The Binghamton women’s basketball team struggled on its brief two-game road trip this weekend, dropping games at Columbia and Sacred Heart to fall to 0-7 on the road this season.
In Wednesday’s contest against the Lions (6-4), the Bearcats (3-7) went 3-for-20 on 3-point attempts, ultimately falling, 71-64.
“We haven’t really been a good 3-point shooting team this year,” Binghamton head coach Linda Cimino said. “After the Columbia game, I told them that they had to do a better job at shot selection and not take as many threes. I think that our shot selection was much better on Saturday.”
The team was forced to change its mindset on Saturday while heading into its contest with Sacred Heart and knocked down seven 3-pointers in addition to shooting 50 percent from deep. The Pioneers’ (2-7) offense scored three straight buckets out of halftime to turn a tie score, 31-31, into a seven-point advantage, 38-31. The Bearcats attempted to stage a comeback, but fell once again, 69-60.
“We didn’t get defensive stops when we needed to,” Cimino said. “Sacred Heart came out on fire after halftime. You exhaust so much energy trying to catch up. Even though it was just a three-minute span, I think that defensively, we need to do a better job getting more stops.”
Sophomore forward Alyssa James made a huge impact for Binghamton this week finishing Wednesday’s game with a team-high 33 points in addition to six rebounds and three blocks. James recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday’s match up. The double-double was already her fifth of the season.
“We knew that Alyssa was going to be a huge addition for us on the defensive end and I’ve said all along that anything she gives on offense is a bonus,” Cimino said. “She’s really starting to develop into a good offensive-post player. [BU assistant] coach [Leah] Truncale has really been working with her on that and we’re very pleased with her progress.”
Sophomore guard Imani Watkins finished Wednesday’s contest with 11 points, eight assists and five rebounds. She contributed 24 points and three rebounds on Saturday.
The Bearcats are still dealing with the effects of losing sophomore guard Jasmine Sina to a torn ACL during the preseason. Cimino has looked to Watkins to rise to the occasion of playing a more complete game and leading the team in Sina’s absence.
“Imani has had to take on two roles — being a scorer and a point guard — and she’s doing a great job with that,” Cimino said. “She’s leading the team on the court and is a leader off the court. I’m really proud of her growth and maturity this year.”
Although their record may not show it, the Bearcats believe that they are improving — looking forward, rather than behind.
“We’re right there,” Cimino said. “You want to be in one or two possession games, especially on the road. Unfortunately we haven’t had the opportunity to win on the road but I’m really happy that we’re there, we’re close and we’re playing really good teams. I think that we can compete in our conference.”
BU is set to return to action on Tuesday against Division II Nyack. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. from the Events Center in Vestal, New York.