Men’s basketball cruises past Bulldogs at home ‘Empresses in the Palace’ showcases traditions

BU returns to second in AE with 84-67 victory, ends two-game losing streak.

The Binghamton men’s basketball team hosted Bryant on

Saturday afternoon, looking to get back into the win column after losing its previous two games to Maine and Vermont, respectively. After establishing its offensive prowess early and playing shutdown defense for 40 minutes, the Bearcats broke their winless streak, soundly defeating the Bulldogs 84-67 in front of packed stands.

“It was night and day from our last two games,” said Binghamton head coach Levell Sanders. “We were able to come out today and do all of the things that we spoke about … Guys were able to execute the game plan.”

The festival blends the beauty of Chinese traditions and modernity.

Last Sunday, the Mandela Room was decked out with red and gold decorations for the Spring Festival Event: “Empresses in the Palace.”

Set on the first day of the lunar calendar, this event was a collaboration between Binghamton University’s Chinese Scholar and Students Association (CSSA) and Chinascope. The event created a space for students of Chinese descent to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Erika Ji, publicity chair of CSSA and a junior majoring in psychology, wrote about the long and difficult journey behind the event’s organization, which started during the fall 2022 semester.

“It’s hard to organize the meeting time for winter break, especially since some of our E-Board members travel to foreign countries with different time zones,” Ji said. “Due to the effect of [COVID-19] … most of our members have never experienced this event.”

This lack of direction led the CSSA E-Board to revolutionize the event, eventually landing on the theme “Empresses in the Palace,” which was based on an internationally famous TV series set in the Qing Dynasty with the same title. The theme was expressed through the traditional Qing Dynasty clothing worn by CSSA staff, and guests were encouraged to wear their own garments from any time period.

Apart from the typical catered food, activity stations for cultural experience were set up around the room, such as paper-cutting for window decoration, couplet writing and fortune telling, where attendees flocked to try their luck for the year of the Rabbit.

The opening performance was a jihong dance performed by Xutong Shi, a junior majoring in theatre. In her flowy pastel outfit, Shi captured the audience’s attention immediately with just a short number. She then performed an intricate and graceful solo dance named “Remembering Old Friends.”

BU’s Kung Fu Club was the next performer, bringing their crowd pleaser, the lion dance, amid the energetic beats of drums and cymbals that projected throughout the whole hall. The two black-andwhite beasts interacted with the audience like real animals, letting people pet their heads and getting down like dogs. With their moving eyelids, floppy ears and moving mouths, it is as if they were actual animals despite the obvious people puppeteering them.