VESTAL, N.Y. - Looking to extend the team's five-game win streak as conference play approaches, Binghamton men's basketball (7-6) travels to West Point to meet Army (5-5) on Sunday. The teams tip at 1 p.m. at Christl Arena in a game broadcast on ESPN+.

Binghamton is coming off an exciting 62-60 home win over Mercyhurst on Wednesday. In that game., Senior guard Chris Walker converted a low-post feed from classmate Wes Perterson, Jr. with 0.6 left for the winning points. In a see-saw game that featured 14 ties and 10 lead changes, the Bearcats had a potential go-ahead basket blocked out of bounds with 2.1 seconds left. On the ensuing inbounds, Walker found a late-breaking Peterson on a curl to the basket. Peterson quickly returned the ball to Walker on the left side of the rim and his lay-in just beat the buzzer. A last-ditch Mercyhurst inbounds was intercepted by Walker at midcourt. Graduate guard Tymu Chenery led all scorers with 19 points and added three blocks and two steals. 

Chenery leads the team in scoring (13.9 ppg.). Walker (12.2), graduate forward Ben Callahan-Gold (11.1) and senior forward Nehemiah Benson (10.2) are also hitting for double figures. 
 

ABOUT ARMY WEST POINT

•    Sit at 5-5 after a 75-60 loss at George Washington on Dec. 13

•    Have been idle for eight days

•    Are 4-1 at home with lone loss being a 103-84 setback to Cornell on Dec. 8

•    Beat fellow America East member UAlbany 67-59 in season opener

•    Roster of 24 players with 23 having played minutes this season

•    Led by two-time Patriot League all-conference guard Jalen Rucker, who didn't play last season but returned to team this winter

•    Rucker went off for 34 points, 13 rebounds in wild 103-100 3OT win at Le Moyne on Dec. 3

•    Picked 7th of 10 in PL Preseason Poll (one spot behind Lafayette, who Bearcats beat)

•    Return top two scorers (Scovens, Curry) from 10-22 team that went 6-12 in PL last year

•    Curry was the PL Rookie of the Year last season 

 

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. ARMY

•    Army leads 9-5 but Bing has won two straight and three of last four

•    Army is 7-1 at home in the series with Bing's lone win coming in its inaugural D1 season

•    Army leads 7-3 since both programs were Division I

•    Last November Bing won 75-68 in Events Center

•    In that game, Guards Tymu Chenery and Symir Torrence combined for 43 points and Binghamton never trailed. The Bearcats led by as many as 19 points in the second half before the Black Knights doubled up BU over an 11-minute span (32-16) to pull within three points, 71-68, with 41 seconds left. But Binghamton made four free throws in the final 0:33 to hang on. The Bearcats left the door open by missing 12 free throws, seven in the final four minutes.

•    This the second and last matchup vs. Patriot League opponents (Lafayette)

•    BU is 13-35 all-time vs. Patriot League

WIN STREAK

The Bearcats are unbeaten in December and have won five in a row, the longest streak in seven years. The 2017-18 team won seven in a row. The program's Division I record is 11 in a row, set by the 2008-09 championship team., During the current win streak, Bing is shooting 50% as a team (41% from 3-point) and is averaging 75.2 points on offense, while giving up 67.

WALKER ON A TEAR

Senior guard Chris Walker has nearly doubled his season scoring average since moving into the starting lineup on Nov. 29. As a starter (6 games), Walker is averaging 18.8 points. In his last four, he is averaging 22.3 points on 68% shooting. He's been even more dialed in from 3-point range. In his last four games, Walker is shooting a sizzling 70% from beyond the arc (16-for-23). In his last five games, he has produced point totals of 20-30-22-17.  For the season, he is shooting 55% from the field (3rd in AE), including 51% from 3-pt. range.   

