VESTAL, N.Y. - After 13 non-conference games to open the 2019-20 season, Binghamton men's basketball (6-7) opens America East play by hosting longtime SUNY rival Albany (7-8) Saturday afternoon at the Events Center. The teams tip at 4 p.m. in a game broadcast on ESPN3. 

Sophomore guard Sam Sessoms leads three BU double-digit scorers with 19.0 points. Sessoms, the reigning America East Rookie of the Year, ranks first in the conference in assists (4.7) and is second in both scoring and steals (1.7). The freshmen tandem of George Tinsley (11.8 ppg.) and Brenton Mills (11.6) rank 1-2 in freshman scoring in the conference. Tinsley continues to lead the nation in minutes played, averaging more than 39 minutes. 

Binghamton will play its first two league games at home (Jan. 8 vs. UMBC) to start the 16-game America East slate. 

QUICK HITS
• This is Binghamton's 74th season of basketball, 19th at the Division I level
• BU was picked to finish T-6th (of 9) in the America East Preseason Poll
• BU returns just one starter and two scholarship players from 10-23 team
• This is the America East opener for both teams and the first of 16 straight league games (spanning eight weeks) to end the regular season for the Bearcats
• BU is 5-1 at home this season

Last time out
• BU ended its non-conference slate by rolling past Hartwick 98-45 on Sunday
• Freshmen Dan Petcash (25 pts.) and Brenton Mills (23) combined for 48 points and BU put a season-high 62 on the board in the second half to stretch a 15-point halftime cushion
• Sophomore guard Sam Sessoms (15 pts., 6 assists, 6 steals) and senior guard Richard Caldwell, Jr. (10 pts.) made it four players in double figures        

About Albany
• Second only to Vermont in all-time AE win percentage (.536) and league titles (5)
• Return 82% of its scoring from last season and its top five scorers from a team that went 12-20, finished tied for fifth in the AE (7-9) and lost in the quarters
• Boasts two all-conference players (Ahmad Clark and Cameron Healy) and was picked to finish fourth in the America East Preseason Coaches' Poll
• Started four freshmen down the stretch last season
• Four of the team's eight losses have come by six or fewer points
• Coming off a 67-66 win at Columbia on Monday
• Scored six points in final 12 seconds to steal game on road  

All-time series vs. Albany
• Albany leads the series, which dates back to 1948, 70-34
• Since both teams have been in the America East (2001), Albany leads 23-14
• Albany has won 17 of the last 18 after BU had won 13 of 19 previous games
• Albany swept the series last year, winning 64-50 at home and 73-58 in Vestal
• Albany owns a 38-19 advantage in games at West Gym/Events Center
• Binghamton's last win was a 79-66 home win two years ago (Jan. 15, 2018)

BU in America East Play
• The Bearcats are 111-181 (.380) in 18 years of America East play
• BU is 6-12 all-time in AE openers (1-5 home, 5-7 on road)
• This is just the seventh time in 19 years BU has opened AE play at home, but the third straight year the Bearcats have opened at the Events Center (beat UNH 69-58 in last year's opener on Jan. 5)
• BU has faced Albany twice in AE openers. They lost at Albany to begin the 2005-06 slate (70-65) and won at Albany to start the 2009-10 conference season (62-57).

Bearcats are eighth youngest team in nation
Binghamton is ranked No. 346 in experience (eighth youngest team in nation) by KenPom. The team's normal starting lineup is composed of three freshmen (Mills, Tinsley, Hjalmarsson), a sophomore (Sessoms) and a senior (Sarr).  

Petcash piles up numbers in win over Hartwick
Freshman guard Dan Petcash hit his season-high in several categories during BU's lopsided win over Division III Hartwick on Dec. 29. He tallied 25 points (5-of-9 3-pt.), nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 27 minutes. Petcash scored 18 of his points in the second half as BU pulled away.  

