VESTAL, N.Y. -- Sophomore forward Lazar Trifunovic (Belgrade, Serbia) scored a game-high 24 points, including 10 straight in a pivotal second-half stretch, and Binghamton (1-1) held off visiting Quinnipiac (1-0) 88-75 in BU's home opener Wednesday night from the Events Center.

In front of 4,109 boisterous fans, The Bearcats exploded out of the gate in the first half, shooting 59% and nailing 6-of-8 three-pointers to build a 47-28 lead at intermission. But the Bobcats rallied in the second half, pulling to within six, 58-52, with 8:56 to play. That's when Trifunovic took over. The America East Player of the Game scored BU's next 10 points, keying a 10-4 run that restored the double-digit lead. Quinnipiac drew no closer than eight points the rest of the way as BU converted 11-of-12 free throws in the final 1:28.

"We played an excellent first half," Broadus said. "I would've liked for us to play a smarter second half but we pulled it together at the end."

Five Bearcats reached double figures in the program's second-highest scoring output at the Events Center (BU had 91 vs. LIU last Dec. 15). Senior guard Richard Forbes (Far Rockaway, N.Y.) scored 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting and senior backcourt mate Mike Gordon (Plainfield, N.J.) contributed 15 points, eight assists and four steals. Freshman guard Moussa Camara (Paris, France) drained four three-pointers en route to 14 points and junior guard Dwayne Jackson (Akron, Ohio) nailed 4-of-4 from beyond the arc for 12 points.

Camara and Jackson drained three-pointers in a 21-second span in the first half to key a 25-9 Bearcat run that turned a narrow 22-19 lead (with 7:41 to play) into the 19-point halftime cushion. The exclamation point on the first half was written by Gordon, who stole the ball on Quinnipiac's final possession and raced downcourt to throw down a jam at the halftime buzzer.

In the second half, BU missed four straight layups and Quinnipiac began to chip away at the lead. The Bobcats pulled to within six, 58-52, with 8:56 to play before Trifunovic took over. He scored 10 points in a 2:22 span - on three jump hooks, an alley-oop and two free throws. Trifunovic also grabbed one of his 10 rebounds, which gave him his fourth career double-double.

Gordon then sealed the win by hitting 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch.

Binghamton continues its tough four-games-in-nine-days stretch with a road game at Chicago State Saturday afternoon.