BURLINGTON, VT. – League-leading Vermont (21-6, 11-1 America East) used a 15-3 early second-half run to stretch a lead and defeated visiting Binghamton (8-17, 2-10 AE) 76-48 men's basketball Saturday afternoon at Patrick Gym.

The Bearcats were within single digits, down 39-30 with 18:23 left before the decisive run. Down 54-33 with 12:38 left, BU couldn't reel it back in, despite a gritty effort.

Sophomore guard Sam Sessoms led BU with 13 points. He also tallied seven rebounds and six assists. Senior forward Pierre Sarr and freshman forward George Tinsley added 10 points apiece.

In the first half, BU fell behind 30-15 before using an 11-2 run spanning four minutes to close the gap. Four different players scored during the run and the Bearcats drew within six, 32-26 with 2:29 left. But the Catamounts scored the final seven points of the half – including an unlikely 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer – to carry a 39-26 lead into the locker room. Binghamton went just 1-for-11 from beyond the arc, or the score might've been tighter as BU went toe-to-toe with the league-leaders.

Binghamton returns home to host UMass Lowell on Thursday at the Events Center.

Courtesy: Binghamton University Athletics