Sessoms sets school scoring records in OT win over Boston on Dec. 7  
Sophomore guard Sam Sessoms added to his resume with a record-setting performance against Boston University on Dec. 7. In BU's 84-79 overtime win at the Events Center, Sessoms broke single-game records for points (40) and field goals (15) — both records he previously shared. Sessoms scored 28 of his points after halftime (9 in OT) to break the old mark of 34 points that he shared with J.C. Show and Dusan Perovic. His 15 field goals broke the mark he set twice and also shared with three others.  

Tinsley leads nation in minutes played  
Freshman forward George Tinsley continues to lead the nation in minutes per game (39:19). Tinsley has played a full game six times this season, including all 45 minutes in the overtime win over Boston University on Dec. 7. He missed the Hartwick game, however, with a leg injury — the first college game he's missed.  

Trio of Tinsley, Mills and Sessoms loading up on minutes  
Binghamton's starting trio of freshmen George Tinsley (39.3 minutes/game), sophomore Sam Sessoms (34.4) and Brenton Mills (33.8) are 1-2-3 in the America East in minutes played.

Bearcats riding 3-point scoring  
BU ranks 26th in the country in made 3-pointers (115). They average 9.9 per game, which ranks second in the America East and 37th in the country. The Bearcats rank No. 4 in the country in 3-point reliance (Ken Pom), with 44% of its offense coming via the 3-ball.

Young BU lineup is delivering, sixth-best underclassmen % in nation  
Binghamton is receiving 78% of its offense from underclassmen and its top three scorers are all first or second-year players. That percentage ranks sixth-highest in the country.
Bearcats boast NCAA-best four different players with double-doubles. With the most recent double-double by senior guard Richard Caldwell, Jr., BU now has four different players produce a double-double this season — believed to be the most in the nation. Freshman forward George Tinsley has four, sophomore guard Sam Sessoms and senior forward Pierre Sarr have two apiece. That's the most of any BU team in school history. With freshman Dan Petcash's 25-point showing against Hartwick, BU now has five different players who have scored 20 or more points in a game this season (Sessoms 5x, Mills 2x, Tinsley 2x, Sarr 2x, Petcash).  

Bearacts among the America East, NCAA stat leaders  
Sophomore guard Sam Sessoms leads the America East in assists (4.7) and is second in both scoring (19.0) and steals (1.7/game). Sessoms also ranks third in free throw percentage (.816) and eighth in 3-point percentage (.308). Freshman forward George Tinsley leads the nation in minutes (39:19/game). Tinsley is second in the America East in rebounding (8.6) and is averaging 11.8 points, tops among conference freshmen. Senior forward Pierre Sarr is third in the AE in rebounding (8.3). Freshman guard Brenton Mills is second in the AE in 3-point percentage (.403) and fifth in 3-pointers per game (2.2).    

Sessoms already over 800 career points  
Sophomore guard Sam Sessoms is averaging 19.0 points this season and has quickly moved his career total to 835 points less than halfway through his second collegiate season. He currently ranks ninth in Div. I era scoring at Binghamton and his career average (18.2 ppg.) is on pace to reach 1K in early February (midway through conference play) and become the program's all-time scoring leader (1,705 pts.) by the end of his junior season. Sessoms is also on pace to surpass the 2,000-point mark by the time he graduates, which would make him a 2K scorer in both high school and college.  

Sarr nets 20 points in first game without mask  
After playing seven games with a mask to protect a broken nose, senior forward Pierre Sarr shed it for the Youngstown State game and delivered a game-high 20 points — his second 20+ game of the season. Sarr had his nose broken four minutes into the Nov. 10 game at No. 1 Michigan State. He had a recent string of four straight games with double-digit rebounds (13-14-15-11) and has two double-doubles this season.  

Mills sizzling from backcourt  
Freshman guard Brenton Mills has quickly and quietly become a crucial element to the Bearcats' starting lineup early in his collegiate career. He averages less than 10 shots per game but is averaging 11.6 points, xxth-best among America East freshmen, behind teammate George Tinsley. He is shooting 40% from 3-point range (2nd in AE) and ranks fifth in the league with 2.2 3-pointers per game. In his last outing, he scored a season-high 23 points against Hartwick, including 16 points in the first half. It was his second 20+ scoring game of the season and fifth game with 15 or more points.