VESTAL, N.Y. (Interstat) — Maryland-Baltimore County controlled play from the start in a 78-60 men’s basketball victory over Binghamton on Monday afternoon at the Events Center. The Retrievers built a 38-26 halftime lead and maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the second half. Jah’Likai King led all scorers with 21 points for UMBC, which improved to 10-7 overall. Ace Valentine added 13 points and seven rebounds. Wes Peterson scored 18 points and Zyier Beverly added 18 for the Bearcats, who fell to 4-16. An announced crowd of 1,953 watched the America East Conference game.

VESTAL, N.Y. (Interstat) — Jah’Likai King scored 21 points and Ace Valentine orchestrated a balanced attack with 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists as Maryland-Baltimore County methodically dispatched Binghamton 78-60 in an America East Conference men’s basketball game Monday afternoon at the Events Center. The Retrievers never trailed, building a double-digit lead in the first half and maintaining control throughout to improve to 10-7 overall. The Bearcats, led by Wes Peterson’s 18 points and eight rebounds, fell to 4-16. The game’s decisive stretch came early, as UMBC weathered Binghamton’s initial burst and responded with a sustained run to seize command. After the Bearcats scored the game’s first four points, the Retrievers answered with a 13-2 surge. King, a junior guard from Newburgh, New York, was central to the response, scoring seven points during the run, including a three-pointer that gave UMBC a 13-6 lead it would not relinquish. Binghamton stayed within striking distance for much of the half, closing to 19-16 on a Peterson three-pointer with just over seven minutes remaining. But the Retrievers closed the period with authority. A driving layup by Valentine sparked a 19-10 run to end the half, capped by a Caden Diggs pull-up jumper in the final minute, sending UMBC to the locker room with a 38-26 advantage. The Retrievers’ defense set the tone, forcing 14 Binghamton turnovers and blocking four shots, two each by DJ Armstrong and Jose Roberto Tanchyn. The Bearcats shot poorly from the perimeter and struggled to find consistent offense outside of Peterson and forward Zyier Beverly, who also finished with 18 points. Any hope of a Binghamton comeback was extinguished early in the second half. UMBC opened with a 7-3 spurt, highlighted by a three-pointer from King assisted by Armstrong, pushing the lead to 45-29. The margin ballooned to 20 points at 55-35 following a three-pointer from Diggs with just under nine minutes to play. Binghamton made a late push, trimming the deficit to 12 points on two occasions, the last at 60-48 following a pair of free throws by Peterson. Each time, however, UMBC had an answer. Valentine found Caden Diggs for a three-pointer to halt one run, and later fed DJ Armstrong for a layup to push the lead back to 17 with two and a half minutes remaining, effectively sealing the outcome. Diggs provided crucial scoring off the bench for UMBC with 14 points, while Armstrong added 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Tanchyn contributed eight points, seven rebounds and two assists, providing a strong interior presence. For Binghamton, Jackson Benigni scored 11 points and Jeremiah Quigley handed out five assists but was hampered by six turnovers. The Bearcats were out-rebounded 42-35 and managed just six assists against their 14 turnovers. A crowd of 1,953 watched as UMBC won its second straight conference game, while Binghamton dropped its fourth consecutive contest. The Retrievers shot efficiently from the field, while the Bearcats struggled with their shooting percentages across the board. The most important sequence of the game was UMBC’s immediate and assertive response to Binghamton’s early 4-0 lead. Rather than letting the home team build momentum in front of its crowd, the Retrievers unleashed a 13-2 run over the next four minutes, spearheaded by King. This early demonstration of control established the game’s trajectory, proving UMBC was the superior team on both ends of the floor and setting a confident tone that lasted the entire night. Binghamton never recovered the lead or the initiative. UMBC next hosts NJIT on Thursday, while Binghamton travels to face New Hampshire the same night.

Preview: UMBC Retrievers at Binghamton Bearcats VESTAL, N.Y. (Interstat) — A surging UMBC team looks to continue its climb in the America East Conference standings when it visits struggling Binghamton on Monday night. The Retrievers (9-7, 2-1 America East) have won two of their last three, including close conference victories over Maine and New Hampshire, and enter with a clear record advantage over the Bearcats (4-15, 0-3). Binghamton seeks its first league win amid a difficult season, having lost five straight games, the most recent a 69-53 defeat at Albany on Thursday. UMBC will lean on high-scoring guard DJ Armstrong, who is coming off a 20-point, four-assist effort in a tough overtime road loss at Bryant last Thursday. Armstrong has been a consistent offensive force, including a 31-point outburst against Coppin State in late December. He will be the focal point of a Retrievers offense that has shown potency, averaging 78.6 points in its last five games. Binghamton counters with forward Wes Peterson, who has been a workhorse, averaging 37 minutes over the last five contests. He posted a near double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds in a narrow loss to UMass Lowell on Jan. 10 and provides a key interior presence for the Bearcats. Guard Jeremiah Quigley, who played all 40 minutes and scored 10 points against Albany, will also be crucial. The matchup at the Binghamton University Events Center pits UMBC’s momentum against a Binghamton squad desperate to defend its home court and reverse its fortunes. The Retrievers have demonstrated an ability to win close conference games, while the Bearcats have suffered three single-digit losses in America East play, indicating they can be competitive. This game is the first of two regular-season meetings between the teams, with the rematch scheduled for Feb. 5 in Baltimore.