merged efforts between the Zoo and another student group, the Hooligans. While the Zoo has traditionally stuck to basketball games, the group collaborated with the Hooligans this season to bolster the support and excitement at soccer games.

The Zoo’s establishment at Binghamton University and the Hooligans’ experience in the stands has created a unique relationship. Ben Sachs, Zoo co-president and a sophomore majoring in accounting, can be held responsible for it.

“The Hooligans, through [my suitemate], met with me and we established a relationship where the Zoo right now has the SA charter and the budget and a lot of recognition with the school … and the Hooligans have all the experience,” he said. “So we figured both were able to help each other in different ways.”

“I see this being something special, with the Zoo and the Hooligans trying to form more than an alliance,” Binghamton men’s soccer head coach Paul Marco said. “We just need one group. And I’d like to see [our student-fan population] get to 800 strong again.”

Despite the meeting being the first of its kind, jersey numbers were connected with faces and names with voices in a seamless manner.

“It’s nice to meet the people that we cheer for,” Gorelik said. “So now we know next time to look out for them.”

“And we can look out for you!” freshman goalkeeper Robert Moewes added.

It’ll be a change, adding a new connection that transcends simply cheering for names read off the roster.

“One of the things that I wanted to do was be able to have the soccer players, who are athletes and completely lead a different life from the students, meet the students who are cheering for them,” he said. “To establish that relationship where you actually feel that emotional connection for the players that you’re cheering for … Whether it’s on the field or in school, we’re all there to support each other. And that’s what the Zoo’s all about, is unity overall.”

In a season riddled with injuries and hard-fought losses, the team’s spirit has never faltered. According to senior back Robbie Hughes, the 12th man has been as big as anything for the Bearcats in 2013.

“We absolutely love the BU Zoo and the Hooligans, and the collaboration of both groups has been amazing this year,” Hughes said. “Especially in the overtime fixtures, when they start making a lot of noise, they give you your legs back.”

Both groups were eager to go beyond the formalities of exchanging T-shirts and thank-yous, forging relationships deeper than fan and player.

“It’s nice because now they’re not just our fans in the stands, they’re kind of like our friends and it’s always nice to see a friendly face in the crowd to help your nerves, and it helps you play better,” Hughes said.

And the Zoo and Hooligans derived their own benefit as well, able to engage the players about what works and what doesn’t.

“We were able to ask them which cheers they like the most, which is good for us for future references,” Gorelik said.

With the meeting wrapping to a close and all the attendees bearing T-shirts as tokens of their night, the Bearcats, both the athletes and the students, looked to the future: Would they eat pizza, Moe’s Southwest Grill or Chipotle during their next meeting?

Despite losing to Vermont, 2-1, in double overtime Sunday afternoon at the Bearcats Sports Complex, Binghamton used a comeback win by UMBC over New Hampshire to snatch the sixth seed and final berth to the America East tournament.

While the Bearcats (8-7-2, 3-4-1 America East) entered Senior Day needing a win, tie or New Hampshire loss to clinch a playoff spot, the Catamounts (6-8-3, 3-3-2 AE) couldn’t settle for anything less than a victory to extend their season.

With just 2:35 left in the second overtime, Vermont’s prayers were answered when freshman midfielder Caitie Green launched a shot from outside the box that got past Binghamton senior keeper Stephanie Speirs and bounced toward the far post. Vermont freshman forward Nikki McFarland got to the deflection first and put the waist-high loose ball into the back of the net to propel the Catamounts into the postseason.

“We knew going into overtime that we had already clinched,” BU head coach Sarah McClellan said. “Obviously, we’re really excited to be in the playoffs. That’s where we wanted to be. That was the goal. But I think the whole team is pretty irritated about that last play and having outplayed a team and outshot them. We know we can still do better and, thankfully, we have the playoffs to do that now.”

With their backs against the wall, the Catamounts struck first. In the 14th minute, junior forward Bre Pletnick took a feed into the middle, spun and chipped the ball from 20 yards out, floating it into the top left portion of the goal.

The Bearcats nearly retaliated with 11 minutes left in the first half when junior back Connie Gormley secured a rebound off a corner kick and fired a shot that rang off the crossbar.

But Binghamton wouldn’t head into the locker room empty-handed as a couple of underclassmen paired up just four minutes later to put BU on the board. Sophomore back Genevieve Crescenzo drew two defenders on the right side before dishing the ball to freshman forward Michele Galvin from eight yards out. Galvin found the far corner of the net for her third goal of the season.

Both teams were held scoreless in the second half and first overtime before Vermont delivered the game-winner with fewer than three minutes left in the second overtime.

“We’ve got [Vermont] over there celebrating that they’re in the playoffs, and our players are crying,” McClellan said. “And we’re in the playoffs, but our team is pretty unhappy about losing. And I think that’s going to provide a lot of motivation and grit to make a statement in playoffs.”

BU doubled up on Vermont in shots, 16-8, and also held an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks.

In net, junior Gaby Gold started and finished the first half. Senior Carrie Martin played the first 22 minutes of the second half, and Speirs replaced Martin and finished the game.

In their final home game, seniors Liz Cusato, Emma Kurth, Carrie Martin, Kaitlyn Martin, Stephanie Speirs and Sophie Sylla were honored before the opening whistle.

On Thursday, the Bearcats will head to Orono to battle third-seeded Maine in a quarterfinal matchup.

