VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball returns to action this weekend when the Bearcats (1-10, 1-7 AE) welcome UMass Lowell (4-8, 3-5 AE) to the Events Center. The teams will play at 2 p.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday with both games being broadcast on ESPN3. 

Sophomore guard Brenton Mills leads BU with a 14.9 scoring average. Mills is shooting 44 percent from the field, including 43 percent from 3-point range. Sophomore guard Tyler Bertram is averaging 9.9 points, thanks primarily to 39 percent long-distance shooting. 

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
•    Bearcats will hit halfway point of conference slate after Saturday's game

About UMass Lowell
•    Have split their last two AE series' against NJIT and Hartford
•    Also split pair against Vermont before losing twice to Stony Brook
•    Boast leading scorer in conference in returning first team all-conference guard Obadiah Noel (21.2 ppg.)
•    Were picked to finish seventh of 10 in preseason poll
•    Return three starters but just 55% of scoring from a 13-19 team that led AE in scoring (75 ppg.), went 7-9 (6th) and lost in quarters to eventual finalist Hartford     
   
 All-time series vs. UMass Lowell
•    UML leads the all-time series 14-7, though BU has won two of last three
•    Teams split the season series last year with each team winning at home
•    UML won 85-66 at home on Jan. 11 and BU countered with an 86-84 win in Vestal on Feb. 20 (Sessoms 39 pts., Tinsley 15 pts.; BU shot 55%)
•    Teams are former Division II conference foes from the New England Collegiate Conference (1998-2000)
•    BU is 5-5 at home in the series but has lost three of last four head-to-head at Events Center
•    This is the highest-scoring matchup BU has with any AE opponent. The winning team during the last nine head-to-head games has averaged 79 points and the margin of victory during that span has been seven points 

Last Time Out
Binghamton was toppled by conference preseason favorite Vermont in a pair of home losses last weekend, 76-60 and 84-44. In Sunday's 40-point loss, BU shot a season-low 23 percent (2-for-28 from 3-point range). Sophomore center Bryce Beamer led with eight points and seven rebounds. 

Sophomore class carrying Bearcats
Binghamton is led by its core of eight sophomores. The group, led by leading scorer Brenton Mills (14.9 ppg.) and 3-point threat Tyler Bertram (9.9 ppg.), accounts for 87% of the team's scoring (607 of 695 pts.) and 85% of the team's total minutes (1902 of 2250 team minutes). 

Tough losses at the wire
Four of Binghamton's eight losses have come after BU had the ball inside one minute left with a chance to take the lead/win the game. Five of the losses have either come by seven or fewer points or overtime.   

Bertram heating up, shooting 43 percent from beyond arc in last eight
Sophomore guard Tyler Bertram has quickly emerged as a deep scoring threat in his first season as a Bearcat. In his last eight games, Bertram is averaging 11.9 points. He averaged 17.5 points on 44% shooting in the Hartford series and now has reached double figures in five of his last six games. Bertram currently ranks fourth in the AE in 3-pointers per game (2.3) and sixth in 3-point percentage (39%). In the Saturday loss against Vermont, Bertram contributed 13 points with a career-high six assists.   

Mills is team's go-to scorer 
Sophomore guard Brenton Mills continues to pace the Bearcats' offense. Setting aside his one non-start (Dec. 19 vs. Stony Brook) after sustaining an ankle injury, Mills is averaging 16.0 points in 10 starts. He has scored 20 or more points in two of his last five outings and ranks fourth in the America East in scoring (14.9 ppg.), third in 3-point percentage (43%) and fourth in 3-pointers per game (2.3). He has three 20+ point games so far this season.  

Sizzling first half at Hartford
On Jan. 3 at Hartford, BU made its first 10 shots, didn't miss a shot for the first 8:13 of the game, hit 15-of-18 to start and wound up shooting 71% for the half (17-of-24 FG). It was the highest percentage for a half (vs. a D-I opponent) since BU shot 74% in the first half vs. Northeastern on Jan. 21, 2004 (17 years ago). Binghamton's game shooting percentage of 59% (29-of-49) was the program's highest in four years (61% vs. Delaware St. on Dec. 17, 2016).
    
3-Ball Focus 
The Bearcats have made a conference-best nine 3-pointers per game, which ranks 46th in the country. They take an average of 27 long-range shots per game — nine more than their opponents. Binghamton also is ninth in the country in 3-point reliance, with 43% of their team points coming via the 3-ball.