VESTAL, N.Y. — Senior forward Reggie Fuller had 19 points and 10 rebounds, D.J. Rivera added 16 points, and Binghamton beat defending America East champion UMBC 61-51 today for the conference title and the school's first NCAA tournament berth.

It was the 11th straight win for the top-seeded Bearcats (23-8) and their first America East title since moving to Division I in 2001.

UMBC (15-17), the sixth seed and the last team to beat Binghamton, made its first NCAA tournament appearance a year ago but saw its chances of a second vanish when the Retrievers failed to score in the game's final 4:49.

Rich Flemming led UMBC with 14 points and 11 rebounds, conference scoring champion Darryl Proctor had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and freshman Chauncey Gilliam had 10 points.