VESTAL, N.Y. - Having won three straight and seven of nine, Binghamton men's basketball will face a big test when the Bearcats (7-4) travel to Olean for a Friday night encounter with Atlantic-10 member St. Bonaventure (7-3). The teams tip at 7 p.m. at the Reilly Center, named one of the nation's top-10 most difficult places for opponents to play by ESPN.  

Binghamton is coming off a 74-69 home win over Niagara on Tuesday. In that game, senior center Tariq Balogun poured in a career-high 21 points and BU led for 30+ minutes. Graduate forward Armon Harried contributed a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds and graduate point guard Symir Torrence tallied 11 points, nine boards and seven assists. Torrence ranks ninth in the nation in assists. 

Senior guard Tymu Chenery leads BU in scoring (14.6 ppg.). Graduate forward Dan Petcash (10.0 ppg.) is Binghamton's other double-digit scorer. 

ABOUT ST. BONAVENTURE

• Have been idle since losing to No. 15 Florida Atlantic 64-54 last Saturday, Dec. 16 in Springfield, Mass. (Basketball HOF Classic)
• Return all five starters from 14-win team (11-4 at home) that beat A-10 champ VCU during regular season
• Had won seven of previous nine, including 66-64 victory over Oklahoma State on Nov. 16 at Barclays Center
• Also own 94-60 win over common foe Niagara (Dec. 6 at NU)
• Averaging 74.0 ppg. (highest in six years) and allowing 65 ppg.
• Boast four active 1,000-point scorers
• Fifth-year guard Charles Pride (11.9 ppg., 6.3 reb.) was a four-year standout at Bryant (1,528 pts.) before coming to Olean
• Reserve Moses Flowers was America East all-conference in his three seasons at Hartford (2019-22)
• Picked third out of 15 in A-10 Poll (behind Dayton and VCU)
• Nation's most experienced team (avg. of 3.6 years of experience)
• Ranked 73rd in NCAA Net (ahead of Syracuse, Northwestern)

ALL-TIME SERIES vs. ST. BONAVENTURE

• St. Bona leads 5-1 and has won four straight in the series
• Teams haven't played in eight years (2015)
• The last game was a St. Bona 63-53 win in Olean. In that game, BU held the hosts to 37% shooting but managed just 30% themselves and the Bonnies stretched a four-point halftime lead, thanks to 14-of-15 FT in the second half (4,277 attendance)
• The lone BU win in the series was 64-59 on Dec. 30, 2007 in Vestal
• BU is just 3-18 all-time against teams from the A-10 with wins coming against St. Bona (2007), GW (2007) and La Salle (2009)

BALOGUN BACK WITH BIG GAME
Coming off a three-week gap between games due to injury, senior Tariq Balogun celebrated his return with a career-high 21 points in the win over Niagara on Tuesday. The 6-10 center hit 7-of-10 shots and made 7-of-8 from the line. He played a career-high 30 minutes and added seven boards and two blocks to his totals. The team was +13 with him on the floor — the best plus/minus of any player in the game.  

TIGHTENED LINEUP AGAINST NIAGARA
Head coach Levell Sanders used just eight players in the Niagara game — equaling his shortest rotation of the season. It was the most lopsided margin between BU starters (67) and bench (7).

BALANCED SCORING, REBOUNDING
Binghamton has six players averaging 8.0 or more points. By comparison, last season's team only had four in that range. Four different players have led the team in game scoring this season (Chenery 6, Ashe 2, Balogun 2, Walker). Six different players have been the top rebounder.  

TORRENCE LEADS AMERICA EAST, RANKS 9th IN NCAA IN ASSISTS
Graduate guard Symir Torrence has moved near the top of the nation in assists. With at least five assists in every game this season, he has totaled 74, which currently ranks tied for ninth in the country (6.7/game). That average also leads the America East by nearly two per game. Sam Sessoms holds the BU Division I record for season assist average (4.8 in 2019-20). Torrence also leads BU in rebounding (6.2) and is third in scoring (9.9). He has reached double figure points in three straight games and four of five.

BEARCATS WIN CORRIDOR CLASH
Binghamton toppled Le Moyne on Dec. 9 in the first "Battle for the Interstate" rivalry game between the two I-81 schools that are separated by 81 miles. The promotion drew a season-high 3,583 (81% capacity).

CHENERY NAMED AMERICA EAST PLAYER OF WEEK
After a stellar showing against Le Moyne on Dec. 9, senior guard Tymu Chenery was named America East Player of the Week. He produced a 31-point, 12-rebound showing for first career double-double. Chenery hit 13-of-17 shots, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range, and added four blocks and two assists for measure. His 13 field goals matched the most of any AE player this season. He scored 16 points in first half and 15 more in second. The performance capped a run of 20+ points in four-of-five games.

