POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Binghamton men's basketball nearly erased an 11-point deficit in the closing three minutes but host Marist hung on for a 64-60 win Sunday at the McCann Center.

One day after scoring a game-high 20 points in an overtime loss to the Red Foxes, sophomore guard Brenton Mills added a game-high 19 points and the Bearcats again came within one shot of pulling off a comeback win. Trailing 61-50 with three minutes left, BU embarked on a 10-1 run and had the ball down 62-60 with 32 seconds remaining. But an open 3-point look was short with 12 seconds left and Marist iced it with two free throws.

"I'm disappointed we were unable to get a win but the past two days have been really important," head coach Tommy Dempsey said. "To get out there and compete together in two close games that basically came down to the last possession will help our group."

Mills (7-for-11 FG) scored 12 of his points in the first half and added seven rebounds. Classmate George Tinsley flirted with a triple-double, tallying nine points, eight rebounds and a career-high eight assists. Tinsley scored five points in the final three minutes to lead the surge.

With 55 seconds left, sophomore guard Hakon Hjalmarsson hit a 3-pointer to cap the big run and pull BU to within two, 62-60. Hjalmarsson then forced a Marist turnover on the next possession – the third Red Foxes giveaway in the closing minutes – giving the Bearcats the ball and a chance for a go-ahead bucket in the final seconds.

Sparked by Mills, the Beacats led by as many as six points in the first half before a late 10-0 Marist run gave them a 30-28 halftime edge.

The second half margin teetered in single digits most of the way until the Red Foxes used an 8-2 run to reach double figures, setting up the aforementioned finish.

Sophomore guard Dan Petcash grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds and senior center Thomas Bruce added 12 points and four blocks before fouling out with 2:17 remaining.

Binghamton is next scheduled to open America East play by hosting Stony Brook on Dec. 19-20. But the Bearcats may add a game next weekend.