IT'S BEEN a long time since Binghamton coach Mark Macon has seen his players smiling after a game. In fact, it hadn't happened all season.
Robert Mansell scored 18 points and Binghamton held off visiting Vermont, 57-53, to win its first game of the season last night, snapping a 27-game losing streak and shedding the dubious distinction of being the only winless team in Division I.
"To see the happiness on their faces was uplifting," said Macon, the former Temple All-America.
Binghamton students stormed the floor at the Events Center after a game in which the Bearcats took the lead at 4-2 and never relinquished it, ending the Catamounts' 10-game winning streak.
Ben Dickinson added 16 points and 11 rebounds for Binghamton (1-26, 1-13 America East Conference), which avenged a 73-53 loss to Vermont (19-11, 12-3) on Jan. 12.
"We are going to bask in this game and then we're moving on to get ready for Albany," said Macon, whose team has remaining regular-season games against Albany (N.Y.) tomorrow and at New Hampshire on Sunday.
"It's a great win for these players, who have given so much this year and play hard every night."
Binghamton had not won a game since March 3, a 91-65 win over Maryland-Baltimore County in the first round of the America East Conference Tournament.
"We've been right there the last 2 to 3 weeks . . . we expect to win every game and it could've been anybody tonight," Macon said. "Our guys played to win and played the entire 40 minutes. I have to applaud them."
At Mississippi State, No. 1 Kentucky (27-1, 13-0 Southeastern Conference) took its first lead of the game with 4:11 left on a layup by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and held on for a 73-64 win over the Bulldogs (19-9, 6-7).
* At Missouri, Rodney McGruder scored 24 points and Kansas State (19-8, 8-7 Big 12) posted a 78-68 upset of the No. 3 Tigers (25-3, 12-3), the Wildcats' second win this season over Mizzou.
* At North Carolina State, Kendall Marshall had a career-high 22 points and 13 assists to help No. 7 North Carolina (24-4, 11-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) to an 86-74 win over the Wolfpack (18-10, 7-6).
* At Ohio State, Deshaun Thomas scored 19 points to lead the No. 8 Buckeyes (23-5, 11-4 Big Ten) to an 83-67 win over Illinois (16-12, 5-10).
* At Newark, N.J., Jordan Theodore was 5-for-5 on threes and had a career-high 29 points to carry Seton Hall (19-9, 8-8 Big East) to a 73-55 victory over No. 9 Georgetown (20-6, 10-5).
* At Northwestern, Trey Burke, Zack Novak and Stu Douglass hit three-pointers to start overtime and No. 11 Michigan (21-7, 11-4 Big Ten) went on to a 67-55 victory over Northwestern (16-11, 6-9).
* At Florida, the No. 12 Gators (22-6, 10-3 Southeastern Conference) posted a 63-47 win over Auburn (14-13, 4-9) but lost forward Will Yeguete to a broken left foot.
* At Colorado State, Pierce Hornung scored 13 points and pulled down 15 rebounds as the hosts (17-9, 6-5 Mountain West) knocked off No. 21 New Mexico (22-5, 8-3), 71-63.
* At Virginia Tech, Mike Scott scored 20 points for No. 25 Virginia (21-6, 8-5 ACC) in its 61-59 win over the Hokies (15-13, 4-9).
Temple guard Shey Peddy was named Women's National Player of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. Peddy, a 5-7 senior from Roxbury, Mass., averaged 18.5 points, 7.5 steals and 5.0 rebounds in two games as the Owls' win streak reached 11 games.
