VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball closes a stretch of five straight away from home when the Bearcats (4-6) travel up I-81 to face Le Moyne (4-7) Saturday night. The teams will tip at 6 p.m. at Ted Grant Court in the second installment of the "Battle for the Interstate" rivalry series. 

The Bearcats are riding back-to-back overtime wins at the Lafayette Classic. Binghamton took down LIU (75-70) and the host Leopards (82-81) and in the process, played two straight overtime games for the first time in 11 years.

Le Moyne had its own unique game when it went three overtimes before falling to Army 103-100 on Tuesday. 

ABOUT Le MOYNE
•    Coming off wild 103-100 3OT home loss to Army on Tuesday
•    Both teams shot the exact same (35-for-87) and there were eight lead changes before Army hit the GW 3-pointer with 6 seconds left
•    Opened season with a narrow 86-82 loss at Syracuse
•    Picked fourth (of nine) in the NEC Preseason Poll
•    Return one starter (Darrick Jones, Jr.) and six lettermen from last year; welcome nine newcomers (six transfers)
•    Program is reclassifying to NCAA Division I and still isn't eligible to play in NCAA tournament but can play in NEC tournament
•    Went 15-17 (9-7 NEC, T-4th) in its successful Division I debut season last winter after being picked to finish last in the nine-team NEC poll.
    
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. Le MOYNE
•    The all-time series is tied 3-3
•    Binghamton has won three of the last four matchups
•    Last year Binghamton shot 58 percent in the second half and rode the scoring touch of senior guard Tymu Chenery (31 pts.) to a 91-79 win in front of a near-capacity Events Center crowd of 3,583 in the inaugural "Battle for the Interstate" game. Chenery pulled down 12 rebounds to earn a double-double. He hit 13-of-17 shots, including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc, and added four blocks.
•    Schools are separated by just 81 miles and yet have only played six times in 75 years — and hadn't met in 23 years before last year
•    Teams played five times as D2 members: 1997-98 (39-point Le Moyne win), 1998-99 (a 10-point Le Moyne win), twice in 1999-00 (split) and again in 2000-01 (a 91-70 BU win at Bryant tourney on Nov. 18, 2000)

BACK-TO-BACK OT WINS AT LAFAYETTE CLASSIC
The Bearcats are coming off a 2-1 weekend at the Lafayette Classic last weekend. All three games were nail-biters as Binghamton dropped the opener to Niagara at the buzzer before winning back-to-back overtime games over LIU and the host Leopards. It was the first time in 14 years the program played games on three consecutive days. It also was the first time the Bearcats played consecutive overtime games in 11 years (since dropping AE games to Hartford and Vermont at the end of the 2013-14 season).    

CLUTCH SHOTS, PERSEVERANCE AT CLASSIC 
The Bearcats nearly had three wins at the Lafayette Classic but produced several clutch shots all three days. In the opening 65-62 loss to Niagara, graduate forward Ben Callahan-Gold tied the game with a deep, contested 3-pointer with five seconds left. After Niagara responded with a GW 3-pointer of their own, senior Chris Walker almost hit an improbable 75-foot heave at the buzzer but it hit the front rim. In the 75-70 OT win over LIU, senior forward Nehemiah Benson sank two free throws with six seconds left to ice the game. Benson (28 pts.) was 14-of-17 from the line. In Sunday's 82-81 OT win over Lafayette, Benson blocked the game-winning layup at the buzzer. That was after sophomore Evan Ashe sank a pair of free throws with 11 seconds left.   

WALSH LEADS AMERICA EAST IN REBOUNDING
Sophomore forward Gavin Walsh continues to lead the America East in rebounding (9.5) by nearly one board per game over Max Brooks of UML. Thanks to a stretch of four consecutive double-doubles (one shy of the school record), Walsh is close to averaging a double-double for the season (10.0 ppg., 9.5 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.   

CHENERY PILING UP NUMBERS 
Graduate guard Tymu Chenery is filling up the stat sheet in his final collegiate season. Chenery is coming off a double-double (his first of the season and third collegiate) with 21 points and 11 rebounds against Lafayette. He leads the Bearcats in points (14.6), assists (2.9), blocks (1.0)  and 3-point percentage (44%). In his last seven games, Chenery is averaging 16.4 points on 52% shooting and has cashed in from beyond the arc (47% and 2.3/game). He ranks fifth in the America East im field goal percentage (52%), sixth in blocks and eighth in scoring. Chenery is closing in on 1,200 career points (1,190).  

WALKER MOVES INTO STARTING LINEUP, RAISES STAT TOTALS
Senior guard Chris Walker has moved into the starting lineup the last three games and with the additional minutes, has lifted his production. At the Lafayette Classic, Walker averaged 14.7 points and hit 50% from 3-point range (8-for-16). He scored a career-high 20 points in the OT win over Lafayette and also pulled down eight rebounds. For the season, Walker is shooting 48% from the floor and 39% from 3-point range. 

BENSON ALTERNATING DOUBLE-DIGIT POINT PRODUCTION
Senior forward Nehemiah Benson has been feast or famine in the scoring column of late. He has alternated double-digit and single-digit point games in his last five (5-14-7-28-2) and within the pattern, will be do for a double-figure scoring game at Le Moyne. Benson tallied a career-high 28 points against LIU at the Lafayette Classic but the next day, foul trouble and 11 minutes of action led to a 2-point showing against Lafayette. But Benson left his mark on the defensive end with a crucial last second block of a Leopards' game-winning layup attempt. Benson leads the Bearcats in field goal percentage (54%) and is third in scoring (10.4).  

PETERSON GIVEN MORE MINUTES AT POINT
Senior guard Wes Peterson, Jr. has seen his minutes escalate in each of the last four games, going from eight minutes at CCSU to 44 minutes vs. Lafayette. One day after scoring a career-high 10 points in the OT win over LIU, Peterson got his first collegiate start Sunday at Lafayette and added five points and three boards. For the season, he is shooting 62% from the field for the season, including converting an eye-catching 12-of-14 (86%) inside the arc.