After opening its season with an 85-47 loss at Syracuse on Monday night, the Binghamton men’s basketball team picked up its first win of the season with a 66-56 victory over RIT. After Binghamton established a commanding 19-4 lead in the opening minutes of play, the Bearcats held out against the Tigers’ late-game momentum to clinch the victory.

“Congratulations to RIT,” said Binghamton head coach Levell Sanders. “I thought they came in and played hard. A lot of times, when you come into these situations and you get down, the game gets out of hand. I thought they did a really good job of fighting back.”

Binghamton (1-1) quickly established an 8-0 lead as junior guard Bryson Wilson scored six straight to open the match before a layup from senior guard Wes Peterson Jr. forced RIT (0-0) into a timeout. The Tigers found their first score of the game soon after, but junior guard Jeremiah Quigley drove in a layup before finding junior guard Ryan Richardson for a three-pointer to put the Bearcats ahead 13-2.

After another layup from the Tigers, Binghamton continued dominating the opening minutes of the game as junior forward Zyier Beverly threw down a dunk before Peterson quickly converted a poach into a layup. Continuing to press RIT, Quigley knocked out the rock before lobbing it to Beverly, who emphatically threw down a dunk as the Bearcats built their lead to 19-4.

The Bearcats continued to dominate play, growing their lead to 24 following a corner three-pointer from graduate student guard Jackson Benigni and a pair of free throws from redshirt sophomore forward Stephan Snagg. Binghamton held on to the double-digit lead throughout the first half, but a late 10-2 run from RIT saw the BU lead shrink to just 10.

The Tigers kept building momentum in the closing minutes of the half and a deep three-pointer and layup in the final minute of the period gave Binghamton a 34-27 lead at halftime.

“I didn’t see the nerves,” Sanders said. “Obviously, it was our first game playing home, and so guys probably could be a little anxious, but I didn’t see the nerves that I saw in Syracuse. Obviously, you’re playing against a different opponent. I didn’t think that early on, you know, [against] Syracuse we had 15 turnovers in the first half, we had five in the first half today, I think, and so that gives you an ability to get shots at the rim at least.”

Closing in on the Bearcats, RIT opened the second half with a 7-4 run, cutting its deficit to just four points. However, a thundering dunk from Beverly and an easy layup from Quigley saw the scoreboard read 42-34. The foes continued to exchange scores, and the Bearcats reclaimed a double-digit lead when a layup from Snagg made it a 51-41 game. Once again, however, RIT slowed the Bearcats’ momentum, responding with a 4-0 run.

Binghamton nursed its minor lead throughout the second half, unable to put away the game, but a fast break three-pointer from Benigni made it 59-49 for the Bearcats heading into the final media timeout. A dunk from Beverly marked the Bearcats’ final score of the match before RIT responded with a layup, and the foes allowed the clock to run down as Binghamton claimed the 66-56 win.

“Yeah, it is what it is,” Sanders said regarding injuries. “Like we got some guys that’s banged up, but what can we do? But for me, it’s never about when you subtract guys from the team. I think when you subtract guys from the team, it gives minutes to other guys. Because everyone in the locker room is saying this and saying that, they want to play, they want the ball and now you have opportunities, right?”

Leading the Bearcats in scoring was Beverly with 17 points while shooting five-for-five from the field. Wilson and Quigley also reached double-digit scoring figures with 12 and 10, respectively, while Benigni led the Bearcats in three-point shooting, going three-for-five from beyond the arc.

“I was excited,” Quigley said. “I love to get the win in the home opener. I just feel like we got to be more together as a team on the defensive side, really. Offense will take care of itself.”

The Bearcats will remain at home when they host Niagara on Saturday, Nov. 8. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on the Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center in Vestal, New York.