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Binghamton University Athletics

Sessoms Mills

Men's Basketball Hosts UMBC Wednesday Night

| By: Sydney Harbaugh (sharbau1@binghamton.edu)

Bearcats and Retrievers tip-off at 7 p.m.

VESTAL, N.Y. — After opening conference play this past weekend, Binghamton men's basketball (6-8, 0-1 AE) hosts UMBC (7-9, 0-1 AE) Wednesday evening at the Events Center. The teams tip at 7 p.m. in a game broadcast on ESPN+. 

The Bearcats come into the game 5-2 at home while the Retrievers look to claim just their second road victory this season. 

ON THE AIR
  • Wednesday's conference matchup will tip at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+. 
  • The game can also be listened to on WNBF News Radio 1290 with Roger Neel. 

BEARCAT BRIEF
  • Sophomore guard Sam Sessoms leads three BU double-digit scorers with 19.2 points. Sessoms, the reigning America East Rookie of the Year, ranks first in the conference in assists (4.4), second in scoring (19.2) and third in steals (1.7). 
  • The freshmen tandem of George Tinsley (11.8 ppg.) and Brenton Mills (11.6) rank high in freshman scoring in the conference. 
  • Grad-transfer Pierre Sarr and Tinsley rank 3-4 in rebounding in the America East with 8.4, while Tinsley also holds fourth in blocked shots (1.3).
  • Tinsley continues to lead the nation in minutes per game (39:19). Tinsley has played a full 40 minutes seven times this season, including all 45 minutes in the overtime win over Boston University on Dec. 7. 
  • 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. He is shooting 38% from 3-point range (4th in AE) and ranks sixth in the league with 2.2 3-pointers per game. He's had two 20+ scoring games and six with 15 or more points.  

LAST TIME OUT
  • BU dropped it's America East opener to UAlbany 74-62
  • Sophomore Sam Sessoms scored a game-high 22 points while freshman Brenton Mills added 17
  • Pierre Sarr recorded his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds

SERIES HISTORY
  • This will be the 24th meeting all-time between UMBC and Binghamton.
  • UMBC leads the series 18-15.
  • The Retrievers have won the last seven meetings between the two schools.
  • Last season, UMBC won both games by double figures, holding the Bearcats to 49 and 50 points in the two contests.

SCOUTING UMBC
  • The Retrievers head to Vestal after suffering a heartbreaking 86-73 defeat to UMass Lowell on Saturday. K.J. Jackson drilled a buzzer-beating three to force overtime, but the River Hawks dominated the extra period, outscoring UMBC 20-7. Brandon Horvath led the way with 19 points and 11 rebounds with Ricky Council II pouring in a career-high 15 points on four three's.
  • UMBC has three players in double-digit scoring this season in Darnell Rogers (14.0), K.J. Jackson (12.7) and L.J. Owens (10.7).
  • Jackson is averaging 12.7 ppg while dishing out 4.6 assists per game. Owens is scoring at 10.7 ppg clip and is the only Retriever to play in and start every game. 
  • The Retrievers are averaging 71.1 ppg giving up just 68.0 ppg and are 6-2 at home compared to just 1-5 on the road.

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
  • It just one starter and two scholarship players from 10-23 team
  • The Bearcats are 5-2 at home this season
  • Binghamton is the 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).  
  • 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.
  • Binghamton's starting trio of freshmen George Tinsley (39.4 minutes/game), sophomore Sam Sessoms (34.6) and Brenton Mills (34.1) all sit in the top-5 in minutes played in the America East.
  • 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, who is averaging 19.0 points this season, has quickly moved his career total to 857 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 and become the program's all-time scoring leader (1,705 pts.) by the end of his junior season.
  • 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).  


 
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