VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton basketball plays the first of back-to-back home games when the Bearcats (12-14, 4-9 America East) host Maine (13-15, 5-8 AE) Thursday night at the Events Center. Tip-off is slated for 6:07 p.m. at Dr. Bai Lee Court. 

With just three games remaining, BU can still finish anywhere from T-4th to 9th in standings. They sit in seventh place, a half-game out of sixth and one game out of fifth. The Bearcats clinch a playoff spot with one more win and play two of their final three games at home and all three are against teams jockeying for playoff position (UNH, UMBC). Binghamton hosts New Hampshire Saturday afternoon in its final home game of the season.  

Senior guard Tymu Chenery has 988 career points and will reach the 1,000-point plateau with 12 more points. He had 642 points in three seasons at Quinnipiac and has 346 points this season. Chenery still has one season of eligibility remaining.


ABOUT MAINE

• Coming off 68-58 home win over NJIT on Saturday
• In that game, Maine trailed by five at half but used a 17-1 second-half run to take control. Peter Filipovity posted a game-high 21 points and seven rebounds.
• Black Bears dropped five of six to dip in the standings but now have won two straight games (also beat UMBC 62-56 last Thurs.)
• As most northern stop in AE, no surprise Maine has a distinct variance between home and away results. Team is just 4-11 on road (1-5 in AE) but is 7-4 at home (4-3 in AE)
• Own sweep over NJIT plus wins over Bryant, UAlbany and UMBC
• Nine of their 13 AE games have been decided by seven or fewer points and their 13-game margin is a slim -1.12 points.  
• Return four starters from 13-win team that went 7-9 in AE (7th)
• Reigning AE Defensive Player of Year Kellen Tynes led nation in steals (3.3/game) last year
• Picked fifth of nine in Coaches' Preseason Poll
• HC Chris Markwood (former team captain) is in his second season  

ALL-TIME SERIES vs. MAINE

• Maine leads a tight all-time series 23-22
• BU won a thriller in Bangor on Jan. 27, 51-50 in the closing secs
• In that game, Symir Torrence hit a one-handed 12-foot floater with 4.8 seconds left to win it at the Cross Insurance Center. The Bearcats led for 36+ minutes in the contest but trailed 50-49 after Maine sank a pair of free throws with 12 seconds remaining. Torrence, among the nation's leaders in assists, kept it himself this time, drove the right side of the lane and swished the game-winner. Maine's last-ditch 3-point attempt was off the side of the rim at the buzzer. Armon Harried led three double-digit scorers with 15 points and also added eight rebounds. Nehemiah Benson scored 12 points and Tariq Balogun chipped in 11 points in a career-high 34 minutes.
• Black Bears swept last year's series, winning 78-57 in Bangor in January and 71-67 in Vestal one month later
• BU won the season series two years ago
• Teams have alternated season sweeps over the last five years after splitting the season series in the previous five years (2013-17)
• In Vestal, BU leads 13-9 but Maine has won two of the last three

 
SLUGFEST AT LOWELL  
On the road at Lowell last Thursday, BU stood toe-to-toe with the highest-scoring team in the conference until the closing minutes but came up short 87-80. The Bearcats shot 51% (to UML's 50%) and despite hitting season-bests in field goals (34) and turnovers (7), BU fell to 4-10 on the road this season. Tymu Chenery (24 pts., 9 rebs.) and Nehemiah Benson (20 pts., 7 rebs.) led the offensive charge and Symir Torrence returned to the starting lineup and produced a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds.    

CHENERY 12 POINTS AWAY FROM 1,000
Senior guard and leading scorer Tymu Chenery has 988 career points and is 12 away from the 1,000-point plateau. He scored 642 points in three seasons at Quinnipiac and now has 346 this season with the Bearcats. Chenery ranks 8th in the America East in scoring (15.0), 10th in field goal percentage (51%) and fifth in blocks (1.4). He has scored in double figures 12 straight games and is averaging 16.4 points over his last 18 games and 17.4 in his last five games.  

TORRENCE IS 2ND IN NCAA IN ASSISTS
Graduate guard Symir Torrence moved up to No. 2 in the nation in assists (7.5/game) after racking up 11 against UMass Lowell. In his last four games, Torrence is averaging 9.3 assists. He has produced eight or more assists 11 times this season. That 7.5 average also leads the America East by more than two per game. Torrence (172 total assists) is bidding to become the first America East player in 18 years (Jay Greene, UMBC, 7.2/game) to average more than 7.0 assists per game. Sam Sessoms holds the BU Division I record for season assist average (4.8 in 2019-20). Former D3 point guard Chris Ballerini (1995-99) holds the overall program records for season assists (217) and assist average (8.0), both achieved in 1997-98, BU's final season of D3. Torrence also leads BU in rebounding (5.9, 10th in AE) and has had 11 double-digit scoring games. He has two double-doubles, including one at UML last Thursday (12 points, 11 assists). The last time a BU player ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation in any statistical category was 7-foot shot blocker Nick Billings '05, who was second in blocks (6.5/game) in 2002-03.

BEARCATS STRONG ON GLASS
Binghamton ranks second in the AE and 43rd in the country in rebound margin (+5.0). The Bearcats also rank 26th in the nation in defensive rebounds (27.7/game).

BENSON MAXIMIZING MINUTES
Senior forward Nehemiah Benson is coming off a 20-point game at UMass Lowell and has been a consistent performer in his first season at Binghamton. At Lowell, he hit 10-of-14 and pulled down a season-high-matching six offensive rebounds in 30 minutes. He leads the team and ranks third in the America East in field goal percentage (61%). Benson is averaging 10.2 points and has scored in double-figures in six of his last nine games — all while averaging just 22 minutes of PT. Pro-rated for a 40-minute game, his production would be 18.8 points and 8.0 rebounds.

70 REMAINS BREAKING POINT
When BU holds its opponent under 70 (in regulation), it's 11-2. When opponents reach the 70-point mark, BU is 1-12. When the Bearcats score 70 or more points (in regulation), they are 8-4. Under 70 they are 4-10.

BU ONE OF BEST AMERICA EAST TEAMS SCORING INSIDE ARC
Despite its struggles from 3-point range (29%, last in AE), BU ranks fourth in the America East in overall field goal percentage (46%) and also is third in percentage inside the arc. The Bearcats are shooting 53% inside the arc, trailing only conference leader Vermont (56%) and second-place UMass Lowell (56%).

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. Seven different players have led the team in game scoring this season (Chenery 10, Harried 4, Walker 2, Ashe 2, Balogun 3, Benson 2, Walsh). Seven different players have been the top rebounder.  

BEARCATS IN TIGHT BATTLE FOR ATTENDANCE CROWN
Binghamton currently ranks third in the AE in home attendance (2,218), slightly behind UAlbany (2,239) and Vermont (2,226). The Bearcats have two remaining home games. Binghamton led the AE in attendance 10 times in an 11-year span between 2003-14. Last year, BU was second to Vermont with an average of 2,110.

TORRENCE BEATS MAINE FIRST TIME AROUND WITH GW FLOATER
The Bearcats earned their first conference win of the season Saturday with a 51-50 win at Maine. Graduate guard Symir Torrence hit a tough one-handed, 12-foot floater with 4.8 seconds left for the go-ahead points. The Bearcats led for 36+ minutes in the contest but trailed 50-49 after Maine sank a pair of free throws with 12 seconds remaining. Torrence, who entered the game ranked fifth in the nation in assists (7.1/game), kept it himself this time, drove the right side of the lane and swished the game-winner.