VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball looks to maintain its top-3 position in the conference standings when the Bearcats (8-9, 5-3 America East) host UMBC (8-10, 3-4 AE) at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Events Center. It's the final game in a month that has seen BU make a dramatic move toward the top of the league standings with six wins in nine games. 

In conference play, BU has three players scoring in double figures, led by junior guard Jacob Falko (17.5 ppg.). Sophomore guard John McGriff (11.5 ppg.) and junior forward Christian Hinckson (11.5 ppg., 8.4 rpg.) have spearheaded the uprising.    

QUICK HITS
• This is Binghamton's 76th season of basketball, 21st in the America East
• The 2021-22 season marks the NCAA coaching debut of Levell Sanders, who was elevated to the head coach position in March after two seasons as an assistant coach. Sanders previously coached five years in the Czech Republic after a 17-year pro career overseas
• This is the last of BU's hectic 4-games-in-8-days stretch
• Today's game will mark the halfway point in the conference schedule  

About Binghamton
• Split two games with Hartford in 3-day span, losing on road 72-60 Wednesday
• Struggled out of gate in West Hartford, falling behind 20-7 eight minutes in and couldn't bring it back to single digits the rest of the way (team shot 35% FG)
• George Tinsley (15 pts., 8 rebs.) and Bryce Beamer (14 pts.) led offense
• Beamer had first action in nearly a month and hit 4-of-4 from 3-point range
• Leaders Jacob Falko and Christian Hinckson were held to six total points
• John McGriff reached double digits (10 pts.) for fifth straight game

About UMBC
• Coming off 73-69 home win over NJIT on Wednesday
• Leading scorer Keondre Kennedy poured in 31 points on 12-of-16 FG
• Return eight lettermen and three starters from 2020-21 team that went 14-6 and earned No. 1 seed for AE tourney (lost in semifinals to UMass Lowell)
• Two departed starters are big losses though: top two scorers and first team all-conference players (R.J. Eytle-Rock and Joe Horvath)
• Five-foot-2 guard Darnell Rogers was All-Defensive Team pick last year
• Were picked to finish fifth in Coaches' Preseason Poll
• Have had uneven performances this season: huge road wins over Maine (42 pts.) and NJIT (20 pts) but home losses to UMass Lowell and Albany. Also throttled common non-conference foe Columbia by 38 points (BU lost in OT)

All-time series vs. UMBC
• The Retrievers hold a slim 20-19 lead in series, which dates back to 2003-04 when UMBC joined the America East
• Binghamton leads the series in Vestal, 11-7 (last 79-75 win on Jan. 8, 2020)
• BU has won three of the last four meetings after UMBC had run off 7 straight
• Last season the teams split the weekend series in Baltimore with UMBC winning 74-67 before BU responded with a 75-69 win  

A win over UMBC would ...
• Give BU six conference wins, the most the program has had since going 8-8 in 2009-10 (12 years ago)

Tinsley turns newfound minutes into production
Junior forward George Tinsley was afforded more minutes in the two-game Hartford series (27.5 min/game) than the previous five games combined. Tinsley produced a team-high 11 rebounds in the Jan. 24 win over Hartford and added team-highs of 15 points and eight boards in the loss two days later. He now has moved into eighth place on BU's career rebound list (393) and is seven boards away from the 400 mark. Tinsley is shooting 48% from the field (68% inside arc) this season.

Bearcats are cranking out 20-point performances
Binghamton has had 10 instances of a 20+ point performance through its first 17 games. A league-best five different players have reached the plateau, led by junior guard Jacob Falko, who has five. Junior guard Tyler Bertram has done it twice and the others to reach 20 or more in a game are Kellen Amos, Christian Hinckson and Dan Petcash.

Falko among America East leaders
Junior guard Jacob Falko has made a strong debut in the America East after transferring to Binghamton from Big South member Gardner-Webb (N.C.). In eight conference games, Falko is averaging 17.5 points on 53 percent shooting (61% inside the arc). He has five 20+ point performances and ranks second in the conference in assists (4.6/game), fourth in scoring, fifth in field goal percentage and sixth in free throw shooting (84%).  

Hinckson filling up stat sheet
Junior forward Christian Hinckson has become a key contributor since moving into the starting lineup. In eight conference games, Hinckson is averaging 11.5 points and a team-high 8.4 rebounds. He has produced three double-doubles and notched a career-high 20 points in Monday's win over Hartford. He ranks second in the America East in rebounds and third in both blocks (1.5/game) and field goal percentage (55%).

McGriff stepping up in America East play
Sophomore guard John McGriff has raised his game in conference play. In his last five outings, McGriff is averaging 12.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists. He has double-digit points in five straight games and nine on the season.
 
Bearcats Among Stat Leaders
Nearly halfway through conference play, BU ranks among the league's top-3 in a handful of categories. Binghamton leads the league in rebounds (37.5/game), is second in 3-point defense (31%) and third in scoring (69.8), shooting (44%), blocks (3.5/game) and field goal percentage defense (42%).