A shot at a first conference title will have to wait until next year.
That’s what Binghamton University women’s basketball (11-19, 7-9 America East) will need to say after losing its quarterfinal game in the America East tournament 71-60 to Stony Brook this past Friday night.
Binghamton’s quarterfinal loss to the Seawolves started on a high note. Senior Erica Carter hit the opening shot of the contest to put the Bearcats ahead 2-0; it would be the Bearcats’ only lead of the game.
Shooting a scintillating 50 percent from the field, Stony Brook pulled away from the Bearcats to take a 26-11 lead over BU with 5:51 remaining in the first half.
Binghamton head coach Nicole Scholl was disappointed with her team’s slow start and said it was indicative of her team’s play to begin games throughout the season. Binghamton allowed the Seawolves to shoot 54 percent in the first half of the conference showdown, with six assists on their 13 field goals, compared to just one assist on 11 makes for the Bearcats.
Binghamton players attributed their first-half struggles to nerves stemming from the one-and-done nature of conference play. Sophomore point guard Andrea Holmes, in particular, attributed her slow start to the game to pressure put on her by Stony Brook. Indeed, Holmes’ statistics were stronger in the second half than the first: she scored more (12 points to 10), grabbed more rebounds (6 to 2) and shot at a higher percentage (57 percent to 43 percent) from the field.
Stony Brook’s strong defensive effort was a key to defeating the Bearcats on Friday. In a span of almost 14 minutes in the first half, the Seawolves held the Bearcats to just nine points, and built a 26-11 lead. The Bearcats were able to trim to 46-42, but ultimately could never make it a one-possession game. The Bearcats’ 60 points were just shy of their average of 61.5 points per game on the season. In particular, the Seawolves frustrated Carter in a game that ended her career as a Bearcat. The senior ends her career at Binghamton with 1,139 points, which ranks ninth all-time in program history, and 220 career 3-point field goals, which set the school record. Carter averaged 13.1 points per game on 46 percent shooting on the season. While she did score 12 points, she needed 13 shots to get them, and shot just 38 percent against the Seawolves.
The team’s season ends a round earlier than last season, when the Bearcats lost to the Boston University Terriers in the semifinals of the conference tournament 57-53.
While Binghamton’s season is officially over, the Bearcats showed that they do have some bright spots as they look toward next season. Holmes’ stat line of 22 points and eight rebounds was impressive, and she will be back with the Bearcats next season. Viive Rebane shot just 1-of-6, but pulled down 13 rebounds, and should figure prominently in next season’s picture as well. Jackie Ward added 13 points for Binghamton, while Orla O’Reilly and sister Sinead should return next season, as well.