VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball (12-15, 3-9 America East) wraps up a brief two-game homestand by hosting New Hampshire (14-11, 5-6 AE) at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Events Center.Â
With four games remaining in the regular season, the Bearcats are looking to snap a four-game losing streak and make a move in the conference standings. On Thursday, BU lost to visiting Albany, 66-54. Sophomore guard
Timmy Rose scored 14 points and juniors
Willie Rodriguez and
Yosef Yacob and sophomore guard
Everson Davis added seven points apiece.
Rodriguez leads the Bearcats in scoring (12.2 ppg.) and rebounding (5.2 rpg.). Junior forward
Bobby Ahearn will miss his second straight game with an injury. He was averaging 11.6 points in his last eight games, including four with 15 or more points.Â
New Hampshire also has lost four straight - the latest being an 82-74 road defeat at league-leading Vermont on Thursday. The Wildcats boast three 1,000-point scorers in Tanner Leissner, Jaleen Smith and Daniel Dion. Leissner leads the team in scoring (16.3 ppg.) and rebounding (7.4 rpg.).
UNH leads the America East in offensive rebounds and ranks second in field goal percentage defense.Â
Binghamton leads the all-time series 17-16, though UNH has won six straight, including a 73-66 win last month. Back on Jan. 14 in Durham, UNH built a 20-point halftime cushion and held off BU 73-66 at Lundholm Gym. Binghamton used an 18-4 run to trim a 19-point deficit to just five 71-66, with 1:01 left. But UNH made two free throws and BU missed a pair of three-point attempts in the final 26 seconds to end it. In the second half, BU shot 56 percent and outscored UNH 44-31. Junior forward
Bobby Ahearn led BU with 17 points - 12 in the second half. Senior guard
Marlon Beck had 15 points (four 3s) and sophomore guard
Timmy Rose added 10 points and seven assists.Â
The last BU win was a 72-71 overtime win in Durham three years ago. In Vestal, UNH holds a slim 8-7 margin. Â Â