VESTAL, N.Y. - After more than week between games, Binghamton men's basketball (7-19, 3-8 America East) heads to Lowell for a Thursday night tilt with the River Hawks (14-13, 6-6 AE). The teams will tip for the second time this season, at 7 p.m. at the Costello Athletic Center.

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
•    BU is coming of a bye weekend and has been idle for eight days   

Last time out
•    Guards Sam Sessoms (23 pts.) and J.C. Show (20) scored all but seven of BU's total points in a 64-50 home loss to UMBC last Wednesday
•    UMBC put four in double digits and a late 13-2 run stretched a two-point lead
•    Sessoms (10-for-17) went over the 20-point mark for the 10th time this season 
•    Show hit 6-of-11 for his highest scoring output of the season
•    Rest of team went just 2-of-20 shooting and BU had nine second-half turnovers      

About UMass Lowell
•    River Hawks are coming off a 70-66 road loss at UMBC on Saturday
•    UML trimmed a 10-point deficit to two in final minute before Retrievers held on
•    Team has dropped four of six after winning four in a row in January
•    High-scoring offense averaging AE best 78.5 points on 47% shooting
•    Have surpassed last year's final win total (12)
•    Picked to finish 9th of 9 in preseason poll after graduating all-conference guard Jahad Thomas but have quickly retooled with Radford transfer Christian Lutete

All-time series vs. UMass Lowell
•    UML leads the all-time series, which began in 1999, 12-4 and is 7-1 at home
•    One month ago in Vestal, UML rallied from 14 points down in the second half to upend Binghamton 85-79 
•    Freshman guard Sam Sessoms poured in a season-high 32 pts. (22 in first half) and senior forward Caleb Stewart recorded career-highs of 22 pts. and 16 rebs. in the loss
•    After leading for more than 34 minutes in the contest and shooting well above 50 percent for most of the game, BU was caught down the stretch
•    UML has won five straight head-to-head - season sweeps the last two years
•    The last eight games have been decided by an avg. of less than six points

Binghamton tied for seventh in standings with five games left
The road win at UNH was important on Feb. 9 as it created essentially a three-game cushion for the Bearcats over the Wildcats in the quest to clinch a top-8 playoff spot. Now nearly assured of returning to the postseason after a year off, BU can set its sights on upward movement. Binghamton is currently tied with Maine for seventh (but owning a head-to-head win).

Sessoms ties BU record with sixth America East Rookie of Week honor
Freshman guard Sam Sessoms has been named America East Rookie of the Week this week — his sixth ROW honor this season (Nov. 12, Nov. 26, Dec. 10, Dec. 24, Jan. 7, Feb. 11). He now is tied with former BU standout and all-conference guard Jordan Reed, who earned six during 2012-13, for the most weekly honors for any Bearcat. Only six America East players in league history (30+ years) have received more rookie honors. His 19.5 scoring average in conference games is currently the second-highest in program history (D.J. Rivera averaged 19.7 ppg. in 2008-09).    

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 130 blocks through 26 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 17th (5.0/game). Individually, senior forward Caleb Stewart swatted a career-high five vs. Columbia and has 48 blocks, which ranks third in the conference and 43rd in the country. His 1.85 average is 61st. Senior forward Chancellor Barnard had a career-high seven-block showing (all in second half) against UMass Lowell and has 42 blocks (4th in AE). 

Sessoms moves up to fifth in nation in freshman scoring, sets records
Freshman guard Sam Sessoms ranks third in the conference in scoring (18.3 ppg.) and is fifth in the entire nation in freshman scoring. He has 10 20+ point games this season. Sessoms ranks 23rd in the country in made field goals. He has also established BU freshman records for points, assists, steals and 3-pointers in a season.   

Show hits for season-high 20 points vs. UMBC
Senior guard J.C. Show hit 6-of-11 from 3-point range for 20 points against UMBC on Feb. 13. That was his season-high and also the 11th time he has scored 20 or more in a BU uniform. Show has 836 points in 2+ seasons in a BU uniform, which ranks eighth all-time.   

Stewart surging on glass
Senior forward Caleb Stewart, recent member of the 1,000-point club (reached on Jan. 26 in win over Maine), is putting up big rebound numbers of late. In his last seven games, he is averaging 10.4 boaards, thanks to a record-tying string of five consecutive double-digit rebound games. He tied the program's Division I record, set by Mahamoud Jabbi in 2010-11. Stewart is fifth in the America East in rebounding (7.4) and also ranks third in the AE in blocks (1.8).   

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.