Box Score

Contact: John Hartrick (hartrick@binghamton.edu)

VESTAL, N.Y. - Freshman forward Dusan Perovic tallied a game-high 18 points and Binghamton scored 31 points off turnovers in an 82-51 win over Hartwick in the team's home opener Wednesday night from the Events Center. 

After a tough two-game, five-day road swing to open the season, the Bearcats (1-2) renewed acquaintances with one of their oldest rivals dating back to 1946 and forced 19 Hawks turnovers in the 31-point triumph.

Midway through the first half, BU led 17-14 before embarking on a 16-3 run that spanned 5:06 and featured points from five different players. Sophomore guard Yosef Yacob scored six points during the run.

Up 41-25 at intermission, the Bearcats turned up the pressure to start the second half. A pair of three-pointers in the opening 33 seconds - one from freshman wing Justin McFadden and then after a McFadden steal, another trey from Yacob, pushed BU's lead to 22, 47-25. Hartwick would pull no closer than 18 the rest of the way. 

"I thought we took care of business and I was pleased with our overall performance tonight," head coach Tommy Dempsey said. "It's still early in the season so we have a lot of things to clean up ... but we were on a mission ... we needed to bounce back, play well and win our first game at home and we were able to do that."

Perovic scored 13 of his 18 points in the first half and wound up hitting 8-of-12 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Yacob tallied 14 points, freshman guard Romello Walker had nine points, five rebounds and five assists and junior wing
Jordan Reed chipped in eight points, five rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

Binghamton shot 52 percent in the second half to extend their cushion. After allowing six Hartwick three-pointers in the first half, BU clamped down in the final period, forcing the Hawks into 1-for-9 shooting from long range. 

The minutes were spread up and down the lineup with no player logging more than 27 minutes. 

Binghamton next heads to the Mohegan Sun (Conn.) and the final two games of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. In Saturday's 5:30 p.m. regional semifinal, BU will face reigning MAAC champion Manhattan. On Sunday, the Bearcats will play either Northeastern or Navy in the final game of the tournament. 

NOTES
The last time Binghamton and Hartwick played was in 1998 (17 years ago) when BU posted a 71-61 home win in the team's final season as a Division III program. The teams met twice that season with the BU also winning 79-73 in Oneonta. The all-time series with Hartwick dates back to 1946 - the school's inaugural basketball season as Triple Cities College.