For Immediate Release: December 18, 2006
Contact: John Hartrick (hartrick@binghamton.edu)
Phone: 607-777-6800

Binghamton men's basketball rolls past North Florida 79-61
Proctor pours in 26 points; BU shoots 52% from field

Box Score

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Senior guard Steve Proctor (Largo, Md.) scored a career-high 26 points and Binghamton (5-4) put four players in double figures en route to a 79-61 win over host North Florida (1-9) in a men's college basketball game Monday night from UNF Arena.

Proctor scored 15 of his points in the decisive first half, when the Bearcats shot 54% to build a 41-26 cushion. Senior guard Troy Hailey (Hyattsville, Md.) added all 11 of his points in that opening frame. Proctor then opened the second half by scoring BU's first seven points - on a short jumper, a three-pointer and an alley-oop layup - and the Bearcats maintained a double-digit lead throughout the final period.

"It was a really good game, especially in the first half," head coach Al Walker said. "We defended very well. To go on the road and win by 18 is a great result. "We got a little sloppy in the second half but overall we played good basketball."

Junior guard Richard Forbes (Far Rockaway, N.Y.) scored 21 points - 13 in the second half - and senior forward Duane James (Miami, Fla.) added 10 points and seven rebounds. Forbes converted 9-of-11 free throws to boost his total.

The Bearcats opened the game on fire, connecting on their first four shots and jumping out to a 13-2 lead. Hailey drained two three-pointers in the run before giving way to Proctor, who scored 13 points in a 4:31 span as BU followed an 11-2 UNF run with a 14-2 run of its own and carried a 41-26 lead into intermission. The first half offensive output followed a record-setting 62-point performance in the second half of BU's 91-80 win over LIU on December 15. The back-to-back halves are the highest-scoring pair in BU's Division I history.

North Florida was led by senior forward Rashad Williams, who had 16 points.

Binghamton concludes its Florida swing with a game at ACC member University of Miami at 7:30 on Wednesday.

NOTES
The win gives BU its best start after nine games since elevating to Division I in 2001... The five non-conference wins also are the most in program history.