VESTAL, N.Y, - Binghamton men's basketball put four players in double figures and shot 59 percent from the floor to defeat visiting D'Youville 88-56 in an exhibition game Wednesday night at Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center. With Power 5 games looming at Northwestern (Mon.) and Pitt (Fri.), the Bearcats ramped up with a balanced team performance.

"I liked that we were able to get up and down the court and be aggressive," head coach Levell Sanders said. "I knew we would have a lot of nervousness today. But I like that we ran and got some points in the paint. We have room for improvement but this was a good start for us. Now we have to build off this and get better." 

Sophomore guard Chris Walker tallied 14 points and six rebounds and was a team-best plus-30 on the floor. Senior guard Tymu Chenery also finished with 14 points and chipped three assists and a steal. Also in double figures were senior forward Nehemiah Benson and freshman guard Evan Ashe with 10 points each. Benson hit 4-of-5 field goals and added six boards in 14 minutes of work. Ashe hit 5-of-9 from the floor. Thirteen different players hit the scoring column.

Binghamton broke away from a 9-9 tie five minutes into the contest and used a 20-2 run to pull away. Five different players scored during the run, which spanned 6:20 and finished with BU holding a 29-11 lead. The Bearcats led by as many as 23 points before settling on a 46-23 halftime cushion. 

The second half was tighter with the Bearcats only adding nine points to their winning margin. 

Next up for BU is a trip to Evanston, Ill. and a season-opening matchup with reigning NCAA tournament team and Big Ten member Northwestern Monday night at Welsh Ryan Arena.