Fresh off an important victory over unanimously selected preseason conference favorite Boston University, the Binghamton University women’s basketball team will look to retain momentum going into its final regular season game tomorrow against Stony Brook University. But with tournament seeding looming in the balance, the Bearcats (18-10, 11-4 America East), who beat the Seawolves by 20 points in their conference opener, may now be forced to close out the regular season without star junior guard Andrea Holmes, who left Wednesday’s game with an injury.
When Binghamton faced off against Stony Brook (5-22, 2-13 AE) earlier this season at the Events Center, the Bearcat offense exploded for 63 points in a balanced attack that included double-digits point contributions from four different Bearcats. Junior forward Viive Rebane led the team with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Holmes and freshman guard Jasbriell Swain each notched double-doubles. Holmes’ 12 rebounds on the night were a career high. The Bearcats held Stony Brook to just 43 points, a score to which BU has since managed to limit its opponents on only three occasions.
The Seawolves’ struggles continued after the Jan. 3 loss to Binghamton and their season has since gone in the opposite direction of the Bearcats’. After opening conference play with five straight losses, Stony Brook managed to pick up a win against last-place Maine on Jan. 23. The Seawolves’ only other win in conference play this season came against the Black Bears again five games later. Now riding a three-game losing streak, Stony Brook currently sits in eighth place in the America East.
This time around, however, the possible loss of Holmes could leave a serious void on the court for Binghamton. Holmes, who leads the team in scoring and assists, also plays an invaluable role in a BU defense that is ranked No. 1 in the conference. Her nearly two steals per game is a team-high and ranks in the top 10 in the America East. At Wednesday’s game against Boston, Holmes, who leads the league in minutes played, had to be helped off the court midway through the second half, visibly in pain. She returned to the bench later in the half with her left knee wrapped in ice and would not reenter the contest.
While the extent of Holmes’ injury currently remains unknown, the chance of her missing tomorrow’s game, at this point, appears fairly high. The guards that may be forced to step up and lessen the blow, however, have proven themselves capable in the past. In games that Holmes has scored under her average of 14.3 points, senior guard Jackie Ward, junior guard Orla O’Reilly and the rookie Swain have seemed to compensate. In BU’s 50-44 win over Albany in January when Holmes managed just five points, the trio of Ward, O’Reilly and Swain combined for 31.
For Ward, the team’s lone senior, the game against Stony Brook will mark the last regular season game of her career.
“I’m just focused on winning,” Ward said, regarding the upcoming milestone. “[The Boston] win was huge for us … So I’m really excited about [the Stony Brook game] and I’m really not that focused on the end of the season for myself, I’m just focused on each game, one game at a time.”
Stony Brook has an imposing senior in forward Kirsten Jeter, who leads the Seawolves in scoring with an average of 14.1 points per game. But when Binghamton faced the Seawolves earlier in the season, the Bearcat defense was able to hold Jeter to just two points. It was sophomore guard Sam Landers that provided the most offense for Stony Brook in the contest, tallying a game-high 16 points.
With their win against Boston University on Wednesday, the Bearcats secured a top-three seed in the America East tournament scheduled to start next week. But tomorrow’s game against Stony Brook will play a role in whether Binghamton is seeded second or third. With a win, the Bearcats will automatically clinch the second seed. Should they lose, however, they will run the risk of being assigned the third seed.
With a loss tomorrow, Binghamton will hold the tiebreaker and take the second seed if the Boston Terriers lose to Vermont on Sunday. If the Bearcats lose to Stony Brook and the Terriers win, however, BU will obtain the third seed.
It is set that Binghamton will play either University of Vermont or University of New Hampshire next Friday, depending on the final seeding of each team. University of Maryland, Baltimore County has clinched the top seed in the conference tournament.
Binghamton’s final regular season game is scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m. tomorrow at Stony Brook.