VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball has added a home game against Youngstown State for this Sunday. One day after losing a game against Robert Morris, BU was able to lock in a replacement opponent - from the same Horizon League. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. at Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.

It will be the third straight year the two teams have played with the Penquins winning the first two matchups. The game will also be the final tuneup before BU opens conference play (Dec. 19 vs. Stony Brook).

The Bearcats have been led offensively by sophomore guard Brenton Mills (19.5 ppg., 52% FG) and senior center Thomas Bruce (13.0 ppg., 6.0 rpg.). 

QUICK HITS
•    This is Binghamton's 74th season of basketball, 20th at the Division I level
•    BU returns two starters and seven lettermen from a 10-19 team of a year ago
•    BU gets back three-year starting center Thomas Bruce after a two-year hiatus
•    This is the third straight year the teams are squaring off (BU is 0-2)
•    Game was scheduled on Friday after fellow Horizon League member Robert Morris had to cancel its trip to Vestal due to COVID protocols   

About Youngstown State
•    Return four starters and six letterwinners from an 18-15 team of a year ago
•    That team lost in the Horizon League quarters but gained a CIT postseason bid before the tournament was canceled due to COVID
•    Picked to finish second (of 12) in the preseason poll, behind only Wright State
•    Junior two-time all-league guard Darius Quisenberry (990 career pts.) averaged 16.6 points and 4.2 assists last season - both good for fifth in the Horizon League
•    Senior forward Naz Bohannon was named preseason second team and is closing in on the 1,000-point, 1,000-rebound club with 824 points and 725 rebounds. He was third in the Horizon League in boards last season (8.6/game).
•    Senior guard Garrett Covington (848 career pts.) gives YSU three players who are nearing the 1,000-point plateau    
   
 All-time series vs. Youngstown State
•    The Penguins lead 2-0 after posting a 58-48 win in Vestal on Dec. 15, 2018 and a 73-55 win last Dec. 18 in Youngstown, Ohio
•    In last season's matchup, YSU jumped out to a 39-22 halftime bulge and despite 20 points from senior center Pierre Sarr, BU could draw no closer than 12 in the second half as YSU remained unbeaten on its home floor (6-0)
•    Two years ago, visiting YSU led by nine at the break and limited BU to 33% shooting in the 10-point win at the Events Center
•    Binghamton is 0-3 all-time against members of the Horizon League (also 0-1 vs. Oakland)

Season Preview
•    BU must replace two-time all-star Sam Sessoms (1,151 pts.), three starters, 55% of its scoring and 48% of its rebounding from last season
•    Team will lean heavily on its sophomore class of eight, including returning America East Rookie of the Year George Tinsley and fellow All-Rookie Team member Brenton Mills (BU was only AE team with two players on the All-Rookie Team)
•    Tinsley (11.6 ppg.) and Mills (9.7 ppg.) are team's top two returning scorers
•    Senior center Thomas Bruce (708 career points, 535 rebounds, 117 blocks) returns after missing last two seasons with an injury. Bruce is a two-time America East All-Defensive Team selection and averaged 11.1 points and 8.8 rebounds (second in AE) in his last season (2017-18)
•    Key newcomers include Wisc.-Green Bay graduate transfer Hunter Crist (89 NCAA games) and UNC-Charlotte transfer Tyler Bertram (1,897 pts. in three high school seasons at nearby Cooperstown HS). Manhattan College transfer Christian Hinckson (42 starts in 2 seasons) will sit out this season.

Pair of tight games to open season  
The Bearcats opened their season with a home-and-home, weekend series against MAAC member Marist and both games were decided in the final minute. Binghamton rallied from six points down in the final 3:43 of Saturday's opener, forcing overtime with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. The Bearcats then had a shot to win the game in the closing seconds of OT, but a missed 3-pointer and subsequent free throws led to a 68-65 loss. One day later, BU nearly rallied from 11 points down in the final 3:27, and had a shot to take the lead with 13 seconds left before free throws closed out a 64-60 loss. 

Mills off to quick start in scoring column 
Sophomore guard Brenton Mills went for 20 and 19 points in his first two games and ranks second in the America East in scoring (19.5 ppg.). Mills shot 52% from the field and added 6.0 rebounds per game.

Bruce opens with weekend block party  
Senior center Thomas Bruce celebrated his return to the floor after 1,013 days away by recording six blocks in the opening two games. The 6-foot-9 post player ranked first in the America East in blocks (3.0) and 10th in the NCAA. 

Bertram makes splash in Bearcat debut  
Sophomore guard Tyler Bertram returned to Upstate NY (transfer from UNC Charlotte) and made his presence felt in his first game on the Events Center floor. The former Cooperstown High standout (1,897 pts. in 3 years) grabbed an over-the-top inbounds pass on the wing in Saturday's opener against Marist and swished in a game-tying 3-pointer at the regulation buzzer. Bertram contributed six points and five rebounds in 25 minutes of work in his BU debut.

Petcash hauls in career-record 11 boards  
Sophomore wing Dan Petcash set a career-high with 11 rebounds in Sunday's road game at Marist. Petcash, whose contributions often aren't visible on the stat sheet, pulled down 10 defensive boards and added four points and two assists in 29 minutes as a starter. His previous high rebound mark was nine vs. Hartwick last December. 

Latest start to season in 62 years  
With COVID dramatically affecting the start of the 2020-21 season, BU will now be opening its campaign on the latest date since the 1958-59 season, when Hall of Fame coach Frank Pollard and his Harpur College squad opened against Hobart on Dec. 5. The latest season-opener on record was a Dec. 9 home game against Wilkes to kick-off the 1952-53 season for coach John Natale and his Harpur team.

Sessoms departs for Penn State, Big Ten basketball  
Two-year guard Sam Sessoms, who accumulated 1,151 points (18.6/game) in two standout seasons at Binghmton transferred to Penn State in the off-season. Sessoms was a two-time all-conference selection, the 2019 America East Rookie of the Year and leaves as the program's No. 2 all-time scorer during its Division I era.  

2020-21 America East schedule features nine weekend series'
Binghamton's conference schedule will remain an 18-game set but due to COVID, will consist of double round-robin games at same sites to reduce travel. All 10 teams – including newcomer NJIT – will play nine weekend series' consisting of back-to-back games at the same site. The Bearcats will play five series' at home and four on the road. 

Bruce is back ... more than 1,000 days since his last Bearcat game 
When senior center Thomas Bruce took the floor on Dec. 5, it was more than 1,000 days (1,013) since he last played for the Bearcats — the longest gap between games of any current player (same team) in NCAA Division I. The layoff was 2 years, 9 months. Bruce last played in the regular-season finale at Albany on Feb. 27, 2018, when he had nine points, five rebounds and two blocks in 31 minutes. After playing 85 collegiate games, he missed the last two seasons due to post-concussion symptoms. In his first game back, he went for 14 pts., 10 rebs. and two blocks in 27 minutes against Marist on Dec. 5. Bruce entered his final collegiate season with career totals of 708 points, 535 rebounds (fourth at Binghamton) and 117 blocks (second). He is a two-time America East All-Defensive Team selection.   

2019-20 Highlights
• Broke school-record for 3-pointers with league-leading 278
• Three-pointers per game (9.6) ranked 20th in nation
• Had top scorer in America East and produced the best freshman in the conference for second straight year
• Had two of AE's top four rebounders and two of top seven 3-point shooters
• Freshman forward George Tinsley finished second in nation in minutes (38:23) and was the only freshman among the top-70
• Led America East in FT percentage (72%) - program's best in 12 years
• Posted highest scoring average in 11 years (69.4 ppg.) - third-highest in AE