Feb. 26, 2005: the last time the Binghamton University women’s basketball team was victorious over the University of Hartford Hawks.

History could be changed tomorrow night, when the Bearcats get another shot at redemption against the reigning America East Champions at the Events Center.

In the first matchup of the season at the Chase Arena, Hartford won a closely contested 63-54 game over the Bearcats. In that game, junior Erica Carter paced Binghamton with 15 points. But the key statistic was turnover margin, which Hartford dominated, forcing 19 turnovers while only allowing 12 en route to the nine-point victory.

Even though it was a loss for the Bearcats, it proved Binghamton could play with the best in the conference. Hartford, the preseason No. 2 team in the America East, has won the conference championship three of the past four seasons.

“Our effort, intensity and focus was there,” said BU head coach Nicole Scholl, regarding the first Hartford game.

The Hawks also scored one of the biggest America East non-conference victories ever when they defeated No. 5 Duke on Nov. 21.; it was the highest ranked opponent an America East team has defeated to date.

After the Hartford defeat, the Bearcats went on a 4-2 stretch led by freshman Andrea Holmes, who was named America East Rookie of the Week, and senior Laura Franceski, who was named America East player of the week on Feb. 2. This streak put the Bearcats at 4-3 in AE play, ready to break into the top three with a matchup against the third place University of Vermont on Feb. 4.

But the Bearcats were dealt a big blow before the game when Franceski suffered a concussion in practice, putting her out of the lineup indefinitely. Without Franceski, the Bearcats suffered their worst home defeat in over 20 years, falling to Vermont, 64-38.

Binghamton (10-12, 5-4 America East) rebounded this past Saturday, though, completing the I-88 season sweep, with a last-minute 66-63 victory over the University of Albany.

The Bearcats were led to victory by Holmes’ 24 points and five rebounds and assists apiece. Sophomore Jaki Goldner had a career day against the Great Danes, scoring 13 points on 6-7 shooting, while also grabbing five rebounds.

Hartford (13-8, 8-1 AE) has solidified itself as a conference front-runner with a five-game conference winning streak starting on Jan. 24. They have used their superior depth (nine players average over 13 minutes a game) to create a balanced scoring attack, while also leading the America East in scoring defense, allowing only 56.3 points a game.

The Hawks are led by the junior frontcourt of Diana Delva and Erica Beverly. Delva leads the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game, while Beverly leads the Hawks with 7.3 rebounds per game.

Hartford’s backcourt is paced by senior Lisa Etienne, who leads the Hawks with 2.5 assists per game; Etienne is also fourth in the America East in 3-point shooting percentage at 37 percent. Hartford has also picked up a boost in AE play from freshman Ilicia Mathis who has averaged nearly 12 points per game and a whopping 55 percent from beyond the arc since conference play started last month.

The fact that Hartford has the ability to score from every position has not been lost on Scholl.

“They’re very well balanced … it’s going to be about one-on-one matchups,” Scholl said.

With Franceski still day-to-day, rebounding has become an issue for the Bearcats. Even in their victory over Albany, they were out rebounded 39-30. Junior Theodora Panteli has been inserted into the starting lineup in Franceski’s absence, and sophomore Jaki Goldner and freshman Sinead O’Reilly have seen significant jumps in their playing times.

“Rebounding has been a trouble spot; we have to find a way to improve,” Scholl said.

The key to the game for the Bearcats may end up being their ability to hit the 3-point shot. In their first matchup, Binghamton shot 60 percent from beyond the arc, led by Carter’s three trifectas. The good news for the Bearcats is junior Muffy Sadler leads the America East with a .456 3-point field goal percentage. Holmes, fresh off of her second America East Rookie of the Week award in a row, is also a major threat for the Bearcats, as she is averaging .455 percent from beyond the arc in conference play.

Game time is set for tomorrow at 7 p.m. All BU undergrads have free admission upon showing a student ID.