VESTAL, N.Y. - Riding high after extinguishing a long drought against Vermont on Thursday, Binghamton men's basketball looks to sustain the momentum when the Bearcats (10-12, 2-5 America East) face UAlbany (11-11, 3-4 AE) Saturday night on the road. The teams are set to tip at 7 p.m. in front of an expected large Great Danes crowd for the annual "Big Purple Growl" game at Broadview Center.

On Thursday, the Bearcats defeated Vermont 75-72 to snap a 22-game losing streak to the conference kingpins. The win snapped a five-game losing streak and moved Binghamton to within one game of fourth place in the standings as the teams approached the halfway mark of the conference slate. 

The matchup against UAlbany is the oldest rivalry for Binghamton with this being game No. 114 between two SUNY schools dating back to 1948.

ABOUT UALBANY
• Had the mid-week bye this week so haven't played since beating NJIT 68-62 last Saturday at home
• This will be UAlbany's third straight home game and fourth home game in the last five
• Have AE wins ov er UNH (61-57), Binghamton (70-65) and NJIT
• Two of their four AE losses came by five points or less
• On season, UA is scoring 75 a game and giving up 75
• Picked to finish seventh (one spot behind BU) in the Preseason Poll
• Loaded with newcomers (7 transfers, 3 freshmen)
• Six players back, led by all-conference guard Amar'e Marshall (13.7 ppg.)
• Hoist an average of 22 3-pointers a game (make 31%, 8th of 9 AE)  
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. UALBANY
• Albany leads the series, which dates back to 1948, 77-36
• Two weeks ago in Vestal, UAlbany prevailed 70-65
• In that game, visiting UAlbany made four free throws in the final 31 seconds to sneak past Binghamton in front of 2,162 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. Tymu Chenery scored a game-high 23 points (16 in first half) and added a game-high 11 rebounds. Graduate forward Nehemiah Benson gave the Bearcats two in double digits with 10 points.
• Last year they split the season series with each team winning by double digits on its home floor.
• In the last meeting at Broadview last Jan. 13, the Great Danes built a 10-point halftime lead en route to a 95-75 win. Binghamton outshot UAlbany but the Great Danes benefited from 24 more shot attempts. Albany used 17 offensive rebounds and 14 BU turnovers to nearly reach the century mark.
• Since both schools joined the AE, Albany leads 28-18
• BU won 13 of the first 19 matchups as AE members (2002-10)
• Thanks to a 14-game win streak between 2001-17, UA has won 21 of last 26 head-to-head
• BU swept the season series in 2022-23 (first time in 13 years)
• The road team has won six of the last 11 games
• In Albany, the Great Danes own a commanding 35-11 lead, though Binghamton has won two of the last three (2022, 2023)
• 18 of the last 19 games have been decided by nine or more pts
• The teams have played at all three NCAA divisional levels and joined the America East in the same year (2001-02)
• The first meeting between the two schools was in 1948-49 (a 76-67 Binghamton win)

A DECADE IN THE MAKING: BEARCATS BEAT CATAMOUNTS 
On Thursday, Binghamton stopped a 22-game losing streak to Vermont dating back a decade with a 75-72 win at the Events Center. It was by far the longest losing skid against a conference opponent and during that 10-year span, the average losing margin was 18+ points. The Bearcats used an 18-2 second-half run to pull ahead and then sank four free throws in the final 21 seconds. Senior point guard Wes Peterson, Jr. scored eight of his team- and career-high 18 points during the pivotal run. Sophomore forward Gavin Walsh totaled 17 points and 13 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season. Senior forward Chris Walker hit 7-of-8 free throws for 14 points and graduate forward Ben Callahan-Gold finished with 13 points.  

WALSH WATCH
Sophomore forward Gavin Walsh is moving up the ladder for single-season rebound totals. He is averaging 10.1 boards, which would stand as the record (Jordan Reed 9.5 in 2012-13 is current mark). Walsh currently is fifth in total boards.

