VESTAL, NY – The Niagara men's basketball program dropped its first game of a five-game road swing to Binghamton 74-69 Tuesday night in non-conference action. The Purple Eagles move to 3-7 on the season, while Binghamton improves to 7-4.
 
Niagara finished the game shooting 37.3 percent from the field, including 40.0 percent from three. The Purple and White went to the line 13 times, making nine. Freshman Ahmad Henderson II finished with a game-high 23 points while adding eight rebounds, and three assists. Graduate student Luke Bumbalough had a season-high 16 points and recorded three assists, two steals and two blocks.
 
A total of four Bearcats registered double-digit points, led by Tariq Balogun's 21 points. Armon Harried recorded a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Binghamton shot 42.9 percent from the field for the game and outrebounded Niagara 46-38.
 
How it Happened
Both teams would get off to a slow start from the floor as only a total of 20 points were scored by the under-12 media timeout. At that time the Bearcats held a 12-8 lead over Niagara.
 
From there Binghamton would use the next 4:47 to take its largest lead of the half, 24-18, before a dunk from Yaw Obeng-Mensah ended the Bearcats 6-0 run. Three minutes later Braxton Bayless would score five-straight points for Niagara to give the Purple and White its first lead, 29-28 with 3:53 left in the first half. The lead was Niagara's first of the half since the 9:30 mark when it led 18-16.
 
Binghamton would end the half on a 7-2 run, putting the Purple and White in a four-point hole at the break, 35-31.
 
Bumbalough would score the first three points of the half for Niagara, trimming the Bearcat lead to one, 35-34, but Binghamton would go on a 8-0 to take its largest lead of the contest, 43-34 and force Niagara head coach Greg Paulus to call timeout.
 
A 14-7 run over the next 3:57 saw Niagara trim the deficit to two, 50-48 as Henderson led the way with eight, followed by Tucker and Bumbalough with three apiece as Niagara went 5-for-6 from the field as a team to get within two.
 
By the 11:35 mark of the half, Binghamton would regain a seven-point advantage, 58-51. However, Niagara would respond with a 10-2 run that tied the game at 61-61 with 8:19 to go. Bumbalough hit the game tying 3-pointer as Niagara was 3-for-4 from the perimeter during the run.
 
Moments later, Bumbalough would give Niagara its first lead of the half and Henderson would sink a turnaround jumper on the next possession, giving NU a 65-61 lead with 6:52 remaining.
 
Binghamton would retake the lead with a 10-run over the next 3:49, making it a 71-65 game with 2:43 to go.

Niagara would only score from the line in the final minutes, finishing 0-for-9 from the field and allowing the Bearcats to earn the five-point win.
 
Niagara Notes
• Niagara moves to 2-2 all-time against Binghamton.
• Henderson eclipsed the 20-point mark for the second time this season and first time since Nov. 11 vs. Bucknell. The freshman also matched his season-high with seven rebounds.
• Bumbalough recorded a season-high with 16 points.
• Obeng-Mensah led Niagara with eight rebounds, matching his season-high set in the season opener at Notre Dame on Nov. 6.
• Niagara made a season-high 10 from 3-point land, led by four from Henderson.
• The Purple Eagles also set a season-high in rebounds with 38 and blocks with six.
 
Up Next
Niagara heads to Syracuse, N.Y., to take on Cuse on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. The game will air on ACC Network Extra (ESPN+). Todd Callen and Pat Malacaro will describe the action on AM 1400. 
 
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