Binghamton

Dwayne Anderson and Dante Cunningham each scored 25 points, and Villanova rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to beat upset-minded American, 80-67, in the first round of the NCAA tournament last night in Philadelphia. The third-seeded Wildcats (27-7) needed a late 19-2 run to fend off the Patriot League champions. The 14th-seeded Eagles (24-8) sizzled from three-point range early and pushed Villanova to the brink. The loss ended the Eagles' 13-game winning streak. "It wasn't that we took them lightly at all," Villanova coach Jay Wright said.

Chris Kirgan went 2-for-4 and five Baysox doubled yesterday as visiting Bowie beat Binghamton, 6-3, in a Double-A Eastern League game.Jim Foster homered to help the Baysox (64-55) improve starting pitcher Kevin Curtis' record to 4-1 this season.Rehabbing New York Mets pitcher Bill Pulsipher worked one-third of an inning and allowed a hit for Binghamton.Tourists 4, Shorebirds 1: Rod Bair hit a two-run homer and Asheville starter Doug Walls struck out nine to drop host Delmarva (23-25 in second half)

BaseballAngels: Signed IF Aaron Ledesma to one-year contract.Rockies: Agreed to terms with OF John Vander Wal and OF Quinton McCracken on one-year contracts.Rangers: Signed P Joe Hesketh to minor-league contract.Reds: Signed P Brian Warren, P Larry Luebbers, C Rick Sellers and IF-OF Frank Kremblas to Triple-A contracts.Royals: Agreed to terms with P Hipolito Pichardo on two-year contract.CollegeMAAC: Named Loyola G Mike Powell co-men's basketball Player of the Week after he scored a career-high 34 points in Saturday's 72-67 loss to Canisius.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- The most important thing about the Bandits' game with Binghamton last night wasn't that Baltimore won; it was how it won.The Bandits' 8-5 victory over the Southern Division champion Rangers before 4,643 fans at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena had no bearing on the standings, but it sent a message about what the opposition can expect in the playoffs.Baltimore did everything it wanted: play solid defense, get balanced scoring from all three lines, give workhorse goalie Mike O'Neill a rest, and win in a building it might spend some time in during the postseason.

Even Carl Yastrzemski didn't get all the votes for MVP when he won the Triple Crown and led the Boston Red Sox to their highly improbable "Impossible Dream" American League pennant in 1967. Yeah, some joker in the upper Midwest found reason to vote Minnesota's Cesar Tovar onto the top of his list.This gives you some idea of the kind of season Mike O'Neill has turned in for the Bandits as, on ballots submitted by 10 knowledgeable observers, the name of the veteran goaltender was unanimous for club MVP.Not bad for a guy backing a team that started out 1-9-1 and didn't post its first road victory until its 10th game.

Opponent: Binghamton RangersSite: Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena, Binghamton, N.Y.Time: 5:05 p.m.Radio: WITH (1230 AM), WAMD (970 AM)Outlook: Save for their last visit to Binghamton, the Bandits have played solidly against the Rangers, splitting four games there and standing 3-4. Binghamton is conceded to be the best team in the Southern Division but holds just a three-point lead over second-place Hershey. Two power-play goals and an empty-netter gave Baltimore a 4-2 victory in Portland on Friday night.

BaseballAstros: Named Vern Ruhle coordinator of minor-league pitching instruction.Marlins: Signed Cuban P Livan Hernandez.=1 Rockies: Signed former Orioles P John Habyan.BasketballMA Jazz: Extended contract of eight-time All-Star F Karl Malone.CollegeAuburn: Basketball G Moochie Norris transferred to West Florida. Basketball G Angie Farah transferred to South Florida.UC-Irvine: Senior G Tamera Thomas (10.8 ppg) quit women's basketball team for personal reasons.Duke: Named Joe DeLamielleure offensive line coach and George Edwards linebacker coach.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- To beat the Binghamton Rangers, you must limit their time on the power play. Plain and simple.The Bandits allowed the American Hockey League's top power-play unit to have seven man advantages last night at the sold-out Broome County Arena, and fell 5-0 to the Rangers before 4,643 fans.Baltimore was successful killing penalties in its first six meetings with Binghamton, limiting the Rangers to six goals on 36 chances. But the Southern Division-leading Rangers scored twice on the man advantage and just missed on numerous other opportunities to claim a 4-3 lead in their 12-game series with the Bandits.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- Chris Herperger's goal with 3: 05 remaining in regulation lifted the Baltimore Bandits to a 2-2 overtime tie with the Binghamton Rangers last night.The Bandits had been fruitless in five previous power plays until Herperger scored with Binghamton's Micah Aivazoff in the penalty box.Both goalies were outstanding. The Bandits' Mike Bales and the Rangers' Ken Shepard each stopped 41 shots.It took less than a minute for the game to take on a wacky look. Herperger tipped one in at 59 seconds, but the goal was disallowed because he had skated into the crease.

