The Binghamton men’s basketball team grew its winning streak to three with a narrow 71-69 win over Maine for its Senior Day on Saturday. After establishing a 38-33 lead in the first half, the Bearcats found themselves trailing the Black Bears 69-to-68 with under 30 seconds to play when graduate student guard Tymu Chenery drained a three for the win. BU moved into fourth place following the late-season conference win.

“I thought it was a playoff kind of atmosphere with both teams making plays and not wanting to lose,” said Binghamton head coach Levell Sanders. “I think the difference is just we made a few more plays and then they did.”

Maine (16-12, 8-5 AE) was quick to get on the board, driving in a layup on its first possession, but the Bearcats (15-14, 7-7 AE) soon notched it at 2-2 after a midrange from senior forward Nehemiah Benson. Four Bearcat turnovers fueled a Black Bears run that saw them take an 11-2 lead. The Bearcats, however, responded with a 6-2 run as Benson added another four points and Chenery a fast-break dunk to bring it to 14-8 to go into the first media break.

“I think changing and only going with one big I think that helped us out, just because it gave us more space,” Sanders said. “We weren’t so stagnant trying to throw the ball inside.”

Maine continued its strong start to the match, growing its lead to 10 after two back-to-back three-pointers. Eight points from redshirt junior guard Chris Walker with scores from all levels of the field brought Binghamton within three as it entered the final media timeout of the first period. Earning two consecutive trips to the free-throw line, the Bearcats tied the match at 30-30. Walker drilled two shots from beyond the arc, and Walsh added a jumper of his own as Binghamton took its first lead before Maine cut the lead to 38-33 as the foes entered the half.

”My teammates trust me,” Walker said. “They try to do what they can to give me the ball in my spot so I can raise up and get a good look. I feel like it’s credit to them for just hitting me in my spots.”

The Black Bears opened the second half on a 6-0 run to make it a one-point game. Senior guard Wes Peterson Jr. stopped the bleeding with a layup, which fostered a 6-0 run for BU to make it 46-39. It proved a game of runs as Maine’s offense continued to get to the basket, draining a three-pointer to take a 49-46 game with 11:30 to go, forcing a Bearcat timeout.

”We talk about controlling our own destiny,” Sanders said. “For us, it’s just a matter of, you know, just trying to go out and be present on that day, and so we can have our best foot forward. I thought we did a really good job today.”

As the clock winded down, a layup from Chenery helped BU regain the lead, but the back-and-forth continued between both teams. Neither team took a lead greater than four, as it was still anybody’s game. Walsh drained a three-pointer with three minutes to go to give Binghamton a 66-65 lead, but Maine quickly took the lead back with two free throws. As the game came down to the wire, Peterson hit two big free throws, and Chenery hit a huge three-pointer to make it 71-69. The Bearcats fended the Black Bears off for the final 29 seconds to secure the victory.

“I think it started with just getting my teammates involved,” Chenery said. “They trust me with the ball. They kind of want me to be a ball, so I feel like I owe them, and I got to make the right plays. So I think it just started from there. I was able to build a rhythm.”

The Bearcats were led by Walker, who scored 16 of his 19 points in the first half on 4-of-7 shooting as the Bearcats shot 50 percent from beyond the arc. Chenery and Walsh each nearly added double-doubles, netting 15 and 13 points and adding nine and eight rebounds apiece, respectively.

“We always talk about being a balanced team and not just having one player or two guys just kind of dominate everything,” Sanders said. “I think that’s a lot harder to guard when you have multiple guys who can make plays, who can score, and so that’s the formula for us.”

The Bearcats will head to UMass Lowell on Saturday, March 1, as they attempt to secure a home playoff game. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at the Costello Gymnasium in Lowell, Massachusetts.