VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball closes out a two-game, five-day road trip when the Bearcats (3-9) play at Mercyhurst (4-8) Saturday afternoon in Erie, Pa. The teams square off for the second straight year at 2 p.m. from the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. 

The Bearcats are coming off a 103-63 loss at ACC member Pitt on Wednesday. Mercyhurst, meanwhile, lost at Syracuse 76-62. 

Binghamton has three games remaining before America East play begins on Jan. 3. 

ABOUT MERCYHURST 
•    Coming off 76-62 loss at Syracuse on Wednesday
•    Have dropped six of last seven but have played tough schedule that included West Virginia, Davidson and SU
•    Second-year Division I program in Northeast Conference (NEC)
•    After probation year, now eligible to compete in NEC Tournament
•    Went 11-2 at home last year 
•    Return one starter and eight lettermen from 15-16 team that went 9-7 in NEC (3rd)
•    Picked fourth of 10 in NEC Preseason Poll
•    Head coach Gary Manchel (518 career wins) is in 23rd year and led Lakers to NCAA Division II tournament seven times in last 10 years before elevating to D-I
•    Manchel has several ties to America East, having coached a nine-year stint at UMass Lowell when the River Hawks were in Division II and having played at Vermont in the early-1980s
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. MERCYHURST
•    Binghamton leads 1-0 after posting a 62-60 win last Dec. 18 at the Events Center
•    In that game, Chris Walker converted a low-post feed from classmate Wes Peterson, Jr. with 0.6 left to give Binghamton the game-winning layup. In a see-saw game that featured 14 ties and 10 lead changes, the Bearcats had a potential go-ahead basket blocked out of bounds with 2.1 seconds left. On the ensuing inbounds, Walker found a late-breaking Peterson on a curl to the basket. Peterson quickly returned the ball to Walker on the left side of the rim and his lay-in just beat the buzzer. A last-ditch Mercyhurst inbounds was intercepted by Walker at midcourt. Graduate guard Tymu Chenery led all scorers with 19 points and Walker hit 6-of-10 and scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half as the Bearcats finally shook off a spirited Mercyhurst performance.
•    Mercyhurst is the third of three NEC opponents the Bearcats face this season (Le Moyne, CCSU). Binghamton is 25-21 all-time vs. NEC.

BEARCATS KEEP PACE WITH PITT FOR 30 MINUTES
Binghamton absorbed a 103-63 loss at Pitt on Wednesday but the lopsided score was the result of an 11-minute stretch that bookended each half. During that span, Pitt outscored Bing 42-9. For a nearly 30-minute period (73% of game), the Bearcats were only outscored 61-54.  

BLACKBURN SHOWS OFF SHOOTING TOUCH
Freshman guard Jake Blackburn gave Binghamton fans a glimpse of what's to come in his promising career with a 12-point showing at Pitt. Blackburn was playing just his second collegiate game after an injury kept him out off the floor since August. He hit 4-of-4 shots — all 3-pointers — in 22 minutes off the bench. The 6-foot-5 sharpshooter came to campus from Southborough, Mass. with an elite outside touch.   

LILLEY AMONG NCAA LEADERS IN DOUBLE-DOUBLES, REBOUNDS
Senior center Demetrius Lilley produced team-highs of 13 points and 11 rebounds at Pitt. He now has eight double-doubles in 10 games this season, which ranks No. 3 in the nation. Lilley leads the America East and ranks 13th in the NCAA in rebounds (10.3). He also is second in the conference in scoring (16.1 ppg.) and fourth in free throw shooting (81%). Lilley's minutes per game (36:10) leads the America East and ranks 11th in the nation. He is the only "big man" among the nation's leaders in minutes.   
   
QUIGLEY LEADS CONFERENCE IN ASSISTS
Junior point guard Jeremiah Quigley leads the America East and ranks 26th in the country in assist average (5.9) and also ranks fourth in the AE in assist-to-turnover ratio, third in minutes (35/game) and ninth in scoring (12.1). He has registered 6+ assists six times this season. Former PG Symir Torrence averaged a school-record 7.2 assists in 2023-24 (5th in NCAA).   

JUST CALL US DOUBLE-DOUBLE, REBOUND U.
Binghamton is in rare company when it comes to its top players being ranked in NCAA rebounding and double-double categories. In the last two years, the Bearcats are the only program in the country with two different players ranked in the top-20 in double-doubles (Gavin Walsh 18th last year with 14, Demetrius Lilley 3rd this year with 8). Further, Binghamton is one of just two schools (New Mexico) with two different players ranked among the top-20 in rebounding (Walsh 5th last year with 10.9, Lilley 13th this year with 10.3). Binghamton is the ONLY program with two different top-20 guys in BOTH categories.   

ROSTER HIT HARD BY INJURIES
The Bearcats have been dealt a series of blows to what was once a deep roster in the summer. Of the 13 scholarship players, six (46%) have been out with injuries for multiple games, four of whom are now done for the season. That number of season-ending injuries and percent of roster lost are believed to to be the highest of any D-I program in the country (NCAA list serve). The injured players have combined to miss 53 games.