VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball closes out a three-game road stretch when the Bearcats (9-9, 1-2 America East) head to Burlington to face three-time reigning conference champion Vermont (9-9, 2-1 AE) Thursday. The teams will tip at 7 p.m. at Patrick Gym. 

The Bearcats are in a three-way tie for fifth place in the standings less than one-quarter of the way through the conference slate. The game against the Catamounts is the first of two in a 14-day span against Binghamton's America East nemesis. The other two games in a challenging four-game stretch are Saturday's home game against UAlbany and a road game next week at current unbeaten Bryant.  

ABOUT VERMONT
• Three-time reigning conference champions and eight-time reigning regular season champions (47-4 last three years vs. AE)
• At 9-9 overall (2-1 AE) and with an NCAA NET rating of 264 (compared to #132 last year) are in unfamiliar territory
• Coming off 73-53 road loss at Bryant on Saturday in a game they led by 10 points in first half before faltering
• First time UVM has lost to an America East opponent by 20 points in 21 years (2004 vs. UNH)
• Non-conference wins over Delaware, Buffalo and Northeastern
• Have won 20 or more games in 15 consecutive seasons and have won 10 or more America East games in 16 straight seasons
• Won AE games over UNH (60-40) and at UMass Lowell (67-63)
• Lead AE in defense (64.5 pts allowed) but offense has been limited to 65.4 points (7th in AE)
• Are playing without all-conference guard TJ Long (11.1 ppg.), out with an injury since late December
• Returned top two scorers (Long, Bogues) and eight lettermen from last season's 28-7 team that went 15-1 in conference play
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. VERMONT
• Vermont holds a commanding 45-8 lead in the series — the most lopsided among all BU's America East opponents
• Vermont has won 21 straight in the series, including a season sweep last season: 82-62 in Vestal and 62-49 two weeks later in Burlington
 • In that return game at Patrick Gym on Feb. 3, unbeaten Vermont (8-0 America East) used a late 18-8 mid-second-half run to decide the game. The Bearcats were within one, 34-33, with 11:09 left before the Catamounts pulled away. Binghamton shot above 50 percent for most of the second half but Vermont countered with five 3-pointers and enough trips to the line to keep its home court advantage intact. Binghamton held Vermont 12 points under its conference scoring average and played one of its best games at Patrick Gym in recent years. The game featured seven ties and nine lead changes. Senior guard Tymu Chenery scored all 12 of his points in the second half.
• Average margin of victory during the 21-game streak is 20+ points and BU has been within single digits only twice (9,6) — both at home
• In Burlington, Vermont holds a 23-2 lead, including 17 straight wins
• In that 0-17 stretch, BU has been outscored by an average of 21 pts.
• In Burlington, BU has only been within single digits twice (9 pts. both times in 2010 and 2011)
• BU's last win was 57-55 at Events Center Feb. 18, 2015 (10 yrs. ago) and its last win in Patrick Gym was 85-83 on Feb. 4, 2009 (16 yrs. ago)
• BU has been held under 60 points in 19 of the last 23 meetings
• That last win in Burlington was epic and was executed by BU's 2009 NCAA team. In the game, BU trailed by 25 in the second half before mounting what at the time was the eighth-greatest road comeback in NCAA history.

UNH SECOND-HALF STRUGGLES COSTLY AT MAINE, UNH
The Bearcats went 0-2 on their two-game, five-day road trip to Maine and UNH, despite being in control throughout much of each game. At Maine, BU saw a 10-point second-half lead slip away as the Black Bears shot 73% to overtake Binghamton 82-71. Maine scored 50 second-half points and held the Bearcats to just two field goals over the game's final eight minutes. Two days later at UNH, BU led by 11 in the first half and led for more than 25 minutes (to UNH's 12 min.) before another second-half shooting freeze opened the door for the Wildcats. In the two games, Binghamton shot an average of 62% in the first half (avg. 41 pts.) and then slipped to 30% shooting in the second half (30.5 pts).  

CHENERY CONTINUES TO FILL OUT STAT SHEET 
At Maine, graduate guard Tymu Chenery led the Bearcats in scoring (20), rebounding (7), assists (4), steals (1) and blocks (4). It's the first time one player has led the team in all five categories since Jacob Falko did it against Vermont in the 2022 America East semifinals. That's a span of 63 games covering three seasons. Chenery continued his across-the-board production at UNH with 18 points, six assists and two blocks. On the season, Chenery ranks fifth in the AE in blocks, seventh in assists, eighth in FG%, 11th in scoring and 15th in rebounding.    