FIND A WAY TO 70, 45% SHOOTING

This year, when the Bearcats reach 70 points on offense, they are 6-0 and when they don't, they are 1-6. The trend is a continuation from last season, when 70 became a line of demarcation. Last season when BU held its opponent under 70 (in regulation), it was 12-2. When opponents reached the 70-point mark, BU was 3-12. When the Bearcats scored 70 or more points (in regulation), they were 10-4. Under 70 they were 5-10. This season, when the Bearcats shoot 45% or higher, they are 7-1. When shooting below that threshold, they are 0-5. 

WALSH STILL LEADS AE IN REBOUNDING

Sophomore forward Gavin Walsh continues to lead the America East in rebounding (9.2) by 1.3 boards per game over Earl Timberlake of Bryant (7.9). Walsh has posted double-digit rebounds in six of 12 games. He also leads the conference and ranks 13th in the nation with five double-doubles, thanks to a stretch of four consecutive (one shy of the school record). Walsh is close to averaging a double-double for the season (9.6 ppg., 9.2 rpg.). The last Bearcat to make a run at averaging a double-double for the season was all-conference freshman Jordan Reed in 2012-13. Reed averaged 16.6 points and a school-record 9.5 rebounds.  

BEARCATS NEAR TOP OF AMERICA EAST RANKINGS

Binghamton is asserting itself in the conference rankings during the early portion of the season. The Bearcats lead the America East in field goal percentage defense (40%) and defending against the 3-pointer (28%). The team also ranks second in 3-point shooting (38%) and third in scoring defense (70.2 ppg.), field goal shooting (47%), 3-pointers per game (7.9), rebounds (35.5) and rebound margin (+1.7).

CHENERY PILING UP NUMBERS

Graduate guard Tymu Chenery is filling up the stat sheet in his final collegiate season. He has scored in double figures in 11 of 13 games and leads the Bearcats in points (13.9), assists (3.1) and blocks (1.3)  and is among the America East top-10 in six categories: minutes (34.3, 3rd), blocks (1.3, 5th), field goal percentage (48%, 7th), assists (3.1, 8th), scoring (13.9, 9th) and rebounding (5.0, 10th).  Chenery just eclipsed the 1,200-point career scoring mark (1,225). 

BALANCED SCORING FOR BEARCATS

The Bearcats have FOUR players averaging double-digit points (last year they finished with three) — tied for the most of any team in the America East. They have also had six different players lead the team in single-game scoring. Those five players in double figures (Chenery, Walker, Callahan-Gold, Benson) are shooting a combined 52%, while the rest of the team is converting 40%.  

PETERSON PASS

Senior guard Wes Peterson, Jr. delivered the decisive play in the closing seconds of the win over Mercyhurst on Wednesday. With the Bearcats facing a baseline out-of-bounds play with two seconds left, Peterson curled open late in the five-second count, received the inbounds from Chris Walker. Instead of attempting a contested jumper, however, Peterson immediately dished it back to Walker for the game-winning layup just before the final horn. Peterson's insertion into the starting lineup has corresponded with four straight Bearcat wins.  

CALLAHAN-GOLD DIALED IN FROM BEYOND THE ARC

Binghamton, which averaged just five 3-pointers last season (8th in AE), focused on long-range firepower in its recruiting class. Graduate forward Ben Callahan-Gold made 88 3-pointers for Trinity last season, helping the D3 power reach the NCAA semifinals. Through 13 games, he ranks second in the America East with 2.8 "3s" a game (on 44% accuracy, 4th in AE). Callahan-Gold has had eight games with three or more 3-pointers and he ranks 31st in the NCAA in made 3s (36). In his last 10 games, he is shooting 49% from beyond the arc (29-of-59). With Callahan-Gold leading the way, Binghamton ranks third in the AE in 3-pointers per game (7.9) and second in 3-point percentage (38%).

WALSH TIES REBOUND RECORD WITH 19 BOARDS

Sophomore forward Gavin Walsh tied the school record for rebounds in a game with 19 (10 in first half) at Fordham on Nov. 12, equaling the mark set by Thomas Bruce against UMass Lowell on Jan. 21, 2018. His rebound total is the second-highest in the NCAA this season (five players have had 20).