Contact: John Hartrick (hartrick@binghamton.edu)

VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball looks to extend its recent edge over New Hampshire when the two teams square off in an America East game at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Events Center. The Bearcats (2-17, 1-3 AE) have won two straight against the Wildcats (8-9, 1-3 AE) as they play the first of two head-to-head games this season. 

Binghamton will try to make it three in a row against UNH and also look for its second consecutive home win after a 65-46 triumph over Maine last Saturday. The Bearcats are coming off Wednesday's 73-58 loss at undefeated and league-leading Albany. In that game, BU put 40 points on the board in the second half but couldn't overcome a 16-point halftime hole. Sophomore guard Marlon Beck drilled 6-of-8 three-pointers en route to a game-high 20 points and freshman forward Bobby Ahearn added 12 points and seven rebounds in a season-high 36 minutes. Beck tied his career-high with the six long-range shots and was 7-for-11 overall from the floor. Ahearn hit 5-of-6 field goals and added a pair of blocks down low. 

The Bearcats are still playing without two of the team's top-four scorers and will continue until sophomore forward Nick Madray returns to the lineup. Freshman forward Willie Rodriguez (10.3 ppg.) had eight points at Albany but has tallied double-digits in four of his last six games. 

Beck is heating up with 41 points in his last three outings (13.6 ppg.) and reigning America East Rookie of the Week Romello Walker is averaging 14.0 points in his last four games. One game after pulling down a season-high 12 rebounds, Ahearn tallied a season-high 12 points as he is taking advantage of the extra minutes in BU's depleted frontcourt. 

New Hampshire is coming off a 68-67 home loss to Hartford on Wednesday. The tight game featured seven ties and eight lead changes. Hartford took the lead for good with a three-pointer that snapped a 62-62 deadlock with 50.3 seconds left to play. The Hawks sent UNH to the free throw line twice in the final 37 seconds, but the Wildcats made just 2-of-4, and a three-pointer with 1.8 seconds left proved too little. Sophomore Daniel Dion nailed four threes (UNH went 10-for-16) and finished with 14 points. Tanner Leissner finished with 15 points (4 of 9) and six boards. Jaleen Smith scored 14 points (4 of 7) six rebounds and three steals to lead the UNH defense.

The Wildcats beat UMBC (63-60) for their first conference win of the season. In non-conference play, UNH pushed Boston College to the final minutes in a 58-50 loss. The Wildcats won five of six during a span that also saw them press Rutgers in a four-point loss. The team's other America East defeats came against Stony Brook (71-61) and Albany (64-62), the latter of which came in the closing seconds.

New Hampshire was picked to finish sixth in the Coaches' Preseason Poll.

Binghamton leads the all-time series 17-10. The Bearcats swept the season series last year, winning 67-38 at the Events Center and then 72-71 in overtime in Durham. n that last matchup on February 12, 2014, Marlon Beck hit three clutch free throws with 4.6 seconds left to force overtime and then hit a big three-pointer late in the extra-period en route to 17 points. Before last season, UNH rattled off five consecutive wins in the series after BU had won eight of the previous nine.