NEWARK, N.J. – Sophomore guard Sam Sessoms capped a brilliant 33-point, 12-rebound game with a driving layup with 2.2 seconds left to lift visiting Binghamton men's basketball (2-3) to a wild 77-75 win over NJIT (2-3) Wednesday night from the Wellness & Events Center.

Sessoms' game-winning bucket capped a stunning second half that saw the Bearcats rally from 16-points down and grind out the win with two big blocks in the closing 30 seconds.

The Highlanders had the ball with 51 seconds left in a 75-75 game. With junior guard Zach Cooks (35 pts.) dueling Sessoms toe-to-toe, NJIT set up for a potential go-ahead basket. Cooks drove into the lane and released a floater but freshman guard Brenton Mills (season-high 17 pts.) skied to block it with 30 seconds left. NJIT corralled the rebound and had another look inside, but freshman guard Hakon Hjalmarsson contested the short jumper and Sessoms slid over to block it. Senior forward Pierre Sarr secured the rebound (his fifth of the half) and handed it off to Sessoms with 22 seconds left. Electing not to call a timeout, BU ran a clear-out for Sessoms, who knifed his way down the lane and converted the layup with 2.2 seconds left. A last-ditch NJIT full-court pass was deflected away as the horn sounded. 

Sessoms, who notched his second-straight double-double, scored 27 points in the second half alone. He sparked a 17-2 run that trimmed a 64-48 NJIT cushion into a 66-65 game with 6:28 left. Then with 2:01 left, Sessoms took a feed from freshman forward George Tinsley (8 pts., 9 rebs.) and his driving layup gave the Bearcats their first lead of the game, 74-73, with 2:01 remaining.  

Mills kept the Bearcats in the game in the first half with 13 of his 17 points. Hjalmarsson added eight of his 10 points in the first half. 
 
The two teams traded big runs in the first half. NJIT opened the game with a 14-2 run before BU countered with a 14-5 run. No sooner than the Bearcats had pulled to within three, however, the host Highlanders responded with an 11-0 run to open up a 30-16 cushion with 7:41 left. Binghamton rattled off four 3-pointers (two from Mills) in the ensuing 3 minutes and used the 12-0 run to pull within two, 30-28. But NJIT had the last word of the half with a 9-2 run to stretch its lead back to eight, 43-35, at intermission. 

The game featured a matchup of two elite point guards on the Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch List as Sessoms and Cooks are each on the list of the top mid-major players in the country.  
 
Binghamton returns home to host Army West Point at 4 p.m. Saturday. After playing four of its first five games on the road to open 2019-20, BU will play four of its next five at home.