VESTAL, N.Y. - Riding a three-game win streak, Binghamton men's basketball plays a rare morning game when the Bearcats (3-2) meet preseason NEC favorite Sacred Heart (3-2) Tuesday in Fairfield, Conn. The teams tip at 11:30 a.m at William H. Pitt Center.

Binghamton begins a stretch of three-of-four on the road after impressive back-to-back wins over Loyola (63-57) and Marist (82-59). 

ABOUT SACRED HEART

• Sit at 3-2 after 66-51 win against familiar BU opponent Loyola on Saturday - three days after BU beat the Greyhounds by six
• Opened up 15-point halftime lead over Loyola before teams played an even second half
• Junior forward Tanner Thomas led SHU with 19 points (6-9 FG)
• Return four starters and 10 lettermen from team that won 16 games and reached NEC semifinals before falling to eventual NEC champion Merrimack  
• Scored 80 or more points four straight games to start season
• This is second of four games that Pioneers will play against America East members (lost 85-80 at UMBC on Nov. 17)
• Picked to finish first (of nine) in the 2023-24 NEC Preseason Poll
• Senior guard Nico Galette and graduate guard Joey Reilly reigning all-conference selections
• Galette (15.4 ppg., 6.7 rpg.) also earned all-region accolades

ALL-TIME SERIES vs. SACRED HEART

• BU leads the all-time series 5-2
• Sacred Heart snapped a four-game Bearcats' win streak in the series with a 75-60 win last Nov. 19 in Vestal, N.Y.
• In that game last season, Sacred Heart overcame an early 12-1 deficit to win by double-digits. The Bearcats struggled from beyond the three-point arc, hitting just 5-of-20. The Pioneers shot nearly 50% from the floor in the second half (17-of-35 FG) and knocked down five of their seven three-pointers in the period.
• After playing three straight games decided by five or fewer points, the last two matchups have been double-digit margins.
• BU is 20-17 all-time against teams from the Northeast Conference  

WALKER COMING OFF CAREER-HIGH GAME
Sophomore forward Chris Walker showed off his shooting touch Saturday against Marist, hitting 7-of-9 shots for a career-high 19 points. Sporting a high-arcing 3-point path, Walker drained 5-of-7 - also a career-best performance. He added seven rebounds in 22 minutes.

HARRIED TWO POINTS AWAY FROM 1,000
Graduate forward Armon Harried is closing in on 1,000 career points, sitting at 998. He played his first three seasons at Canisius and is in his second season with the Bearcats.

THREE STRAIGHT OPPONENTS HELD UNDER 60 POINTS
Binghamton has held its last three opponents to under 60 points. The last time that happened was 13 years ago when the 2010-11 team kept Hartford, Albany and Boston University under 60 in successive games. The program record is six straight opponents held under 60, set by the 2004-05 team.

DEFENSE STANDING FIRM
Through five games, BU has held opponents to just 37% shooting (29% from 3-point range). If that trend keeps up, the Bearcats will set a record for opposing FG percentage. In 22 years of Division I play, Binghamton has never kept opponents under 40% shooting. Last season, BU opponents made 44% of their shots.

TORRENCE LEADS AMERICA EAST IN ASSISTS
Graduate guard Symir Torrence is quickly adding up his assist total to start 2023-24. He has 32 assists in five games (6.4/game), which leads the America East by 1.4 per game. Sam Sessoms holds the BU Division I record for season assist average (4.8 in 2019-20). He also ranks sixth in the AE in minutes (31.8) and eighth in field goal percentage (54.1%).  

NINES AND NEAR-MISSES
The Bearcats have displayed a balanced lineup with nine players averaging 15 or more minutes. The stat sheet has also shown a balance with no 20+ scoring performances or double-doubles. Several Bearcats have come close though. Chris Walker had 19 points (in just 22 minutes) against Marist. Graduate guard Dan Petcash was just one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Against Keystone, freshman forward Gavin Walsh had 12 rebounds and nine points and graduate guard Symir Torrence had 10 points and nine assists (and eight rebounds).  

PAGENTINE BACK IN FAIRFIELD
Binghamton video coordinator Chris Pagentine returns to his most recent coaching stop. Before coming to Binghamton in July, he spent the 2022-23 season working at Sacred Heart as video coordinator and director of analytics under SHU head coach Anthony Latina.  

BALOGUN A BEAST IN THE POST
Senior Tariq Balogun delivered one of his finest collegiate performances in the win at Loyola on Nov. 15. The 6-foot-10 center hit 8-of-10 shots for a team-high 16 points and added four rebounds and two blocks. Balogun scored 10 of those points in the pivotal second half and his block with 10 seconds left secured the road win.  

HOTEL ALARM DOESN'T DETER BEARCATS  
Binghamton's preparation for the Loyola game on Nov. 15 certainly didn't include a 5:15 a.m. wake-up call at the Baltimore Inner Harbor hotel. But the loud and urgent, clear-out-of-the-building message sent the players, coaches and staff scurrying down eight flights of stairs toward the lobby. The false alarm beat the alternative but cost the Bearcats some sleep on gameday. But BU didn't show any signs of sluggishness, jumping out to a 12-1 lead and ultimately holding Loyola 18 points below its season scoring average in the road win.  

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