While a win in their season finale would have given the Bearcats some added confidence heading into the playoffs, a loss, according to McClellan, will light a similar fire.

“I think you’re going to see a lot more urgency from our team,” McClellan said. “We’ve been wanting to be in a playoff game and saving a little bit for playoffs, so I think you’re going to see a lot of work rate out there, a lot of heart. And I feel very good about our team playing any team in the conference headed into playoffs.”

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Alumni Field.

“I thought it was a pretty even match. Fair to get a draw in the game,” BU head coach Paul Marco said. “It was a match where both teams got after each other. Both teams were relentlessly attacking, so that increased the defending side of it.”

While Hartford (8-3-3, 1-2-1 America East) held a 20-8 shot advantage in the contest, Marco said the Bearcats (3-7-4, 1-1-2 AE) had more real chances to score than the River Hawks.

“We were disappointed that we didn’t get three points,” Marco said. “I think that we had moments where we could have won the game. There were only a couple of moments in the game when I felt like, ‘Boy, we were fortunate there that we didn’t concede a goal.’ And I think that there were three or four moments for them where they thought that. I think that maybe we had one or two more dangerous attacks than they did, and they had some shots from a distance and some that were never near the target.”

Each team fired three shots on goal.

The Bearcats had a few chances to put themselves in front of the River Hawks, but just weren’t getting the right bounces and calls. In the 17th minute, junior forward Steven Celeste was knocked down by the last defender between him and the net. While the defender only received a yellow card, Marco said he thought that the call could have easily been a sterner one.

“There were a couple of moments where I think a couple of things could have gone our way a little bit more,” Marco said. “One of them, early in the game, Celeste is taken down by the last defender, and he’s only shown a yellow card. Could have given him a red, and no one would’ve been able to complain about it because he was the last guy.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Stefano Frantellizzi notched his fifth solo shutout of the season after stopping three Hartford shots.

“Stef had to make a few saves, he made those,” Marco said. “He made some good decisions in the game as well. And the defense has minimized good scoring opportunities. I thought our guys in one versus one defending were very good.”

Binghamton now sits in fourth place in the conference standings. With the loss, Hartford falls to fifth.

Up next for the Bearcats is a non-conference matchup with Columbia Wednesday night.

While the matchup with Columbia can’t impact BU’s playoff chances, Marco said it will be a good opportunity to see non-regulars play.

“We’ll put a team out there that we expect to perform at the level we believe our University should be represented at,” Marco said. “Now, will I play the team that’s going to play on Saturday [against UMBC] for spells of the game? No, I won’t be that foolish. I need to make sure that our team is fresh for Saturday … It’s an opportunity to see a couple of other players as we go down the stretch for these last three [conference] games.”

Kickoff against Columbia is set for 7 p.m. at Columbia Soccer Stadium.

The Hawks (9-4-3, 4-2 AE) scored both of their goals in the opening 19 minutes of play, and scattered rain put a damper on the Bearcats’ come-from-behind efforts.

“I think being down was a little bit frustrating for us because we were playing better than that,” head coach Sarah McClellan said. “So I don’t think the score really reflected the tight game that it was.”

Six minutes into the game, sophomore forward Elise Galipo converted on a long shot to give Hartford its first goal. Galipo launched a ball from the left flank outside the box to the far post to put BU in an early hole.

The Hawks would strike again just over 12 minutes later when America East scoring leader Chanel Johnson recorded her seventh goal of the season. From 30 yards out, Johnson launched a ball goalward that bounced once before evading BU senior keeper Carrie Martin and finding the back of the net.

With the rain picking up, neither team was able to score during the remaining 71:26, and the game slipped away from the Bearcats.

“It was rainy for both teams,” McClellan said. “I thought we had some good chances and were just missing that last piece. Sometimes games are up and down that way.”

BU had trouble creating offensive opportunities against the swarming Hawks defense, but had a chance to score with 12:21 left in the first half. Freshman forward Michele Galvin one-timed a cross from the right side, but Hartford freshman goalie Jessica Jurg made the save.

Midway through the second half, Binghamton saw its best opportunity to get on the board. Sophomore forward Samantha Crane created some space on the right side and dribbled toward the box to set up sophomore forward and BU leading scorer Stephani Church. While the pass was on point, Church couldn’t get a good foot on the ball and sent it directly into Jurg’s outstretched arms.

Hartford outshot Binghamton, 13-11.

“I think [Hartford] was just really aggressive in finishing its chances,” McClellan said. “Credit to them. But I thought we hung in there and kept pressing the whole game. And that’s all you can ask for. And sometimes you don’t get the result you want, but we’ve got three more conference games so there’s still lots of chances out there to get some points.”

In net, junior Gaby Gold relieved Martin in the 37th minute and made two saves as she finished the game for Binghamton.

Next up for BU is a Sunday match at home against Stony Brook. The Seawolves (8-5-1, 3-2-0 AE), who now sit in BU’s vacated fifth-place slot, are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to conference-rival UMBC, who currently leads the conference with a 4-1 record.

“Sometimes a loss can get under our skin a little bit for the next game and get us a little bit more motivated, a little bit more urgent and I think that’s what we’ll have to be on Sunday because it’s a tough Stony Brook team,” McClellan said. “But we’ll be ready.”

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at the Bearcats Sports Complex.