Contact: John Hartrick (hartrick@binghamton.edu)

VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball will try to keep its momentum going when the Bearcats (3-20, 2-6 America East) host UMass Lowell (9-12, 3-5 AE) at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Events Center. 

LAST TIME OUT
Binghamton forced 18 turnovers and led from start to finish in a 68-56 win over host UMBC Wednesday night. With their first road win of the season and second conference victory, BU jumped into the sixth playoff position in the standings.

Freshmen forward Willie Rodriguez tallied 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists and classmate Bobby Ahearn contributed 11 points and six rebounds as the Bearcats received balanced production throughout their lineup. Sophomore guard Marlon Beck and junior Karon Waller added nine points apiece.

The Bearcats led by nine at half but UMBC cut the margin to four, 36-32, less than five minutes into the second half. Binghamton, responded, however, with an 18-8 run that featured five points from Waller. The Bearcats kept the Retrievers at bay the remainder of the game, maintaining at least a nine-point lead throughout the final nine minutes.

Binghamton shot 46 percent for the game and kept UMBC to 38 percent accuracy.

QUICK HITS
• Halfway through the conference slate, Binghamton sits in sixth place (playoff position). The Bearcats play at home for five of the final eight games.         

• Freshman forward Willie Rodriguez scored a team-high 10 points at UMBC and has hit double-digits in eight of his last 10 games. He is BU's leading scorer (10.6 ppg.) and rebounder (5.3 rpg.) among active players.

• Binghamton has produced three different conference Rookies of the Week:  Dusan Perovic on 12/8, Willie Rodriguez on 12/29 and Romello Walker on 1/12. The Bearcats are nearing last year's rare feat of having four different players earn top rookie weekly honors.

• Freshman forward Bobby Ahearn has scored 11 points in each of the last two games. He is averaging 7.8 points and 6.6 rebounds over his last six games and is shooting a team-high 53 percent on the season.  

• Binghamton has been hit by two key injuries to its frontcourt. Six-foot-9 sophomore Nick Madray went down with an ankle injury after scoring 20 points vs. St. Bonaventure on Dec. 20. He has missed the last nine games. Six-foot-9 center and leading scorer Dusan Perovic (11.5 ppg.) suffered an ACL injury at practice on Jan. 5 and will be lost for the remainder of the season.

• Binghamton has statistically the youngest team in the entire country (StatSheet.com). It's 14 players have a combined 10 years of collegiate experience. There are only two upperclassmen on the roster (1 senior, 1 junior).

• Four of the team's top-5 scorers are freshmen and the starting lineup features four freshmen and a sophomore.
 
SCOUTING UMASS LOWELL
The River Hawks (9-12, 3-5 AE) have dropped four straight, though two of those losses came in overtime. Lowell owns conference wins over the Bearcats, UMBC (73-61 in OT) and Maine (62-59). In its last outing on Wednesday, Lowell shot just 33 percent and dropped a 61-50 game to visiting Vermont. Standout rookie Jahad Thomas had a game-high 20 points but the Catamounts shot 54 percent and were plus 20 in the paint. Matt Harris (13 pts.) and Chad Holley (10 pts.) added to the offense. Despite finishing fifth (of 9) in last year's inaugural Division I year, the River Hawks were again picked to finish last by opposing coaches. Still not eligible to compete in the postseason, they currently sit in sixth place and have the frontrunner for conference Rookie of the Year in Thomas (14.0 ppg., 6.3 rpg., 51% FG).   

ALL-TIME SERIES
With the 50-40 win in Lowell four weeks ago, the River Hawks are now 7-1 all-time against Binghamton, including 3-0 in America East matchups. In the earlier game this season, Lowell ended the game with a decisive 10-2 run. The Bearcats were within two, 40-38, after freshman wing Justin McFadden sank a pair of free throws with 3:42 left. But BU turned the ball over on four straight possessions and the River Hawks took advantage, converting 7-of-8 free throws in the final 1:39 to ice the win. Binghamton was led by freshman guard Romello Walker, who recorded a season-high 14 points (10 in second half). Walker added four steals and had two thunderous second-half jams. Freshman center Dusan Perovic added nine points and five rebounds.