EASTON, Pa. - Lafayette men's basketball concluded the 2024 Lafayette Classic with an 82-81 loss to Binghamton in overtime on Sunday afternoon in Kirby Sports Center. The Leopards finished 2-1 in the inaugural tournament.

Four Leopards recorded double figures in scoring, led by freshman Alex Chaikin with 16. Andrew Phillips and Ryan Pettit netted 14 as Mark Butler rounded out the squad with 12. Tymu Chenery's double-double, 21 points and 11 rebounds, led the Bearcats.

The Maroon and White shot 93 percent from the free throw line, making 27-of-29 attempts, continuing a three-game streak of season highs. Lafayette turned it over just 10 times.

Chenery's seven points pushed the Bearcats out to an initial 15-4 advantage, the largest of the game, at the 12-minute mark. Back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers by Luka Savicevic, Caleb Williams and Pettit in a 12-5 run got the Leopards within four, 20-16 at 8:50.

Two more shots from deep by Williams and classmate Chaikin gave Lafayette the go-ahead three-minutes later, 24-23. Binghamton's Gavin Walsh and Chris Walker combined for 11 points in a 17-9 stretch to retake the lead and close out the first half on top, 40-33.

Senior co-captain Justin Vander Baan commanded the Leopards out of the locker room to close in on Binghamton and trail by two, 44-42, at 16:04. Chaikin knocked down eight points in the following 10 minutes to steal the advantage back, 58-57 (6:01).

Both teams battled back and forth before Lafayette's six-of-six from the charity stripe by Butler and Chaikin brought the Lafayette deficit back to two, 73-71, with one minute left on the clock.

Phillips secured a pair of foul shots at 0:31 to send the game to overtime when the Bearcats ultimately outscored the hosts 9-8.

Vander Baan tallied his fourth block of the contest to halt the Bearcats in the final minute of overtime, 80-79, allowing head coach Mike McGarvey to draw up one last play. Pettit attempted the potential game-winning 3-pointer, which hit the front of the rim. Binghamton's Evan Ashe then sealed the decision with two free throws.  

The Bearcats shot 47.4 percent from the field (compared to 38 percent for the Leopards) and 40.9 percent from long range.

Next up, the Leopards hit the road for Mercyhurst on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.


For the latest on the Lafayette College men's basketball program, follow the Leopards on Twitter @LafayetteMBB and Instagram @lafayettembb.