MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
 
Looking to shake off its second loss in league play, the Vermont men's basketball team heads back out on the road for a Thursday night tilt against the Binghamton Bearcats. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Events Center in Vestal, N.Y.
 
The game can be seen on AmericaEast.TV for free in HD and can be heard on ESPN 101.3 FM with AJ Kanell on the call.
 
RELATED LINKS
Vermont Game Notes (.pdf)
Binghamton Game Notes
Binghamton Game Coverage: Live Video – Live Audio – Live Stats
UMass Lowell Flashback: Game Recap – CatamounTV Highlights
 
Last Time Out vs. UMass Lowell: UMass Lowell used a balanced attack with six players scoring in double figures to outgun Vermont and hand the Catamounts their second straight loss at Patrick Gym, 93-82. In his first game action since Dec. 8, Dre Wills returned to the Vermont lineup in a big way finishing with a career-high 22 points and four rebounds. Ethan O'Day chipped in with 12 points to go along with seven rebounds. Jahad Thomas led the way for UMass Lowell collecting 14 points and nine rebounds. Logan Primerano scored a team-high 17 points including some key buckets down the stretch. Vermont clawed back from a 17-point deficit to within six using before Lowell pushed the lead back to as many as 12 before Wills took over. The junior guard scored nine straight points over a two-minute span and the UMass Lowell lead was down to three. Lowell delivered the dagger about a minute later, however, when Matt Harris pulled up and drilled a three-pointer to put the game out of reach.
 
About Binghamton: Picked to finish fifth in the Amercica East preseason coaches' poll, the Binghamton Bearcats got off to a rocky start this season and enter Thursday's matchup with a 3-14 record (0-4 America East). The Bearcats are in the midst of a five game losing skid and are most recently coming off an 80-59 loss to the Albany Great Danes. Marlon Beck II and Willie Rodriguez each scored 12 points in the loss. Rodriguez leads Binghamton averaging 14.2 points per game. An All-Rookie Team selection a year ago, Rodqriguez also averages 6.2 rebounds per contest. Everson Davis is the only other Bearcat averaging double digits in scoring (11.3 ppg). Head coach Tommy Dempsey, who was hired prior to the 2012-13 season, has a career head coaching record of 226-207 (19-90 at Binghamton).
 
Series History: Vermont leads the all-time series with Binghamton 26-8. The series dates back to the 2002 season. The Catamounts have won 10 of the last 12 meetings with the Bearcats. The two losses both occurred on the road and were decided by a combined six points. John Becker is 6-2 against Binghamton in his career. At the Events Center (vs. all opponents), Vermont is 11-7.
 
Last Season vs. Binghamton: Vermont and Binghamton split the season series a year ago with each team winning of its home court. In the first matchup at Patrick Gym, Ethan O'Day scored a team-high 12 points and seven different Catamounts scored seven or more points in a 64-44 UVM victory. At Binghamton, Willie Rodriguez scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Bearcats to a 57-55 win. Dre Wills scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed six rebounds. Ethan O'Day added 10 points and seven rebounds.
 
Top Cats in America East: Since the start of the 2002-2003 season, Vermont has 187 America East wins. That is the most in the league and 63 more than the next team (Albany - 124).
 
Cats in January: Since the start of the 2011-12 season, Vermont has gone 32-9 in the month of January. The Cats were 7-3 last season and 8-1 in 2013-14.
 
The Big Cheese Unleashed: After his monster performance against Hartford earned him America East Player of the Week honors, Ethan O'Day continues to be a beast during conference play. In four league games, the senior is averaging 15.0 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game and shooting 51.1% from the field.
 
Vermont Runs on Duncan: Over his last two games, Everett Duncan has emerged as a key contributor off the Catamount bench. Averaging 11 points per game during that span, Duncan has shot 1.000% from the field and free throw line (7-of-7 FG, 6-of-6 3FG, 5-of-5 FT).