ANOTHER DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR WALSH
Sophomore forward Gavin Walsh poured in 17 points and 14 rebounds at UNH to notch his league-leading seventh double-double of the season. In his last five games, Walsh is averaging 13.0 points and 13.2 rebounds. For the season, he has three games with 17 or more rebounds — the most such games in the NCAA. Walsh was named America East Player of the Week last week and continues to lead the America East in rebounding (10.4) while averaging a double-double (10.6 ppg.).  

BALANCED SCORING 
Binghamton has FOUR players scoring in double figures — tied for the most in the America East - and five players at 9.0 ppg. or above. The four double-digit scorers are separated by just 3.5 points: Tymu Chenery (14.1) to Gavin Walsh (10.6). In the three America East games thus far, the Bearcats have received double-digit point totals from 12 of 15 game starters. When Binghamton has three or more players score in double digits, the team is 9-5.

PLUS-MINUS LEADERS
Graduate guard Tymu Chenery leads the team with a +13 plus/minus rating. Graduate forward Ben Callahan-Gold is at +7 and sophomore forward Gavin Walsh is at +4.  

BENIGNI RETURNS TO LINEUP
Graduate guard Jackson Benigni returned to action at UNH after missing the last 6+ weeks with injury. Benigni, who averaged 11.3 points at Stonehill last season, played the first two games of the season (Penn State, Oneonta) before suffering an injury. He was expected to be in contention for a starting role this year as a 2-guard and perhaps more importantly, a vocal, veteran leader. In his first game back, Benigni played 20 minutes and collected a pair of rebounds.  

WALSH HAS COMMANDING AMERICA EAST REBOUND LEAD
Sophomore forward Gavin Walsh continues to lead the America East in rebounding (10.4) by more than two boards per game over Max Brooks of UMass Lowell (8.1). Walsh ranks fifth in the country in defensive rebounds (8.1/game), sixth in total rebounds (176) and 13th in rebounds per game. He also leads the conference and ranks 19th in the nation with seventh double-doubles, thanks to a stretch of four consecutive (one shy of the school record). Walsh is averaging a double-double for the season (10.6 ppg., 10.4 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.  

WALKER DIALED IN AS STARTER
In his second season as a Bearcat, senior guard Chris Walker has raised his offensive statistics dramatically. Points have more than doubled (5.9 to 12.3 ppg.), field goal percentage is up from 33% to 54% and 3-point shooting is up from 28% to 50%. He has already surpassed his season 3-point total from last season (34 this year, 29 last year) with half the season remaining. In his last 11 games (all starts), Walker is averaging 16.4 points and has hit the 20-point mark a team-high four times. During that 11-game stretch, he is shooting 57% from the field, 55% from 3-point range, and 73% from the line. He was the America East Player of the Week on Dec. 9.    

ASHE RAISING NUMBERS IN CONFERENCE PLAY
Sophomore guard Evan Ashe has increased his production now that conference play has begun. He averaged 6.0 points in 24 minutes during the non-conference portion of the schedule. In his first three America East games, Ashe has jumped his scoring average to 8.0 points on 50% shooting in the same 24 minutes.

BEARCATS NEAR TOP OF AMERICA EAST RANKINGS
Binghamton is asserting itself in the conference rankings during the first half of the season. The Bearcats rank second in 3-point percentage (38%) and third in field goal shooting (47%), rebound margin (+1.8) and defending the 3-pointer (31%). Individually, aside from Gavin Walsh's dominance on the glass, senior forward Nehemiah Benson is third in FG% (57%) and classmate Chris Walker is fifth (54%). Graduate guard Tymu Chenery is among the top-10 in blocks (5th, 1.3), assists (7th, 3.4) and field goal percentage (8th, 48%). Graduate forward Ben Callahan-Gold is fifth in 3-pointers per game (2.3) and sixth in 3-point accuracy (39%).  

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 17 games, he ranks sixth in the America East with 2.3 "3s" a game (on 39% accuracy, 5th in AE). Callahan-Gold has had eight games with three or more 3-pointers. With Callahan-Gold leading the way, Binghamton is also averaging 7.4 3-pointers per game, which ranks fifth in the conference. After shooting 31% from beyond the arc last season, the Bearcats are at 38% this season.