VESTAL, N.Y. (Interstat) — Jah’Likai King scored 21 points and Ace Valentine orchestrated a balanced attack with 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists as Maryland-Baltimore County methodically dispatched Binghamton 78-60 in an America East Conference men’s basketball game Monday afternoon at the Events Center.

The Retrievers never trailed, building a double-digit lead in the first half and maintaining control throughout to improve to 10-7 overall. The Bearcats, led by Wes Peterson’s 18 points and eight rebounds, fell to 4-16.

The game’s decisive stretch came early, as UMBC weathered Binghamton’s initial burst and responded with a sustained run to seize command. After the Bearcats scored the game’s first four points, the Retrievers answered with a 13-2 surge. King, a junior guard from Newburgh, New York, was central to the response, scoring seven points during the run, including a three-pointer that gave UMBC a 13-6 lead it would not relinquish.

Binghamton stayed within striking distance for much of the half, closing to 19-16 on a Peterson three-pointer with just over seven minutes remaining. But the Retrievers closed the period with authority. A driving layup by Valentine sparked a 19-10 run to end the half, capped by a Caden Diggs pull-up jumper in the final minute, sending UMBC to the locker room with a 38-26 advantage.

The Retrievers’ defense set the tone, forcing 14 Binghamton turnovers and blocking four shots, two each by DJ Armstrong and Jose Roberto Tanchyn. The Bearcats shot poorly from the perimeter and struggled to find consistent offense outside of Peterson and forward Zyier Beverly, who also finished with 18 points.

Any hope of a Binghamton comeback was extinguished early in the second half. UMBC opened with a 7-3 spurt, highlighted by a three-pointer from King assisted by Armstrong, pushing the lead to 45-29. The margin ballooned to 20 points at 55-35 following a three-pointer from Diggs with just under nine minutes to play.

Binghamton made a late push, trimming the deficit to 12 points on two occasions, the last at 60-48 following a pair of free throws by Peterson. Each time, however, UMBC had an answer. Valentine found Caden Diggs for a three-pointer to halt one run, and later fed DJ Armstrong for a layup to push the lead back to 17 with two and a half minutes remaining, effectively sealing the outcome.

Diggs provided crucial scoring off the bench for UMBC with 14 points, while Armstrong added 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Tanchyn contributed eight points, seven rebounds and two assists, providing a strong interior presence.

For Binghamton, Jackson Benigni scored 11 points and Jeremiah Quigley handed out five assists but was hampered by six turnovers. The Bearcats were out-rebounded 42-35 and managed just six assists against their 14 turnovers.

A crowd of 1,953 watched as UMBC won its second straight conference game, while Binghamton dropped its fourth consecutive contest. The Retrievers shot efficiently from the field, while the Bearcats struggled with their shooting percentages across the board.

The most important sequence of the game was UMBC’s immediate and assertive response to Binghamton’s early 4-0 lead. Rather than letting the home team build momentum in front of its crowd, the Retrievers unleashed a 13-2 run over the next four minutes, spearheaded by King. This early demonstration of control established the game’s trajectory, proving UMBC was the superior team on both ends of the floor and setting a confident tone that lasted the entire night. Binghamton never recovered the lead or the initiative.

UMBC next hosts NJIT on Thursday, while Binghamton travels to face New Hampshire the same night.