Baltimore – Sophomore guard Dion Brown recorded game-highs of 24 points and nine rebounds, but the host UMBC Retrievers dropped their regular-season finale against the Binghamton Bearcats, 72-71, on Tuesday evening at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena. UMBC will be the No. 7 seed in Saturday's America East Conference quarterfinal when they travel to No. 2 UMass Lowell.
 
Brown, who also blocked a career high four shots, went 10-21 from the floor and posted his 15^th game with 20 or more points this season. He needs just 11 points to become just the fourth Retriever to score 600 points in a single season.
 
Junior guard Marcus Banks Jr. added 19 points and hit a pair of three-pointers to reach 80 on the campaign, the fifth most in program history.
 
UMBC (11-20, 6-10 AE) was ahead for over thirty-five minutes in the contest and led by as many as 14 points with 4:58 remaining in the opening half after Banks made three free throws after he was fouled on a long-range attempt.
 
Binghamton (15-14, 7-9 AE) answered with ten consecutive points to trim the deficit to 34-30 at the 2:48 mark after forward Tymmu Chenery hit a trey to cap the run.
 
The Retrievers built the lead back to 38-30 after graduate student forward Khydarius Smith made a pair of free throws, but the visitors trimmed the deficit to just 40-37 at the break.
 
UMBC opened the second stanza with ten straight points to widen their lead to 50-37 after Brown's layup with 15:34 on the clock.
 
The hosts still held a double-digit lead at 60-50 at the 10:26 mark, however, the Bearcats reeled off seven straight points to inch their way closer with 8:13 remaining.
 
Brown would give UMBC a 64-57 lead after a pair of free throws with 7:44 left to temporarily keep Binghamton at bay but the visitors answered with a 12-5 spurt to knot the score at 69 with four minutes left.
 
The Bearcats would take their first lead of the game, 71-70, with 3:21 left on a pair of free throws by center Tariq Balogun.
 
The Retrievers had several opportunities to get the go-ahead bucket but misfired on all three straight field goal attempts.
 
Gavin Walsh then made one of two from the line with twenty-four ticks left to give the visitors a 72-70 edge.
 
On the final possession of the game, UMBC sophomore forward Regimantas Ciunys drove to the hoop and drew a foul with less than a second left. Ciunys was injured on the play and Binghamton selected graduate student forward Max Lorca-Lloyd to take the two free throws. Lorca-Lloyd swished the first shot but missed the second as the final horn went off.
 
Forward Nehemiah Benson led the Bearcats with 16 points while Chenery and forward Armon Harried added 15 each.