VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's basketball plays the second of three straight at home when the Bearcats (3-6) host Le Moyne (4-5) at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Events Center. The third installment of the "Battle for the Interstate" rivalry series will follow the women's game between Binghamton and Buffalo. 

The Bearcats are coming off an 80-71 overtime win over Lehigh on Tuesday. In that game, Junior forward Zyier Beverly scored 20 of his game-high 25 points after halftime and Binghamton outscored Lehigh 13-4 in overtime. The Bearcats put four (of their six players) in double figures, shot a season-high 59 percent and sank 22 free throws to win in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The game was delayed an hour after Lehigh experienced travel delays amid the snowfall. The game featured 10 ties and nine lead changes, the final of which came early in overtime when Beverly sank a free throw. The Bearcats wound up converting 9-of-12 from the line in the extra session and on the other end, limited Lehigh to 1-of-9 shooting from the floor in the final five minutes.  

Junior point guard Jeremiah Quigley tallied a career-high 22 points, five rebounds and four assists and played the entire 45 minutes. He hit 7-of-10 from the floor and forced overtime with a free throw make with four seconds left in regulation. Senior center Demetrius Lilley notched his league-leading sixth double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. 

Lilley leads the Bearcats in scoring (16.5 ppg.) and rebounding (10.3). Quigley (13.9 ppg., 6.0 apg.) and Beverly (11.9 ppg.) are the team's other double-digit scorers on the season. 

ABOUT LE MOYNE 
•    Sit at 4-5 after winning two of three games at the Lafayette Classic (Binghamton competed in same tourney last season)
•    Lost to Ball State 96-85 in their last outing one week ago
•    This is the third edition of the "Battle for the Interstate" rivalry
•    Dolphins continue a rigorous non-conference slate with a trip to face University of Texas in Austin on Dec. 16
•    Dolphins are in their third year as a Division I program
•    Team went 9-23 last season, 4-12 in NEC (#8 seed)
•    Returned six lettermen and welcomed seven newcomers
•    Picked to finish ninth of 10 in the NEC Preseason Poll
•    At 34 years old, head coach Nate Champion '14 is the sixth-youngest D-I head coach in the country

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. LE MOYNE
•    Thanks to last year's win, Binghamton leads the all-time series, which began in 1997, 4-3
•    The Bearcats have won three straight head-to-head, including the first two in the rivalry series
•    Teams played three straight years when both were NCAA Division II members (1997-99) 
•    In last year's 72-62 win at Le Moyne on Dec. 7, senior guard Chris Walker poured in a career-high 30 points at Ted Grant Court. Walker scored 23 of his points in the second half and keyed a decisive 19-6 Bearcats run. Down 48-45 with 9:49 left, Walker and the Bearcats went to work with the big run. Binghamton then made four free throws in the final 50 seconds to seal the win. 
•    Binghamton is 25-19 all-time against teams from the Northeast Conference – the most wins the Bearcats have had against any Division I conference

"BATTLE FOR THE INTERSTATE" THIRD EDITION
Binghamton and Le Moyne play the third installment of the "Battle for the Interstate" - a rivalry established in 2023-24 between the two schools located off I-81 just 81 miles apart. The Bearcats have won the first two games in the series.   

MOST POINTS BY STARTING UNIT IN 15 YEARS
Against Lehigh, Binghamton's starting five scored 78 of the 80 points. That total is the second-highest by a Bearcat starting unit in its 25-year Division I history. The only higher total was 81 points, posted by the 2010-11 team in its 91-65 win over UMBC in the America East tournament first round. 

PETERSON BACK IN LINEUP, POSTS TOP PLUS/MINUS
Senior guard and two-year starter Wes Peterson, Jr. returned to the lineup after missing three games and he logged 38 minutes off the bench. Peterson posted one eye-popping statistic — he was plus 19 in plus/minus, which was by far the best number of any of the 17 players who saw time for both teams. Despite only scoring two points, he affected the game with his defensive work.   

OK WITH OT
The overtime win over Lehigh gave the Bearcats wins in five consecutive overtime games dating back to the 2023-24 season. The team was 3-0 last season and won its last overtime game of the 2023-24 season.  

TWO OVER 20 FOR FIRST TIME THIS SEASON
Junior forward Zyier Beverly tallied a career-high 25 points and junior point guard Jeremiah Quigley added a career-high 22 points against Lehigh. That gave the Bearcats two 20+ scorers for the first time this season and first time in 31 games dating back to last Dec. 1, 2024 (Chenery 21 pts, Walker 20 pts. at Lafayette). 

BEVERLY NEAR PERFECT VS. LEHIGH
Junior forward Zyier Beverly is gaining footing in his first season of NCAA Division I play. The Los Angeles native poured in 25 points against Lehigh on 9-of-11 shooting and produced several rim-rattling dunks. In his last two games, Beverly is averaging 19.0 pts. on 14-of-16 shooting. For the season he is converting 74% of his shots — a percentage that would rank fourth in the country, but he falls just under the minimum at the moment (5 made FG per game, he has 4+). 

EVERYTHING EVEN VS LEHIGH BEFORE FINAL BING FLURRY
On Tuesday, Binghamton prevailed over visiting Lehigh 80-71 in overtime. The box score yields just how close the game was: ten ties and nine lead changes, teams each had 27 FG and 35 rebounds and both shot 67% from the free throw line. The Bearcats, however, earned 21 more FT attempts (33 attempts to 12) and their 22 makes plus a 13-4 OT run was the difference. 

BEARCATS RANK NO. 1 IN NATION IN POINTS VIA FREE THROW LINE
Led by senior center Demetrius Lilley (46 makes, 79%) and junior guard Jeremiah Quigley (35, 71%), Binghamton is getting to the free throw line and converting points. The Bearcats lead the entire nation in points from free throws with 29.6% of their points coming at the line. As a team, Bing ranks second in the America East in both makes (164) and percentage (75%).  

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. The injured players have combined to miss 39 games.   

SIX DIFFERENT STARTING LINEUPS IN FIRST NINE GAMES
Because of the rash of injuries, coach Levell Sanders has utilized six different starting lineups in the first nine games, with Bryson Wilson being the lone player to start all nine. 

LILLEY RANKS THIRD IN NCAA IN DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Senior center Demetrius Lilley added another double-double to his ledger with a 15-point, 10-rebound performance against Lehigh. Lilley now has six "doubles" in eight games this season — good third in the country. He also leads the America East in rebounding (10.3 rpg.) and ranks 15th in the nation. Lilley also ranks seventh in minutes per game (36:58).     

QUIGLEY PILING UP POINTS, ASSISTS
Junior point guard Jeremiah Quigley is quickly starting to assert himself early in his Bearcat tenure. In his last six games, he is averaging 15.8 points and 6.0 assists. He leads the America East and ranks 22nd in the country in assist average (6.0) and also ranks eighth in the conference in scoring (13.9). He has registered 6+ assists four times already this season. Former PG Symir Torrence averaged 7.2 assists in 2023-24 (5th in NCAA).