VESTAL, N.Y. - Juniors Jacob Falko and Tyler Bertram scored 20 points apiece to pace Binghamton men's basketball (4-6, 1-0 America East) in a 68-63 win over visiting UMass Lowell (8-5, 0-1 AE) Sunday afternoon at Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center. 

Despite playing without three starters, BU maintained an edge through the entire second half and sealed the win with five free throws in the final 40 seconds. Bertram scored 13 of his 20 points in the second period and Falko iced it with two free throws with 0:14 remaining. Junior center Taveion White put an exclamation point on the victory with a soaring block on the next River Hawks possession.

"Once we got going, we were able to sustain that level," head coach Levell Sanders said. "I thought we had 32-33 minutes where we played well. We have to be able to do this together ... and we want to have a good balance, like we did today. Hopefully we can keep this momentum. If we play as a team, it shows what we are capable of."

The Bearcats put four in double figures as sophomore guard Kellen Amos tallied 12 points and senior guard Christian Hinckson added his first collegiate double-double with 11 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Falko hit 9-of-10 free throws to aid his total and Bertam drilled 4-of-5 from 3-point range to reach the 20-point level for the second time this season. 

Neither team led by more than eight points and the game featured 13 lead changes in the first half. Falko's 10 points paced BU to a 32-28 halftime lead. Four times the Bearcats extended their cushion to eight points, only to see UMass Lowell tighten it. Bertram provided the last push when he rebounded his own missed free throw and converted the driving layup to give BU a 63-55 lead with 47 seconds remaining. The River Hawks whittled the margin back to three, 66-63, with 22 seconds left, setting up Falko's clinching points from the line, where BU was 20-for-25 for the game. 

Binghamton is next scheduled to play at Albany on Thursday before returning to the Events Center to face NJIT on Saturday.