For Immediate Release: November 12, 2005
Contact: John Hartrick (hartrick@binghamton.edu)
Phone: 607-777-6800

BU men's basketball pulls away from St. Rose 76-67 in exhibition game
Heard pours in 28 points, Hermenier earns double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds

Box Score

VESTAL, N.Y. - Senior guard Andre Heard (Oklahoma City, Okla.) poured in a game-high 28 points to lead Binghamton University men's basketball past visiting St. Rose 76-67 in an exhibition game Saturday afternoon from the Events Center. Heard scored 19 of his points in the pivotal second half, as the Bearcats withstood a stout charge from the Division II Golden Knights.

"We had a nice little run in the second when we got out in transition," head coach Al Walker said. "But we're concerned about our rebounding. We didn't go to the glass. Teams want to play that zone against us and when the shot goes up we need to be much stronger getting to the glass."

St. Rose outrebounded Binghamton 46-38, including 27-13 in the second half.

The Bearcats hit 9-of-11 shots to open the game and jumped out to a 22-7 lead before the Golden Knights began to chip away. Binghamton managed just five field goals (19%) the rest of the half and St. Rose cut the margin to three, 38-35, at the break.

In the second half, the score was tied 43-43 before the Bearcats went on an 8-0 run in 1:43 that featured a three-point play from Heard. St. Rose never pulled closer than five points the rest of the way.

Senior forward Sebastian Hermenier (Rockville, Md.) earned a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds and sophomore guard Mike Gordon (Plainfield, N.J.) added eight points and five assists in 37 minutes.

St. Rose was led by senior guard Brad Shove, who tallied 18 points with eight assists. Freshman forward Josh Pelletier added 15 points.

The teams combined to miss 28 free throws and commit 30 turnovers. The Bearcats launched 30 three-point attempts, converting 10 of them. Binghamton shot just 4-of-16 from beyond the arc in the second half.

Binghamton opens its regular season by hosting Niagara at 7 p.m. on November 18.