UNBEATEN AT HOME
Binghamton is 5-0 at home to start the season. It equals the best home start to a season in the program's 23-year Division I tenure. The overall record for most home wins to start a season is seven, set by the Division III 1992-93 team that went 19-9 overall, including an 11-6 mark at home. Last season, BU went 8-7 at home, including a 3-4 mark in non-conference games. The best home record for an entire season is 12-2, (86%), set by the 2008-09 championship team.  

FAST STARTING BEARCATS
Binghamton has enjoyed some separation during the first 10 minutes of games this season. In the opening five minutes, BU is +10 in points but between the 15-minute and 10-minute mark, the Bearcats have really turned it on, owning a +30 point differential. Thus, during the first 10 minutes, BU is +38 and has been tied or ahead in eight of 11 games (all but Pitt, Sacred Heart and Colgate). The Bearcats are +30 at the half and then are +3 in the second half. Both BU and its opponents are scoring at a higher rate in the second half (BU +3.2, opponent +5.7)

FEAST OR FAMINE
The Bearcats have played just three of 11 games that were decided by single digits this season and only one whose margin was five or fewer points —and that was BU's most recent game, a 74-69 win over Niagara. The average margin of victory for either team in the other eight games (where BU is 4-4) has been a whopping 24 points.

STAT COMPARISONS TO LAST SEASON
Almost one-third of the way through the regular-season and BU has seen an uptick in several key team statistics from a year ago. The Bearcats are averaging 74 points, an increase of 5 ppg. from last year. They are also averaging 5 more rebounds per game (39.5 this season). The team is shooting 46% this season (45% last year). They are holding opponents to 41% shooting, better than last year's 44% mark. Three-point shooting has remained at 32% from last season but the makes per game have bumped up a half-point to 6.1.

BEARCATS PROTECTING THE RIM
Binghamton ranks second in the America East and 31st in the country with 57 blocks (5.2/game). The Bearcats also are second in the AE in rebound margin (+4.4) and rank 32nd in the nation in defensive rebounds (28.9/game).  

NOTABLE TEAM TRENDS
The Bearcats are 7-0 when outshooting opponents and 6-0 when holding opponents to under 40% shooting. Binghamton is 6-1 when holding the rebounding edge. In scoring, BU is 8-2 when putting at least three players in double figures. When BU holds its opponent under 70, it is 6-0. Binghamton has held a halftime lead in eight of 11 games and is 6-1 in those games.  

CHENERY NEXT UP FOR 1K POINTS
With Armon Harried reaching the 1,000-point plateau in November, focus now turns to teammates Tymu Chenery (803 pts.) and Dan Petcash (740) in their quest for 1K. If both players keep up their season scoring marks, Chenery would reach 1K in mid-February and Petcash would be close by the end of the regular season.  

BINGHAMTON SECOND IN ATTENDANCE
Binghamton currently sits in second place in America East home attendance at 1,985. The Bearcats only trail UAlbany (2,051), which has been aided by the re-opening of its renamed Broadview Center (formerly SEFCU Arena) after a year of renovations. Vermont is third (1,840) and UMBC is fourth (1,554).

AMERICA EAST BRAG RIGHTS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
The America East has had a strong start to the 2023-24 season. Seven of nine programs are at .500 or better and all nine have combined to go 55-43 (.561) so far this season. In the Dec. 11 NCAA Net data, two AE teams ranked in the top 150 (out of 362): UMass Lowell (82) and Vermont (138). UNH (158) and Maine (166) are others among the top half of the nation and top 20 regional peers. The AE sits higher as a conference than the CAA, Patriot League, MAAC and NEC in the NET data. Bryant owns a win over No. 10 FAU and UMass Lowell toppled Power 5 program Georgia Tech. Vermont is 8-3, 5-1 at home. Binghamton is at #237 — 104 spots higher than BU was at this time last season.

20-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF EVENTS CENTER
This January will mark the 20-year anniversary of the Events Center — BU's home venue (4,429 capacity this season). The inaugural game in the $33.1 million building was Jan. 31, 2004 (a 75-68 win over Hartford). The venue has hosted multiple America East Championships (2005, 2006, 2008) and the marquee game — the 2009 America East championship game when the top-seeded Bearcats beat defending champion UMBC 61-51 to capture the program's only conference title and NCAA berth. Heading into this season, the Bearcats are 115-149 all-time in the Events Center (44%). Binghamton has led the America East in home attendance in 10 of the last 18 years. Last year BU finished second (2,110/game) to Vermont.