For Immediate Release: February 16, 2005
Contact: John Hartrick
Phone: 607-777-6800

Five in a Row: Binghamton men's basketball tops UMBC 61-51 to extend streak
Jackson pours in 26 points; Bearcats pull to within one game of fourth place

Box score
Post-Game quotes

VESTAL, N.Y. - Junior guard Schafer Jackson (Provo, Utah) poured in a season-high 26 points and senior center Alex Adediran (Covington, Ga.) registered his first careeer-double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, leading Binghamton (10-14, 7-8 America East) to a 61-51 triumph over visiting University of Maryland-Baltimore County (9-15, 4-11 AE) in an America East men's basketball game Wednesday night from the Events Center. The win extended Binghamton's win streak to five games, the longest in the program's four-year Division I tenure, and also moved the surging Bearcats to within one game of fourth-place Albany in the conference standings.

Jackson drained six three-pointers - three in each half - but none were bigger than the back-to-back bombs he dropped in midway through the second half that restored BU's lead for good. The Bearcats let a 10-point halftime lead slip away as UMBC used a 17-7 run to tie the game at 31-31 with 11:48 to play. But on consecutive BU possessions, Jackson found the range from well beyond the arc, and when classmate Andre Heard (Oklahoma City, Okla.) swished a three-pointer on the next possession, BU had restored a nine point lead, 40-31.

The Retrivers cut the margin to five, 48-43, with 4:32 left, but junior forward Sebastian Hermenier (Rockville, Md.) answered with yet another three-pointer, and then Hermenier converted five free throws in the final 1:12 to seal the win. It was Hermenier whose three late misses from the line allowed UMBC to rally for a buzzer-beating win in Baltimore on January 22.

"Today was a good example of how when you defend and rebound, it gives you a chance to win, head coach Al Walker said. "Schafer Jackson lit up the arena tonight - he lit the crowd up. I thought Alex Adediran's defense in the first half was absolutely spectacular."

Adediran made 6-of-9 shots in the post, and scored nine of his 13 points in the second half. His 10 rebounds were a career-high.

UMBC was led by freshman guard Brian Hodges, who scored 17 points - 11 in the second half.

Binghamton next plays at Stony Brook at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The game is the America East TV Game of the Week and will be broadcast locally on WBGH and Time Warner and also on Metro Channel (NYC).

NOTES
Binghamton's bench outscored UMBC's bench 41-0 ... Jackson's six three-pointers tied for the most by a BU player in the Division I era. Jeff Daws (6 vs. North Carolina on 12/16/01) and Mike Wright (6 vs. Northeastern on 1/12/02) also share the record ... Jackson outscored UMBC in the first half (16-14). He shot 63% (5-of-8) and the rest of the Bearcats shot 21% (4-for-19) in the opening period ... Binghamton moved into sole possession of fifth place with Maine's loss to Northeastern. Albany lost to Vermont and is now 8-7 - one game ahead of BU.