VESTAL, N.Y. - After a mid-week bye in conference play, Binghamton men's basketball (9-11, 1-4 America East) heads to Rhode Island to face unbeaten, first-place Bryant (11-9, 5-0 AE) on Saturday. The teams square off at 2 p.m. at Chace Athletic Center. 

The Bearcats are coming off a 70-65 loss to UAlbany last Saturday. Of the team's four conference setbacks, the last three have come by single digits. 

Bryant is the lone unbeaten team in the America East and has defeated all five conference opponents by double digits. 

The game will feature the top two rebounders in the conference. Sophomore forward Gavin Walsh leads the America East with 9.7 boards per game and Bulldog senior forward Earl Timberlake is second at 8.5. 

ABOUT BRYANT

• Handled UNH 95-76 on Thursday
• Opened AE play with double-digit wins over Maine (81-55), Vermont (73-53) and UAlbany (89-79)
• Highest positioned AE program in NCAA NET Ratings after strong non-conference season that included wins over Buffalo, Delaware, Tennessee State and Drexel
• Score 82+ ppg. (2nd in AE) and average 8+ three-pointers
• Picked third in Preseason Poll after tying for second last season and losing to UMass Lowell in the semifinals
• Returned two starters, including two-time all-conference forward Earl Timberlake, from a 20-13 team
• All five starters average 8.0 or more points 

 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. BRYANT

• Bryant leads 6-2 and has won three of the last four
• Bulldogs swept season series last year, winning 77-69 in Smithtown on Jan. 11 and 70-69 in Vestal one month later
• In the last meeting on Feb. 10 at the Events Center, Bryant shot 61% in the second half and made 7-of-8 free throws in the closing 30 seconds to hold off Binghamton. The physical game was bogged down with 42 fouls, four technicals and an ejection. The Bearcats led by as many as 11 points in the first half and were up seven early in the second before the Bulldogs used a 12-0 run to grab control of the game.
• Binghamton is 0-4 at Chace Athletic Center but the last two games were decided by a combined 12 points
• In that last game at Chace, Bryant exploded on a 33-9 first-half run, built a 19-point halftime cushion and then held off hard-charging Binghamton. Down as many as 24 points in the second half, BU used a 20-7 run to get back in the game midway through the final half. The Bearcats then scored 15 points in a frantic final two minutes to pull within six points before coming up just short. Bryant made just enough free throws down the stretch  (3-of-6 in final 38 secs) and BU was hurt by its own struggles at the charity stripe in the game (18-of-29 FT).

BEARCATS EDGED AT HOME VS. UALBANY     
In BU's last outing on Saturday, UAlbany made four free throws in the final 31 seconds to win 70-65 in front of 2,162 Events Center fans. Neither team led by more than eight in the game, but UAlbany used a 23-8 run spanning eight minutes midway through the second half to turn the game in its favor. The Bearcats turned the ball over 17 times, including 11 in the pivotal second half. 

CHENERY LIGHTING UP STAT SHEET
Graduate guard Tymu Chenery has been a steady stat leader the entire season but has ratcheted it up the last four games. In that recent stretch, he is averaging 20.3 points on 61% shooting. Chenery is shooting even better from 3-point range (63%) and is chipping in 4.0 assists and 1.8 blocks during the four-game span. In his last outing, Chenery produced his second double-double of the season with game-highs of 23 points and 11 boards against UAlbany. Currently he ranks sixth in the AE in blocks (1.3), seventh in scoring (14.9) and assists (3.4) and ninth in FG% (49%). He's logging the third-most minutes (35/game).     

BALANCED SCORING
Binghamton has FIVE players scoring in double figures — most in the America East. The five double-digit scorers are separated by just 4.9 points: Tymu Chenery (14.9) to Ben Callahan-Gold (10.0). That quintet is accounting for 82% of the team's scoring and is shooting 49%, while the remaining eight players who have seen time are shooting 39%.  

WALSH ATOP CONFERENCE IN BOARDS
Sophomore forward Gavin Walsh continues to lead the America East in rebounding (9.7), though his margin has been trimmed to 1.2 over Earl Timberlake (8.5). Foul trouble contributed to a season-low one-rebound showing against UAlbany on Saturday. Walsh ranks 10th in the country in defensive rebounds (7.5/game), 12th in total rebounds (184) and 20th in rebounds per game. He also leads the conference and ranks 25th in the nation with seventh double-doubles, thanks to a stretch of four consecutive (one shy of the school record). Walsh is nearly averaging a double-double for the season (10.5 ppg., 9.7 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, SHARPSHOOTER
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 11.9 ppg.), field goal percentage is up from 33% to 54% and 3-point shooting is up from 28% to 51%. He has already surpassed his season 3-point total from last season (37 this year, 29 last year) with 12+ games remaining. In his last 13 games (all starts), Walker is averaging 14.8 points and has hit the 20-point mark a team-high four times. During that 13-game stretch, he is shooting 56% from the field, 56% from 3-point range, and 74% from the line. He was the America East Player of the Week on Dec. 9.    

TRIMMED ROTATION
With conference play underway, head coach Levell Sanders has shortened up his rotation with the starters getting heavy minutes. In the first four AE games, the starting unit is averaging 31 minutes per game and is scoring 84% of the points (62 pts./game). In three of the four conference games, Sanders has used just two players off the bench.   

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 (+1.6) and defending the 3-pointer (31%). Individually, aside from Gavin Walsh's dominance on the glass, senior forward Nehemiah Benson is third in FG% (56%) and classmate Chris Walker is fifth (54%). Graduate guard Tymu Chenery is among the top-10 in blocks (6th, 1.3), assists (7th, 3.4), scoring (7th, 14.9) and field goal percentage (9th, 49%). Graduate forward Ben Callahan-Gold is fourth in 3-pointers per game (2.4) and seventh in 3-point accuracy (40%).  

WAYS TO WIN
This year, when the Bearcats reach 70 points on offense, they are 8-2 and when they don't, they are 1-9. The trend is a continuation from last season, when 70 became a line of demarcation for BU offensively and defensively. 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 9-4. When shooting below that threshold, they are 0-7.  

CALLAHAN-GOLD, BEARCATS 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 18 games, he ranks fourth in the America East with 2.4 "3s" a game (on 40% accuracy, 7th in AE). Callahan-Gold has nine games with three or more 3-pointers. With Callahan-Gold leading the way, Binghamton is also averaging 7.6 3-pointers per game, which ranks T-4th in the conference. After shooting 31% from beyond the arc last season, the Bearcats are at 38% this season, which ranks second in the AE and 29th in the nation.