BANGOR, Maine – Maine (7-12, 1-5 America East) built a double-digit halftime lead and defeated visiting Binghamton men's basketball (8-11, 4-2 AE) 78-57 Sunday afternoon at the Cross Insurance Center.

The Bearcats entered the game in first place, thanks to a four-game win streak, but struggled throughout on offense, committing 19 turnovers and hitting just 2-of-13 from 3-point range. Maine built a 15-point lead halfway through the first period and never looked back, holding BU 13 points under its season scoring average.

"They came out and were super aggressive and we didn't react well," head coach Levell Sanders said. "We knew they were really good at stealing the ball, but we couldn't run our offense and they took it to us. We looked scared at the beginning of the game and they took advantage of it. In this league, you can't look at records and think it will determine the outcome. It's competitive and if you don't come out ready to play you will get your butt kicked, and that's what happened today. Now we have to regroup and be ready for Wednesday."

Down 11 at half, BU briefly brought it to single digits, 36-28, when senior guard Dan Petcash hit a 3-pointer 37 seconds into the second half. But Maine responded with an 11-2 run and maintained a comfortable lead throughout.

Petcash wound up with a team-high 13 points and graduate forward Miles Gibson added eight points and eight rebounds. Junior forward Armon Harried chipped in nine points.

The Bearcats had a rough start to the game, falling behind 23-8 after committing 10 turnovers in the game's first 13 minutes. Binghamton went nearly eight minutes without a field goal and a Black Bears 11-1 run gave them the 15-point cushion. Graduate forward Christian Hinckson scored seven points to help BU trim its margin to 11, 36-25, at intermission.

Binghamton hosts Vermont Wednesday at the Events Center.