Vestal, N.Y. – The UMBC men's basketball team cruised to a 78-60 America East Conference victory over the Binghamton Bearcats on Martin Luther King Day at the Events Center. The Retrievers are one of five teams in the conference with just one loss in league play.

"I'm proud of our guys," said UMBC Head Coach Jim Ferry. "We came out with a defensive disposition this afternoon. I don't think we played to our standards in our last game against Bryant. We didn't have much time to make adjustments, but the guys really bought in. It's a big step; this league is going to come down to the wire, so we just have to work on getting better every day."

"Having the opportunity to play on Martin Luther King Day with the guys in this locker room is special," Ferry added.  "I'm a big fan of what he accomplished, and I think he's one of the most important people to ever walk the earth. If it wasn't for him, I don't think that our locker room would be as diverse as it is today."

Junior guard Jah'Likai King led four Retrievers in double-figures with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Sophomore forward Caden Diggs (14 points), junior guard Ace Valentine (13 points, seven rebounds), and graduate student guard DJ Armstrong Jr. (10 points) contributed to the balanced scoring effort.

King, who eclipsed 20 points for the fifth time this season, scored 11 points for the Retrievers during a 17-4 first-half run that provided the visitors with the separation they needed to seize control of the contest.

UMBC (10-7, 3-1 AE) trailed 14-10 at the 13:33 mark of the opening stanza after a dunk by forward Zyier Beverly (18 points). But King drilled a triple and then converted a jumper in the paint to give the Retrievers their first lead of the afternoon, 15-14, with 12:50 left in the half. Binghamton took its final lead of the game, 16-15, after a second-chance layup by guard Wes Peterson, Jr. (18 points) at the 12.19 mark. The Retrievers responded with ten straight points, capped by a trifecta from Valentine to establish a 25-16 advantage at the 9:28 mark.

The Retrievers settled for a 38-26 halftime lead as they held Binghamton to just a thirty-nine percent shooting mark (11-for-18) and outscored the hosts by a 26-14 margin inside the paint.

The Bearcats (4-16, 0-5 AE) were never able to make a run over the final twenty minutes.  The Dawgs widened their lead to 48-33 with 15:49 left after Armstrong Jr. was fouled on a 3-point attempt, swishing all three chances from the line.

Binghamton trimmed the deficit to 52-41 after a free throw by Beverly with 11:03 left, but that was as close as they could get. The visitors went on an 8-3 mini run to establish a 60-44 lead at the 8:56 mark, essentially putting the game away. Diggs and fifth-year senior guard Cougar Downing swished treys, and junior forward Jose Roberto Tanchyn (eight points, season-best seven caroms) converted a hook shot to account for the scoring.

UMBC shot 54.4 percent overall (31-of-57) and were 7-for-16 (43.8 percent) from distance. The Retrievers' bench outscored Binghamton's reserves by a 27-8 margin.

The Retrievers will host NJIT on Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m.