VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball begins a tough stretch of three straight road games against top tier teams when the Bearcats (5-11, 1-0 America East) play at Stony Brook (13-3, 1-0 AE) Wednesday night. 

Binghamton is coming off a conference-opening win over New Hampshire, while the Seawolves also won their league opener at UMass Lowell. Stony Brook is ranked No. 16 in the latest Mid-Major Top 25 and its 12 non-conference wins were a school record.

The Bearcats are led by freshman sensation Sam Sessoms (17.7 ppg.). He has been named the America East Rookie of the Week five times in eight weeks and ranks seventh in the entire nation in freshman scoring. Senior guard J.C. Show (10.6 ppg.) needs just seven points to reach the 1,000-point mark for his collegiate career. Senior forwards Chancellor Barnard (9.3 ppg., 6.8 rpg.) and Caleb Stewart (8.9 ppg., 6.3 rpg.) rank among the league leaders in rebounds and blocked shots. 

QUICK HITS
• This is Binghamton's 73rd season of basketball, 18th at the Division I level
• BU was picked to finish 6th (of 9) in the America East Preseason Coaches' Poll
• This is the 18th America East season for BU, which is 106-170 (.384) all-time
• This is the 70th all-time meeting between the two longtime SUNY rivals
• This is the first of three straight road games vs. teams expected to finish 4-3-1 

Last time out
• BU got 21 points from freshman guard Sam Sessoms, shot 50% and limited visiting UNH to nine second-half field goals in a 69-58 win on Saturday
• Bearcats closed the game with an 18-9 run to pull away
• Senior forward Caleb Stewart added 15 points, six boards and four steals
• Senior forward Chancellor Barnard chipped in 11 rebounds and two blocks   

About Stony Brook
• Highest-ranked AE team after rattling off school-record 12 non-conference wins and currently at No. 16 in the Mid-Major Top 25
• Coming off 75-63 win at UMass Lowell in AE opener on Saturday
• In that game, USB converted 14-of-14 second-half FT and got 31 bench points
• Junior forward Akwasi Yeboah was second team all-conference last year and is team's top leading scorer and rebounder
• Sophomore guard Elijah Olaniyi is reigning AE Rookie of the Year
• Returned two starters and six letterwinners from a 13-19 team that went 7-9 in AE play and reached the tournament semifinals
• Returned three of its top four scorers; picked to finish fourth in preseason poll   
    
All-time series vs. Stony Brook
• Stony Brook leads the series, which began in 1963, 42-27
• Since both teams elevated to Division I and joined the America East, Stony Brook leads 22-17 and has won 17 of the last 19 games
• The teams split the season series last year with each team winning on its home floor. Stony won 77-66 on Long Island and BU won 69-57 in Vestal one month later
• The home team has won the last six matchups; BU is just 7-24 at Stony Brook

Sessoms named America East Rookie of Week for fifth time
Freshman guard Sam Sessoms earned his fifth America East Rookie of the Week honor in eight weeks (Nov. 12, Nov. 26, Dec. 10, Dec. 24, Jan. 7) after averaging 23.0 points on 57 percent shooting in games against Columbia and UNH. With five weekly honors, he ties former BU standout and AE Rookie of the Year Dylan Talley, who also had five during the 2009-10 season. It's just one honor behind the school-high of six, set by Jordan Reed during the 2012-13 season. Sessoms is on pace to tie the conference record of 10 weekly rookie honors, set by former Boston University and pro player Tunji Awojobi in 1993-94.

Show on verge of 1,000-point mark
Senior guard J.C. Show is within seven points of reaching the 1,000-point plateau. Show, who played his first collegiate season at Bucknell, currently sits at 993 points. He will become the third Bearcat in the last three years and 21st overall to reach the milestone. Senior forward Caleb Stewart also continued his march toward 1K. After single seasons at South Carolina-Aiken and Saint Leo, Stewart is finishing his last two at Binghamton. He has 912 career points.  

Barnard with back-to-back 11-rebound performances
Senior forward Chancellor Barnard has grabbed 11 rebounds in back-to-back games and leads the Bearcats with 6.8/game. He ranks fifth in the America East in rebounds and ranks 10th in the country among players 6-foot-4 or shorter.

Sessoms lights it up in second half vs. Columbia
Freshman guard Sam Sessoms set a school record with seven three-pointers in the second half (7-of-8) against Columbia on Jan. 2. His seven field goals ranks third in BU's Division I history (FG in half) and his 21 points also ranks third (pts. in half). During the half, he had 15 points in a six-minute span and 18 points in 7:12. With 25 points for the game, Sessoms went over the 20-point mark for the fifth time this season.

Bearcats lead America East, rank second in nation in blocks
Despite opening the season without the top shot blocker in the America East (Thomas Bruce), BU has racked up 95 blocks through 16 games, second only to NCAA leader Duke (102). In blocks per game, BU led the country for a week and currently ranks sixth. Individually, senior forward Caleb Stewart swatted a career-high five vs. Columbia and has 35 blocks, which ranks second in the conference and 19th in the country. His 2.2 average is 31st. Senior forward Chancellor Barnard has 27 blocks (4th in AE). The Bearcats lead the America East in blocks, thanks to four players in the league's top-9.   

Sessoms up to seventh in nation in freshman scoring
Freshman guard Sam Sessoms ranks fourth in the conference in scoring (17.7 ppg.) and ranks seventh in the entire nation in freshman scoring. He has scored in double figures in 14 of his first 16 collegiate games, including six 20+ games. Sessoms also ranks 26th in the country in made field goals.   

Barnard shooting lofty 71 percent, ranks ninth in kenpom FG%
Senior forward Chancellor Barnard has converted 60-of-85 shots (.706) and ranks ninth in kenpom's "effective FG percentage" category. Barnard's 71 percent would rank third in the nation but he falls short of the minimum FGs.