FORT MYERS, Fla. - Binghamton men's basketball continues its jam-packed Florida trip with the second of three-games-in-three-days tonight when the Bearcats (3-2) face first-time opponent Florida Gulf Coast (1-3) on ESPN3. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at Alico Arena, where the reigning Atlantic Sun champion Eagles are 60-11 over the last five years.

Binghamton is coming off a resounding 95-77 win over NAIA member Ave Maria on Tuesday to begin their four-game Florida trip. Junior forward Bobby Ahearn scored a career-high 27 points on 11-of-13 marksmanship and BU set records for points (95) and field goals (35) in a game. The Bearcats shot 60 percent for the game, nearly setting another D-I era record. A 20-3 run to open the second half created separation after the host Gyrenes kept close with nine first-half three-pointers. Five players reached double figures, including freshman guard Fard Muhammad, who celebrated a return to his home state with a season-high 16 points on 6-of-8 accuracy (4-of-5 threes). 

The Bearcats have now alternated wins and losses to begin the season and have three wins in November for the first time in eight years. Binghamton ranks fourth in the America East in scoring defense (giving up 73.4 ppg.), fourth in assists (13.0/game) and is also fourth in three-pointers per game (7.8).

Senior guard Marlon Beck tallied 13 points at Ave Maria and is moving closer to the 1,000-point mark (858 pts.). The Bearcats again played without junior forward Willie Rodriguez, who has been limited to nine minutes this season with an injury. Rodriguez (832 career points in 2 seasons), an all-conference selection, entered the season as the team's top returning scorer (15.1 ppg.) and rebounder (6.7 rpg.). 

Redshirt sophomore guard J.C. Show leads the team with a 16.0 scoring average. Ahearn (11.6 ppg.) and Muhammad (8.2 ppg.) are second and third, with Muhammad maximizing his production in just 15 minutes of action per game.

Florida Gulf Coast quickly gained a national reputation with their run to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2013. The Eagles have made it to national postseason tournaments in four of their first five years as a Division I program, including an NCAA second-round run last season. The team is ranked No. 21 in this week's Collegeinsider.co, Mid-Major Top 25.

In their last outing on Sunday, FGCU took No. 13 Michigan State to the final horn before shortchanged on a clock error in a 78-77 defeat. The Eagles have played the sixth-hardest schedule in the country, losing to Florida (RV), Baylor and the Spartans. They are scoring 73.2 points per game and are led by junior guard Brandon Goodwin (19.5 ppg.). Former Binghamton associate head coach Lawrence Brenneman is on the FGCU staff. 

After Wednesday's game, BU returns to Alico Arena on Thanksgiving night to play a neutral-site game against Long Beach State (No. 19 in Mid-Major Poll).