VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball finishes off a three-game homestand when the Bearcats (11-12, 3-7 America East) host UMBC (7-18, 2-8 AE) Thursday night. Tip is at 6:07 p.m. at Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center. 

The Bearcats will look to continue their winning ways at home, where BU is 8-3 this season. With six games remaining in conference play, BU sits in a tie for seventh place, one game out of fifth place. 

Senior guard Tymu Chenery leads BU with a 14.8 scoring average. Graduate forward Armon Harried is contributing 10.3 points and 5.9 rebounds. Senior forward Nehemiah Benson is the team's other double-digit scorer at 10.0 ppg.

Binghamton has won three of its last five games but is coming off a narrow 70-69 setback against Bryant on Saturday. After Thursday's game, BU will play three of its final five regular season games on the road.  
 
About UMBC

• Coming off 72-70 home loss to Vermont on Saturday
• In that game, led 25-5 to start, held league-leading Catamounts to 0-for-15 FGs to start, and led by eight at half before UVM countered with 45 second-half points and GW layup in closing seconds
• Leading scorer Dion Brown (18.9 ppg.) had 25 points to pace the Retrievers, who got a 3-pointer to tie game with 21 seconds left
• Team has lost five of its last six games with the one win being a wild 114-102 road win at UAlbany on Feb. 3
• Other conference win was 70-65 over Maine
• Six of its eight AE losses have come by six or fewer points
• Team is scoring 79 ppg. (third in AE) but giving up 83 ppg. (last)
• Lost all five starters from 18-14 team that went 8-8 in AE and tied BU for fourth in standings
• Averaged 19+ wins over last 7 seasons and are six years removed from becoming the first #16 seed to knock off a #1 seed when UMBC shocked Virginia, 74-54, in the 2018 NCAAs.
• In rebuilding form with 11 newcomers (6 freshmen) this season

 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. UMBC

• UMBC leads the all-time series, which began in 2004, 24-20
• The Bearcats are 11-9 at home in the series but UMBC has won the last two, including 70-67 in OT in regular season finale last Feb. 28
• UMBC swept the season series for the second straight year last winter but BU prevailed 67-65 in the America East quarterfinals in Baltimore last March 4
• That postseason game was delayed six hours due to a power outage before fifth-seeded BU outlasted fourth-seeded UMBC to advance to the semifinals for the second straight year and third time in five years. Jacob Falko (16 pts.) and Dan Petcash sank two free throws apiece in the last 18 seconds and Armon Harried secured the final rebound off an intentional UMBC FT miss with one second left to seal the win. The second half featured six ties and five lead changes. The last was a go-ahead FT from Harried with 1:33 left.
• In the last nine games (BU is 4-5), the average margin of victory has been just 5.5 points, including four one-possession games

DEFENSE DIALED IN LAST FIVE GAMES
BU has held each of its last five opponents (Maine-NJIT-Vermont-UAlbany-Bryant) to 70 points or less for an average of 61.0. The team is 3-2 in those games. In the preceding five games, the Bearcats gave up an average of 83 points. The difference is nearly 24 points per game.

BEARCATS STRONG ON GLASS
Binghamton is second in the AE in both rebounds (39.1) and rebound margin (+5.7) and ranks 19th in the nation in defensive rebounds (28.4/game) and 47th in the nation in total rebs (39.1).  

70 REMAINS BREAKING POINT
When BU holds its opponent under 70 (in regulation), it's 10-2. When opponents reach the 70-point mark, BU is 1-10. When the Bearcats score 70 or more points (in regulation), they are 8-2. Under 70 they are 3-10.

CHENERY PUTTING TOGETHER STRONG SEASON
Senior guard and leading scorer Tymu Chenery has been having his finest collegiate season, averaging 14.8 points on 51% shooting (63% inside arc). In his last 17 games, Chenery is averaging 15.8 points with 15 double-digit games, including nine straight. He has been BU's top scorer 10 times and is logging 29 minutes a game. He also leads the Bearcats and ranks 78th in the nation in blocks (1.6).  

HARRIED STEPPING UP PRODUCTION IN AE PLAY
Graduate forward Armon Harried has jumped his stats during America East play. In the 10 conference games, Harried is averaging 12.3 points and 7.8 rebounds (8th in AE). His scoring average is nearly four points higher than it was during non-conference play (8.7) and his rebound average is 3.3 boards more than his non-conference mark (4.5). Harried is logging 31 minutes a game in conference play and also has taken over primary point guard duties for the last two games in the absence of Symir Torrence.

TORRENCE LEADS AMERICA EAST, SITS IN 5TH IN NCAA IN ASSISTS
Graduate guard Symir Torrence is near the top of the nation in assists. With at least five assists in every game this season and nine in back-to-back games, he now ranks fifth in the country (7.3/game). He has produced eight or more assists nine times this season. That 7.3 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 (6.0, 9th in AE) and is fifth in scoring (8.6). He is the only player in the country averaging 8-6-6 (pts-rebs-assts).

SHORTENED UP ROTATION
The Bearcats have used just seven players in each of the last three games, equaling their lowest number of the season. In the last five games, BU (3-2) has used either seven or eight players only. In the first four conference games, BU used at least nine in each game.

BU ONE OF BEST AMERICA EAST TEAMS SCORING INSIDE ARC
Despite its struggles from 3-point range (29%, last in AE), BU ranks fifth in the America East in overall field goal percentage (45%) and also is third in percentage inside the arc. The Bearcats are shooting 53% inside the arc, trailing only conference leader Vermont (57%) and second-place UMass Lowell (56%).

CHENERY NEXT UP FOR 1K POINTS
With Armon Harried reaching the 1,000-point plateau in November, focus now turns to teammate Tymu Chenery (937 pts., 63 points away) in his quest for 1K. If Chenery keeps up his season scoring average, he would reach 1K in early March. He still has one more season of NCAA eligibility remaining.