VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball begins a stretch of three-games-in-seven-days when the Bearcats (1-2) travel to Baltimore to face Loyola (1-1) on Wednesday. The teams tip at 7 p.m. at Reitz Arena in a game broadcast on ESPN+.

After back-to-back lopsided games at ACC member Pitt and vs. Division III Keystone, BU looks to gauge its standing against its first comparable opponent in 2023-24. The Bearcats are coming off a 104-50 win over Keystone on Sunday. In that game, BU put five in double figures, shot 59 percent and limited the Giants to 27 percent shooting.

• Coming off 77-75 overtime win at Brown on Saturday
• Won game thanks to a 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left in OT
• Loyola rallied from four down in final 38 seconds of regulation
• Opened season with 93-73 loss at SEC member Florida
• Gators opened with 19-2 run before Greyhounds played final 33 minutes within three points
• This will be Loyola's home opener
• Return  two starters and 12 players from 13-20 team that went 7-11 in Patriot League but won five of its last six
• Team took eight-day, three-game August international trip to Spain
• Picked 6th of 10 in Patriot League Preseason Poll

All-Time Series vs. Loyola

• Loyola leads 6-1 and has won three straight by an average margin of 15 points
• Last Nov. 30 in Vestal, visiting Loyola ended the game with a decisive 16-4 run to pull away, 84-70. The game featured 11 lead changes and was a two-point affair with less than five minutes remaining. The Greyhounds led by three at the break and then shot 71 percent in the second half.
• The last BU head-to-head win was 77-64 at Loyola in 2017
• The Bearcats are 10-34 all-time against the Patriot League  

BU pumps in 104 points against Keystone
After enduring a tough two-game opening gauntlet against Big Ten member Northwestern and ACC member Pitt on the road, BU returned home and dismantled Division III foe Keystone Sunday night, 104-50. It was the most points the Bearcats have scored since putting 110 up against Hartwick in 2021. Binghamton shot 63% in the first half, built a 37-point cushion and cruised from there, holding Keystone to 27% FG.

Bearcats push Northwestern to wire
Binghamton played one of its best games in program history against a Power 5 opponent on Nov. 6 and extended its upset bid to the final two minutes before falling 72-61. The Bearcats put five players in double figures, led by as many as 11 points and didn't relinquish its lead until there were less than 11 minutes remaining. BU kept within striking distance until NU tacked on late free throws in the final 48 seconds. Senior guard Tymu Chenery led BU with 13 points in 25 minutes before fouling out. He was plus 13 while on the floor — the second-best plus/minus of anyone who played for either team.

Power 5 foes impressed with Binghamton
"We had our hands full tonight. I knew this was going to be a difficult challenge after watching them on film. They are veterans and athletes and I knew they would play freely. Because we couldn't get stops, they got a lot of confidence. And you come to halftime and you know you are in for a dog fight. Give Binghamton a lot of credit. Levell should be proud of his team … they fought their tails off tonight. In the first half they really had us on our heels. They were getting the ball out fast and were pushing the ball. They were getting quick drives, getting to the basket and making 3s. They were able to exploit us with spacing and driving kicks. The game was going too fast for us … they got after us with their physicality and quickness and that didn't play into our hands." — Northwestern Coach Chris Collins

"We played against a team that is older ... a veteran, hard-playing team. They came after us defensively to start the game. They play really hard." - Pitt Coach Jeff Capel  

Homecoming for Harried, Walsh, Coach Johnson
Graduate forward Armon Harried and freshman forward Gavin Walsh will return to their hometowns in Baltimore. Harried played scholastically at Lake Clifton High School, three miles away from Reitz Arena. Walsh played at Loyola Blakefield, located just four miles away. In addition, associate head coach Brian Johnson hails from Annapolis, played scholastically at Mount St. Joseph High (and then Univ. Delaware) and coached at UMBC (assistant coach, 3 years) and Prince George's Community College (head coach, 2 years).    

Freshman Ashe strong out of gate, earns Rookie of Week honors 
Freshman guard Evan Ashe had a memorable collegiate debut Friday night at Pitt. After not playing in BU's opening game at Northwestern, Ashe got his turn against the ACC host Panthers and shined. He hit 6-of-9 shots, including 3-of-5 from three-point range, to compile a team-high 15 points in 23 minutes. Ashe backed that up with a 19-point showing Sunday against Keystone and with a two-game average of 17.0 points on 68% shooting, he was named America East Rookie of the Week. Ashe becomes the fourth Bearcat rookie to earn the honors in his first week of collegiate competition (Ben Dickinson, 2011; Nick Madray, 2013; Sam Sessoms 2018).

Torrence flirts with triple-double ... in 19 minutes of action 
Graduate guard Symir Torrence quietly came close to a triple-double against Keystone, despite playing less than 20 minutes. Torrence produced 10 points, nine assists and eight rebounds before being rested after going just six minutes in the second half. His nine assists is the most of any America East player thus far this season. Binghamton hasn't had a triple-double since all-time scoring leader and Hall of Fame member Chris Jackey '90 did it in his senior season (Div. III).