Off the back of a comeback attempt against UMBC that fell short 81-77 on Thursday, the Binghamton men’s basketball team held off a comeback to capture a 75-71 overtime road win over the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Saturday. After establishing a 12-point lead with 11 minutes left, the Highlanders answered with a 13-point run that sent the game to overtime, where BU controlled the paint en route to a crucial conference win.

“An ugly win is better than a pretty loss,” said Binghamton head coach Levell Sanders. “Obviously we lost at UMBC, and we didn’t want to go 2-0 on the road trip. I said this to the guys, we got to be more mature and understand how to handle the success that we’re having within the game. Not celebrate. Nothing is over.”

NJIT (5-22, 2-10 AE) wasted no time getting to the rim, quickly building up a 4-0 lead over the visiting Bearcats (13-14, 5-7 AE). This lead wouldn’t last, however, with senior forward Nehemiah Benson converting inside for two before redshirt junior guard Chris Walker made it 7-4 with five points himself. The hosts answered with a quick three-to-tie, setting the tone for a back-and-forth period.

While Binghamton wouldn’t struggle to generate opportunities during the first half — outshooting NJIT 30-to-27 and grabbing eight offensive rebounds — the team struggled to finish drives, shooting at a 31.58 percent clip. A three-point play from Walker gave BU a 26-18 advantage, but NJIT answered with a seven-point run to get back within one. A strong drive inside from graduate student guard Tymu Chenery cemented a 30-27 lead entering the half.

“When we get stops, we can get out,” Sanders said. “I thought we got a lot of stops in the first half, but I just didn’t think we were scoring offensively … We didn’t capitalize on the second chance points when we got all those offensive rebounds.”

The Bearcats heated up coming out of the break to go up 40-35, powered by eight points from Benson all in the paint. Benson’s spark lit up the offense from there, as he found senior guard Wes Peterson Jr. for a three-point play before a strong finish by sophomore forward Gavin Walsh made it 53-40 with 11 minutes of play left. However, BU struggled to maintain momentum up double digits as its guards coughed up the basketball. NJIT leveraged Binghamton’s 10 second-half turnovers alongside silencing Benson inside into a 13-point run and retaking a 56-55 advantage.

The teams traded drives and free throws to close the period out, with a crucial stop by Peterson in the final seconds sending things to overtime tied at 62.

“When we’re up, it’s not a time to relax and celebrate,” Sanders said. “We gotta keep pressing. We gotta keep kicking them while they’re down, and not give teams the ability to gain confidence and get back into the game.”

Peterson opened overtime with off a tough shot from mid-range to give BU a 64-62 lead. Foul trouble soon reared its head when the Highlanders drew a charge on Benson to foul him out of the contest and secure a pair of free throws for the tie. With Benson no longer commanding the post, Sanders called on graduate student forward Ben Callahan-Gold to operate inside. After a pair of free throws from Chenery, Callahan-Gold proved to be the difference maker in the match by finessing two tough drives inside to go up 71-66 and put NJIT away. After trading fouls, the Bearcats closed the road trip with a 75-71 victory.

“[Sophomore NJIT guard] Tariq Francis had four fouls, so we said whoever he was guarding, he was going to post him up,” Sanders said. “So he was guarding [Callahan-Gold], and he took advantage of his size. He was just shooting over and was able to get some crucial baskets for us down the stretch.”

Benson and Walsh led the box score Saturday with double-doubles of 20 points and 11 rebounds and 17 points and 16 rebounds, respectively. On a day where BU went 0-for-15 from outside the arc, dominance inside was crucial — the Bearcats outscored NJIT 52-26 in the paint and out-rebounded the hosts 57-to-36.

“It’s just a matter of whatever it takes that day,” Sanders said. “We’re not choosy. If the shots are not going down outside, go inside. If it’s not going down inside, go outside. Just finding ways to win as a sign of a team that has some potential once we focus.”

BU returns to Vestal on Thursday, Feb. 20 looking to get its win back against New Hampshire. Tipoff is set for 6:07 p.m. on the Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center in Vestal, New York.