Dec. 7, 2003
Box Score
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Senior guard Justin DeBerry scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds as Lafayette (5-1) won its fifth straight game, 77-72, over Binghamton (3-4) on Sunday in Kirby Sports Center.
At 5-1, the Leopards are off to their best start since 1998-99, when Lafayette opened 6-1 with the lone loss coming at No. 15 Purdue.
Lafayette tried to pull away from the Bearcats on Sunday, but was not able to deliver the knockout blow until two minutes remained in the contest.
The Leopards built a short-lived eight-point lead midway through the first half. Leading 18-17, Jamie Hughes came up with a block and scored off a DeBerry assist at the other end, while DeBerry capped the run with a fast-break layup and three-pointer at the 8:15 mark.
Binghamton answered with a 7-0 run of its own, keyed by four points and a blocked shot by junior center Nick Billings, to trim the Leopard lead to 25-24 with 6:53 left in the half. The score was knotted at 34 as the teams hit the locker room.
The Bearcats built a 45-40 lead early in the second half, but Lafayette put together a 14-4 run to go up 54-49 with 10:38 left. Another 7-0 Binghamton spurt, however, put the Bearcats back up, 56-54, at the 9:43 mark. Still trailing by two moments later, the Leopards regained the lead on a basket and free throw by DeBerry and three-pointer by Winston Davis on consecutive possessions.
Lafayette remained in front until a Troy Hailey three-pointer with 3:35 remaining put the Bearcats back up by a point. A pair of Davis free throws 13 seconds later swung the lead back to Lafayette, 66-65.
A three-possession sequence with two minutes left finally secured the win for the Leopards. Leading by one, DeBerry nailed a three to push the lead to 69-65. At the other end, Davis blocked a shot in the lane and DeBerry gathered the loose ball and called timeout as he was falling out of bounds. Following the timeout, Sean Knitter buried a triple from the top of the key to put the game away.
DeBerry's 19 points led three Leopards in double figures. Davis chipped in 16 points, while Knitter equaled his career high with 15. Nine different Leopards scored, marking the fourth straight game at least nine players scored for Lafayette.
Billings led four Bearcats in double figures with a career-high 21 points. He also snagged eight rebounds. Hailey made 4-of-7 three-pointers and finished with 14 points, while Alex Adediran and Sebastian Hermenier collected 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Binghamton returns to action on Saturday, visiting defending national champion Syracuse at 7 p.m.
Lafayette is off until Dec. 17, when Lycoming visits Kirby Sports Center at 7 p.m. for the third game of a four-game homestand.
