For Immediate Release: January 5, 2006
Contact: John Hartrick (hartrick@binghamton.edu)
Phone: 607-777-6800

Binghamton men's basketball rolls over New Hampshire 62-49
Milne scores career-high 21 points, keys 18-2 second half run

Box Score

DURHAM, N.H. - In his first collegiate start, freshman forward Ian Milne (Winkler, Manitoba) scored a season-high 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds leading Binghamton (4-9, 1-1 America East) past host New Hampshire (2-11, 0-3 AE) 62-49 in a men's college basketball game Thursday night from Lundholm Gym.

Milne nailed 5-of-6 three-pointers and keyed an 18-2 second half run that turned a close game into a blowout. Clinging to a 36-32 lead early in the second half, the Bearcats hit five straight shots - three from Milne - and held the Wildcats without a field goal for more than eight minutes. Milne's final three-pointer pushed BU'[s lead to 20, 54-34 with 10:22 left, and the Bearcats never looked back.

"I thought it was a terrific game," head coach Al Walker said. "Our defense was good, especially in the second half. Ian stepped up tonight and Gio (Olomo) was tremendous."

Senior guard Andre Heard (Oklahoma City, Okla.) scored 21 points with 16 of those coming in the first half. Sophomore forward Giovanni Olomo (Yaounde, Cameroon) pulled down 10 rebounds, senior forward Sebastian Hermenier (Rockville, Md.) added nine points.

"It was great for us to come out and get a road win," Milne said. "I was missing all my shots in warm up and that's usually a good sign. It's always hard to get back to game shape after being out but I'm getting there."

Heard, who had struggled of late with his shooting, came out on fire in the first half. He scored 15 of his 16 first-half points in a span of just 4:12, hitting an array of jumpers and driving layups. He spearheaded a 15-3 Bearcats run that stretched a two-point lead to a 31-17 margin midway through the period. But after shooting well above the 50% mark for much of the half, BU cooled off in the closing minutes, managing just two field goals in the final nine minutes, which allowed the Wildcats to trim their deficit to eight, 36-28, at intermission.

Milne was perfect from beyond the arc in the first half, hitting 3-of-3 en route to 13 points.

Binghamton returns home to host longtime SUNY rival Stony Brook Sunday at 4:30 p.m. in the Events Center. The game will be televised live on MSG and locally on WIVT as the "America East Game of the Week."