VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball renews acquaintances with its oldest America East foe when the Bearcats (6-16, 2-5 AE) face Albany (7-15, 2-5 AE) at 7 p.m. Saturday at SEFCU Arena. The series history dates back to 1948 and the two programs, currently tied in the standings, have played at all three divisional levels. The game is part of Albany's "Big Purple Growl" promotion and is expected to be a sellout. 

Freshman guard Sam Sessoms continues to lead the Bearcats with an 18.0 scoring average. He ranks third in the conference overall and is sixth in the entire nation in freshman scoring. Senior forward Caleb Stewart has grabbed double-digit boards in three straight games and he is averaging 11.0 points and a team-best 7.1 rebounds. 

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
• Tonight's game between tied teams closes out the first half of America East play  

Last time out
• Host Hartford blitzed BU with a school-record 19 three-pointers, built a 17-point halftime lead and cruised to an 86-60 win Wednesday at Chase Arena
• Freshman guard Sam Sessoms scored a game-high 22 points — going over the 20-point mark for the eighth time this season
• Senior forward Chancellor Barnard added 10 points, nine boards and two blocks
• Senior forward Caleb Stewart pulled down 10 rebounds — the third straight game he's reached double figures on the boards     

About Albany
• Team is coming off back-to-back wins over Hartford (84-77) and UNH (62-42)
• On Wednesday in Durham, Albany held UNH to 24% FG and rolled
• Leading scorer Ahmad Clark had game-high 25 points
• Danes were picked to tie for fourth in AE Preseason Poll but were slow out of gate with seven losses in eight games in Nov.-Dec. and then suffered five straight defeats to open conference play (OT losses to UMBC and Stony Brook however)
• Team had to suddenly replace all-conference guards Joe Cremo (Villanova) and David Nichols (Florida State), who transferred for their final graduate years
• Eighteenth-year HC Will Brown returned only one starter and six lettermen (10.7 ppg.) from a 22-10 team of a year ago (10-6 AE) 

All-time series vs. Albany
• Albany leads the series, which dates back to 1948, 70-32
• Since both teams were in the America East (2001), Albany leads 21-14
• Albany has won 15 of the last 16 after BU had won 13 of 19 previous games
• Teams split series last year with BU winning 79-66 in Vestal and Albany returning the favor with a 71-54 home win six weeks later
• BU is 9-32 in games played at Albany and has lost eight straight at SEFCU 

Bearcats lead America East, rank eighth in nation in blocks
Despite opening the season without the top shot blocker in the America East (Thomas Bruce), BU has racked up 114 blocks through 22 games, tops in the AE and eighth-most in the country. In blocks per game, BU led the country for a week and currently ranks 18th (5.2/game). Individually, senior forward Caleb Stewart swatted a career-high five vs. Columbia and has 41 blocks, which ranks third in the conference and 40th in the country. His 1.9 average is 53rd. Senior forward Chancellor Barnard had a career-high seven-block showing (all in second half) against UMass Lowell and has 37 blocks (4th in AE). 

Stewart has huge week, reaches 1K and is AE Player of Week
Thanks to back-to-back double-doubles and eclipsing the 1,000-point milestone, senior forward Caleb Stewart was named America East  Player of the Week this week — his first career AE honor, and also was named the University's Athlete of the Week. In two games last week, Stewart averaged 24.0 points and 13.5 rebounds and shot 60 percent from the field. He pulled down 16 rebounds against UMass Lowell, the most of any AE player this season. Then in BU's win over Maine, Stewart scored a career-high 26 points (17 in first half). His free throw with 19 seconds left was his 1,000th collegiate point (4th Bearcat to reach in last 3 years). After single seasons at South Carolina-Aiken (224 pts.) and Saint Leo (467 pts.), Stewart is finishing his last two seasons at Binghamton and is averaging 11.0 points this season. 

Sessoms goes off in first half against UMass Lowell, flirts with record
Freshman guard Sam Sessoms hit 8-of-10 shots (4-of-5 3-pt.) in the first half against UMass Lowell on Jan. 23 and wound up with 22 points in 15 minutes of action. He added 10 more in the second half to wind up with 32 points, two shy of tying the school single-game record. His total is the sixth-most by an AE player this season and the highest BU total since teammate J.C. Show went for a school-record-tying 34 points vs. Central Connecticut State on Nov. 11, 2016. His eight first-half field goals were the third-most in a half in program history.

Stewart surging of late
Senior forward Caleb Stewart has been on a roll of late. In his last nine games, he is averaging 15.5 points and 7.9 rebounds. He had a string of eight-straight double-figure games snapped Wednesday at Hartford. 

Sessoms remains sixth in nation in freshman scoring
Freshman guard Sam Sessoms ranks third in the conference in scoring (18.0 ppg.) and is sixth in the entire nation in freshman scoring. In his last eight games, he is averaging 20.0 points (48% FG)and has eight 20+ games this season. Sessoms ranks 23rd in the country in made field goals.  

4-5-6-7-8-9-(10?)
Senior forward Chancellor Barnard has bumped up his rebound totals in one-board increments for five straight games, beginning with four at Stony Brook on Jan. 5. Following this pattern, look for him to grab 10 boards vs. Albany.

Sessoms has won five America East Rookie of Week honors
Freshman guard Sam Sessoms has been named America East Rookie of the Week honor five times this season (Nov. 12, Nov. 26, Dec. 10, Dec. 24, Jan. 7). With five weekly honors, he ties former BU standout and 2010 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 2012-13.

Barnard is beast on block
Senior forward Chancellor Barnard has maximized his relatively small 6-foot-4 frame in the low post. Barnard had a seven-block showing against UMass Lowell on Jan. 23 and ranks fourth in the America East in blocks and seventh in rebounds (6.7). He ranks 10th in the country in rebounds among players 6-foot-4 or shorter. His highlight glass games were against Columbia (1/2) and UNH (1/5), when he had back-to-back 11-rebound performances.