The Binghamton men’s basketball team snapped a five-game losing streak with a 75-72 win over Vermont on Thursday evening. With four Bearcats finishing in double-figures and a second-half surge, BU overpowered the three-time reigning conference champions, marking their first win against the Catamounts in nearly a decade.

“I’m just proud of the way we battled,” said Binghamton head coach Levell Sanders. “I think the guys were really locked in this week. Everybody kept saying not today. It was just one of those things where we were frustrated with repeatedly losing to Vermont. I’m just proud, man. It was a total team effort … I think this win gives us an opportunity to say, ‘You know what? We beat one of the best teams in the league.’”

The game started slow, with the Bearcats (10-12, 2-5 AE) and Catamounts (11-11, 4-3 AE) forcing turnovers on their opening defensive possessions. Vermont quickly put its foot on the gas, going on an early 6-0 run and forcing Binghamton to use a timeout just three minutes into regulation. Binghamton broke through by way of a corner three from the hands of graduate student forward Ben Callahan-Gold as the Bearcats slowly regained lost footing.

“I think at the first time we were just talking about ‘not again,’” Sanders said. “I’m giving all the credit to the players. Those guys gotta go out there and make plays and they do that, they did that today at a high level. I think the one thing we have to say to ourselves is we can do this every game and not let it be a one-off, we have to be able to do this the next game and not get satisfied that we won today.”

Binghamton improved as the first half continued, mounting a comeback that culminated in graduate student guard Tymu Chenery drawing a shooting foul and making both free throws to put the Bearcats up 16-15 with just over 12 minutes left in the first half. Vermont responded, making two successive three-pointers to take a 23-18 lead. The Bearcats did not go quietly into the Vestal night, with Callahan-Gold making two consecutive threes to put Binghamton back on top 24-23. While things remained close, the Bearcats powered themselves into halftime with a strong shooting display, capped by a long three-pointer by redshirt junior guard Chris Walker as BU took a 36-31 lead going into the half.

“Going into conference play, coach really challenged me to just be more aggressive,” said senior guard Wes Peterson Jr. “So I came up with a 2025 motto for myself, ‘Let it Fly 2025.’ I just try to go out pretty much every game and just have that mentality. I’m bigger than most of the guys that I’m playing, so I just use my height, my aggressiveness and strength to just get downhill and try to finish.”

The second half started in much the same way as the first ended, with the Bearcats playing well on both sides of the ball. Binghamton’s first points of the half came by way of a layup and subsequent free throw from sophomore forward Gavin Walsh. Senior forward Nehemiah Benson made his presence felt with a diving play to keep a Binghamton offensive possession alive before coming back in to score two successive layups to put the Bearcats up 43-40. Binghamton was unable to put Vermont away, however, and the Catamounts came back to take a 48-46 lead with just over ten minutes remaining.

“I think it was just a team effort,” Walsh said. “Starting Monday, we had a long week to prepare for this game and we really just focused on being together as one unit, burning the boats and turning this thing around. We were just together and communicating the whole game, and that’s why we’re able to get it done.”

With just under seven minutes left in the half, Walsh delivered yet another corner three to put the Bearcats back on top 53-52. The following Binghamton possession, Peterson drew a foul on his layup and completed the three-point play to extend Binghamton’s lead to 56-52. The game turned into a track meet as the final five minutes ticked away, with both teams flying up and down the court. The Bearcats received contributions from the whole lineup, with Benson, Walsh and Walker, among others, putting down baskets to maintain and widen Binghamton’s lead.

With BU leading 69-65, Walker got the ball in transition, taking it to the rim with a slam dunk that energized the crowd. Walsh and Callahan-Gold then iced the game at the charity stripe, and as the final buzzer sounded, the Bearcats not only celebrated a 75-72 win but also the snapping of a losing streak against Vermont — dating back 22 straight games.

Binghamton outplayed Vermont most of the game, outshooting the visitors 50-to-41.5 percent from the field. A large part of the Bearcats’ victory was the contribution of the bench, which provided 14 points to the Catamount’s nine. Standout scorers for the Bearcats were Peterson, Walsh and Walker, who scored 18, 17 and 14 points, respectively.

“It was a 40-minute battle and we fought, but one thing I wanted to say is this is really just the beginning of us turning this thing around,” Walsh said. “We had to get one and it happened to be Vermont who played us today. I think if we played anyone today, we were gonna beat them.”

The Bearcats will look to build on their historic win when it takes on Albany on Saturday, Feb. 1. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Broadview Center in Albany, New York.