Following a home victory against New Hampshire on Thursday, the Binghamton women’s basketball team walked away with a close 62-57 victory over visiting Maine on Saturday night. Despite going down early in the first quarter, the Bearcats fought back for the lead in the second quarter and maintained control for the remainder of the game.

“I watch a lot of basketball, and the simpler the better,” said Binghamton head coach Mary Grimes. “I’ve seen it in the NBA, WNBA and my message [to the team] was to box out, box out, box out.”

After Maine (10-11, 5-3 AE) won the tipoff, Binghamton (14-6, 6-1 AE) got off to a hot start thanks to a steal and breakaway layup from senior guard Kaia Goode. However, the Black Bears quickly responded with a three to take an early 3-2 lead.

Maine continued with a 12-4 run, but a three-pointer from junior guard Bella Pucci brought the score within six. After the Black Bears tacked on four more points, Binghamton began to rally with four unanswered points, but Maine applied pressure with another three to make it 22-13 as the first quarter ended.

Binghamton’s offense exploded to kick off the second quarter, outscoring Main 12-4 to bring the game within one point. Binghamton soon tied the game at 27-27 thanks to a layup from senior guard Meghan Casey, and a pair of free throws from Goode gave the Bearcats their first lead of the game. The Bearcats maintained their advantage for the remainder of the half, outscoring their opponents as they held a comfortable 37-30 lead as the first half came to a close.

“I think we just have to figure out our press,” Grimes said. “I think we had some mishaps and things that we were working on in practice, and we weren’t matched up the way we needed to be and if we had been, which we started doing later, we [would have] had more success. But it’s a 40-minute game, I told them we had to play for 40 minutes.”

Freshman guard Carletta Bennett got Binghamton off to a quick start with a layup to open the second half, kicking off a 6-2 scoring run for the Bearcats. The Black Bears answered with a 7-1 run, bringing the game within five, but Pucci hit her second three-pointer of the game to ward off the Black Bear comeback and make the score 47-39 before a media timeout.

The Bearcats only added to their lead as the quarter continued, scoring six unanswered points before the Black Bears went on a 5-1 run of their own. Just as the clock expired in the third quarter, Pucci hit her third three-pointer of the game at the buzzer, extending Binghamton’s lead to 57-44.

The Black Bears opened the scorebook in the fourth quarter, scoring seven straight and bringing the game within six points, but a jumper from Casey ended their run. Maine managed to score six points straight, making it a two-point game with under a minute remaining. In the Bearcats’ final possession of the match, Bennett sank a massive three-pointer for her team, securing Binghamton’s 62-57 victory.

“We talked to [Goode] about guarding the ball, first and foremost, and for her to get a steal in the first possession of the game and get an easy layup for her — that’s her game, and I think that’s been missing,” Grimes said. “But I think she’s figuring it out and she’s figuring out how to move her body so she can get those still. She’s a great on-ball defender.”

Junior forward Kendall Bennett and Pucci led the team in points with 14 each, while Carletta Bennett followed close behind with 13. Kendall Bennett recorded an additional 12 rebounds, securing her ninth double-double of the season. Goode led the team in both assists and steals with four each, along with tacking on eight points.

“We’re going to enjoy this one for 24 hours,” Grimes said. “We enjoy wins or dwell on losses for 24 hours, and then we move on. I think that’s why we’re six and one, and we got a big game coming up against Bryant. It’s the biggest game of our season because it’s our next game, and that’s how we treat it.”

Binghamton will head back on the road as they take on Bryant University on Thursday, Jan. 29. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield, Rhode Island.