BOWIE -- T. R. Lewis' one-out single scored Jarvis Brown with the winning run as the Bowie Baysox moved above .500 for the first time this season with a 6-5 victory over the Binghamton Mets in the first game of a doubleheader last night.Bowie (47-46) set up the run against Brent Knackert on a walk to Brown and Jim Wawruck's single through the middle.It was the 19th win in 24 games for the Baysox, who lead the Eastern League's Southern Division.The victory went to left-handed reliever Bo Magee (1-0)

Something about Binghamton in the America East tournament just doesn't sit well with the UMBC men's lacrosse team. And the Bearcats can't wait for Ryan Smith to graduate. For the second time in as many America East tournament semifinals, the Retrievers were taken to overtime by Binghamton. And for the second time, Smith propelled No. 11 UMBC with the game-winner, this time scoring with 3:05 left in double overtime to send the hosts to a 9-8 victory Wednesday night before an announced 820 at UMBC Stadium.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -For immigrants in this Rust Belt city, the doorway to America leads through the friendly building on Front Street. But on Friday, the American Civic Association - a place crowded with recent arrivals taking English classes and citizenship exams - became a killing zone. A gunman barricaded the back door of the immigration services center with a car, preventing escape, then entered through the front door. Opening fire, he killed 13 people and seriously wounded four others before apparently committing suicide.

Dwayne Anderson and Dante Cunningham each scored 25 points, and Villanova rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to beat upset-minded American, 80-67, in the first round of the NCAA tournament last night in Philadelphia. The third-seeded Wildcats (27-7) needed a late 19-2 run to fend off the Patriot League champions. The 14th-seeded Eagles (24-8) sizzled from three-point range early and pushed Villanova to the brink. The loss ended the Eagles' 13-game winning streak. "It wasn't that we took them lightly at all," Villanova coach Jay Wright said.

VESTAL, N.Y. -After Binghamton grabbed the game's final rebound, UMBC guard Jay Greene slowly turned and started walking off the court. His teammates soon fell in line, and by the time the final buzzer sounded 12 seconds later, the Retrievers were gone. Their time as champions was done. Sixth seed UMBC tried to pull a surprise in yesterday's America East championship game against top seed Binghamton, but mistakes foiled the Retrievers' attempt at a second straight title. Binghamton took advantage of those miscues and held off a UMBC rally for a 61-51 victory before an announced sellout crowd of 5,342 at the Events Center.

Before UMBC plays for its conference championship today, Steve Proctor will embrace one of the Retrievers' stars. "Keep it up," he'll tell Darryl Proctor, UMBC's tournament-tough forward. "Don't change nothin'." Then Steve Proctor, a former Binghamton basketball player, will melt into the crowd and urge his kid brother to beat his alma mater. "I might be the loudest person at the game," the elder Proctor said of the America East final at 11 a.m. in Binghamton, N.Y. "You don't root against family."

BINGHAMTON 71, UMBC 51 -Senior forward Darryl Proctor recorded his 10th double double of the season with 18 points and 14 rebounds last night, but the cold-shooting Retrievers lost their final America East road game of 2008-09. The Bearcats (20-8, 13-3) won for the eighth straight time and clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. UMBC, the last team to defeat the Bearcats, fell to 12-16, 6-9. The Retrievers can still finish as high as fifth in the league if they beat Albany on Sunday and New Hampshire loses to Stony Brook.

Ryan Smith finally delivered on Don Zimmerman's message. The junior attackman resuscitated the UMBC men's lacrosse team's postseason hopes with a goal 53 seconds into overtime to cap a four-goal rally that lifted the Retrievers to a 6-5 decision over Binghamton in an America East tournament semifinal at UMBC Stadium last night. The top-seeded Retrievers (11-3) earned a school-record 10th consecutive win and will meet Albany in the tournament final tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. The second-seeded Great Danes (8-7)

Living dangerously, short-handed UMBC tempted fate one more time yesterday at RAC Arena and wriggled off the upset hook yet again. It took some last-minute heroics from super sixth-man Cavell Johnson and two clutch free throws by point guard Jay Greene for the Retrievers to escape with a frenetic 63-59 victory over hard-charging Binghamton. On a day when some of UMBC's greatest athletes were inducted into the school's Hall of Fame, the Retrievers wrote another chapter in a trend of grabbing big leads, then fighting off furious comebacks.

Brian Hodges converted a three-point play with 5.5 seconds left to lift UMBC over Binghamton, 73-71, last night in Vestal, N.Y. With the Bearcats (7-6, 0-1 America East) clinging to a 71-70 lead in the closing seconds, Hodges drove the baseline, made a layup and drew a foul. He made the free throw for the final margin. Binghamton pushed the ball upcourt for a final shot but Mike Gordon was stripped at midcourt by Jay Greene, who ran out the clock. The Retrievers (5-9, 1-0) shot 59 percent and broke down Binghamton's interior defense for 34 points in the paint.

It didn't come easily last night for the UMBC men's lacrosse team, yet the No. 14 Retrievers paved the way to their conference championship game, and now have an NCAA tournament spot in their sights. UMBC confronted nerves, spotty shooting and spates of turnovers, not to mention a tenacious Binghamton defense. But in the second half of their America East semifinal contest at UMBC Stadium, the Retrievers rode their outstanding defense and the opportunistic play of sophomore midfielder Terry Kimener to a 6-3 victory.