1. Jordan Reed (2012-13) 266
2. Jordan Reed (2013-14) 258
3. Thomas Bruce (2017-18) 256
4. Mahamoud Jabbi (2010-11) 241
5. Gavin Walsh (2024-25) 212

CHENERY LIGHTING UP STAT SHEET IN CONFERENCE PLAY
Graduate guard Tymu Chenery has jumped his numbers since conference play began. After averaging 13.7 points in 15 non-conference games, Chenery is scoring 16.0 against league foes. He is shooting 53% from the field, including 52% from 3-point range (15-of-29). In conference play, Chenery ranks second in 3-point shooting, seventh in field goal percentage and assists (3.3), eighth in 3-pointers per game (2.1), ninth in blocks (1.0) and 10th in scoring. He's the only America East player to be ranked among the top-10 in all SIX categories. Further, in his last six games, Chenery is averaging 17.0 points with three 20+ point performances. In the process, he has run his career points total up to 1,362.

BALANCED SCORING
Binghamton has FIVE players scoring in double figures — most in the America East. The five double-digit scorers are separated by just 4.3 points: Tymu Chenery (14.5) to Ben Callahan-Gold (10.2). The last time the Bearcats had five average in double figures for the season was the 2008-09 NCAA team and the program hasn't had a team with more than three in double figures in that 16-year span.  

TALE OF TWO HALVES
The Bearcats have begun league play 2-5 and one of the factors in the slow start has been a drop-off in second-half play. In the seven cumulative conference games, Binghamton is plus 9 in first-half scoring (on 55% shooting) but minus 46 in the second half (down to 43% FG). Binghamton's scoring average by half is 37-35, whereas opponents are 35-42. 

PETERSON SHARP IN RETURN
Senior point guard Wes Peterson, Jr. has been a key contributor since returning from an injury that cost him three games. In his last two games (vs. Bryant, Vermont) he is averaging 16.5 points on 67% shooting. He is adding 2.5 assists, has hit 50% from 3-point range and is logging 35 minutes a game.

WALSH STILL ATOP REBOUND RANKINGS
With his 13-rebound showing against Vermont on Thursday, sophomore forward Gavin Walsh continues to lead the America East in rebounding (10.1), by 1.5 over Bryant's Earl Timberlake (8.6). Walsh ranks sixth in the country in defensive rebounds (8.1/game), 12th in total rebounds (212) and 13th in rebounds per game. He also leads the conference and ranks 12th in the nation with nine double-doubles, thanks in part to a stretch of four consecutive (one shy of the school record). Walsh is back to averaging a double-double for the season (10.8 ppg., 10.1 rpg.). In his last nine games, Walsh is averaging 12.4 points and 11.3 rebounds. 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.  

BEARCATS NEAR TOP OF AMERICA EAST RANKINGS
Binghamton is asserting itself in the conference rankings during the first half of the season. The Bearcats lead the conference in 3-point percentage (38%), are second in defending the 3-pointer (32%) and rank third in rebound margin (+1.4). Individually, aside from Gavin Walsh's dominaNce on the glass and the aforementioned top-10 spots for Tymu Chenery, three other Bearcats are among the top-10. Senior forward Nehemiah Benson is third in FG% (57%) and classmate Chris Walker is seventh (51%). Graduate forward Ben Callahan-Gold is fourth in 3-pointers per game (2.4) and fifth in 3-point accuracy (40%).  

CALLAHAN-GOLD FAMILY HAS LAST LAUGH
Graduate forward and Manhattan native Ben Callahan-Gold has quickly made his impact at Binghamton after playing the previous four years at Division III power Trinity. An added bonus has been the addition of Ben's famous mother, Judy Gold, who is a stand-up comedian, actor, podcaster and television writer. She won two Daytime Emmy Awards for her work as a writer and producer on The Rosie O'Donnell Show. Judy hosts the podcast "It's Judy's Show with Judy Gold." Gold's stand-up specials have aired on Comedy Central, LOGO, and HBO and she has made appearances on The Tonight Show and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and has been a guest on The View, The Today Show, The Drew Barrymore Show, and a free-speech advocate on MSNBC, CNN and NewsNation.

SHOOT 45%, REACH 70 POINTS ... WIN
This year, when the Bearcats reach 70 points on offense, they are 9-2 and when they don't, they are 1-10. When they shoot 45% or better, they are 10-4. When shooting below that threshold, they are 0-8.  

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, 5th in AE). Callahan-Gold has 11 games with three or more 3-pointers. With Callahan-Gold leading the way, Binghamton is also averaging 7.7 3-pointers per game, which ranks fourth in the conference. After shooting 31% from beyond the arc last season, the Bearcats are at 38% this season, which LEADS the AE and is 21st in the nation.