Centers:

UMBC is a skilled perimeter team, but is a mess on the interior. The Retrievers are the weakest defensive team in the America East, surrendering 73.8 points per game, and that all starts with their interior woes. Laura Franceski dominated Meghan Colabella and the rest of the UMBC front line with 15 points, 15 rebounds and three rejections last meeting. Expect more of the same this time around.

Advantage: Binghamton

Forwards:

A balanced team, the Bearcats have seen solid play from their forwards all season. Viive Rebane has been a standout freshman for Binghamton, averaging 7.8 points and 1.7 steals per game. Darryll Peterson is right there with 1.6 steals, and has been a defensive monster for the Bearcats all season. Rebane and Peterson will make life hard for Erin Brown, who averages a strong 9.4 points per game but scored just four when these teams met on Feb. 28.

Advantage: Binghamton

Guards:

Erica Carter and Andrea Holmes are the Bearcats’ two leading scorers (10.2 and 9.9 points per game, respectively) but will have their hands full Friday afternoon. Carlee Cassidy and Michelle Kurowski may be the best pair of guards the AE has to offer. Cassidy is leading the conference with 20.8 points per game. Kurowski is sixth at 13.3 points per game. Cassidy exploded for 27 in UMBC’s win against Binghamton, but shot 5-21 in her team’s loss. Defending her well is the key to the game for the Bearcats.

Advantage: UMBC

Bench:

Katie Brooks comes off the bench to score 9.4 points per game for UMBC, and Tope Obajolu gives the Retrievers a big body. But the cupboard is thin after that. Jackie Ward has been fantastic down the stretch for the Bearcats, with some prolific shot-making. Muffy Sadler shoots the three at 46.5 percent off the bench to lead the conference. Theodora Panteli and Jaki Goldner performed admirably when Franceski was hurt in February. Binghamton is a deep team and should win the battle of the benches.

Advantage: Binghamton

Coaching:

Nicole Scholl has done a great job for the Bearcats in her first season as head coach, bringing her team to the fourth seed in the conference despite losing four seniors to graduation. However, Phil Stern gets the edge here. He has coached UMBC for seven seasons and won the conference in 2007. This season, like his counterpart, he has taken a very young team further than many could have expected.

Advantage: UMBC

Overall:

UMBC will work the Bearcats, with the second-highest scoring offense in the AE (70 points per game), throwing everything that they have at Binghamton. A tough cover who has won the AE before, Carlee Cassidy will presumably make adjustments to avoid the 5-21 performance she had at the Events Center on Feb. 28. However, at fourth in the conference in defense (surrendering 64.7 points per game) and fifth in offense (scoring 60.2 points per game), the Bearcats are the more balanced of these teams. That, coupled with their deeper roster and more defensive-minded attitude, should get the Bearcats through this game.

Advantage: Binghamton