It’s only the second game of the season, but the Bearcats could look back on this as a crucial moment.

The Binghamton men’s basketball team got its first win of the season on the road against Niagara 74-66 Thursday in a team effort highlighted by junior Richard Forbes’ 24 points and nine rebounds.

“We knew he was capable of that, but it was a great team effort,” coach Al Walker said. “In the first few games, you could count on one hand how many guys had a good game. Tonight, everyone contributed.”

Binghamton started out slowly, falling behind 14-5 just eight minutes into the game. The Bearcats offense was anemic out of the gate for the second straight game; they were held without a basket for a span of nearly five minutes until Forbes and junior Mike Gordon got the offense rolling as Binghamton went on a 16-4 run late in the first half.

The Bearcats shot 6-for-13 from behind the arc in the first half while only turning the ball over five times to take a 34-31 lead into the break.

Binghamton went on an 11-0 run early in the second half to extend the lead to nine. But Niagara stormed right back and cut the lead to one, 54-53, with 8:27 to go. Niagara was led by Cliff Brown, who had 19 points and 21 rebounds, playing all but two minutes.

It looked like it would come down to the wire until the Bearcats exploded on another offensive run, a 16-4 spurt, which featured seven points from senior Duane James to give them a 13-point lead late in the second half, and the Bearcats were able to hold court for the rest of the game.

The co-captains, James and Gordon, both stepped up big as James had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Gordon added 15 points. Senior guard Troy Hailey contributed 12 points and seven rebounds. The Bearcats came alive on both ends of the floor, shooting 40 percent (8-for-20) from behind the arc and held Niagara to 15 percent (5-for-34) from three-point range.

“We did a great job defensively and stepping up our defensive presence,” Walker said. “It’s a good win for us, and the most important things are we took care of the ball, shared the ball on offensive, and kept competing on the defensive end.”

The Bearcats are hoping that this game will boost their confidence, as they will play five of their next six games at home. Their first home game of the season will be Monday night against Mount St. Mary’s, a team that beat the Bearcats 62-53 last season.

The Bearcats will have to continue to play team basketball, finding a flow on offense while also locking down on the defensive end.

“This gives us a chance to look each other in the eye and say we can be good if we continue to give to each other,” Walker said.