In a conference of talented and dominant teams, the Binghamton University women’s basketball team is looking to be more than just another face in the crowd. A squad on the rise, the Bearcats will need to discover their identity quickly in order to succeed, as they adjust to life without their former star.

Binghamton finished last season 14-17 overall and 8-8 in America East. The team advanced to the America East semifinals as the No. 4 seed, beating fifth-seeded University of Maryland, Baltimore County in the quarterfinals. Binghamton was eliminated in the second round by Boston University, who went a perfect 16-0 in conference in the regular season before losing to the University of Vermont in the championship game. It was the third time in four years that the Bearcats made it to the conference semifinals.

Entering the year, the Bearcats are predicted to finish third in the conference, according to the America East Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The last time the Bearcats finished as high as third was the 2003-04 season. While the University of Vermont and the University of Hartford, who were picked to finish in the top two spots in the conference, will be tough foes, the team is confident about its chances this year, especially with the player losses those two teams have suffered. According to Binghamton head coach Nicole Scholl, they are looking to get past the 4/5 postseason matchup this year and take the next step.

“We’re excited,” she said. “We’ve got a good nucleus of players that are back and a couple of new freshmen, so we’ve got some experience with some youth. We had a good ending to our season last year, and we hope to build on that for this coming season.”

The Bearcats’ greatest challenge may be trying to replace two players who had significant roles last year: Laura Franceski and Muffy Sadler. Franceski, the team’s center, was the face of the franchise in her time with the squad. In her last three seasons, she finished in the top two in the conference in blocks. Last season she posted 78 blocks and led the team with six rebounds per game en route to being named to the third-team All-Conference. Franceski graduated after last season and is currently playing in Italy. Sadler, who transferred to LeMoyne College, was second on the team in assists and was the conference leader in 3-point percentage.

“Obviously with the loss of Laura Franceski, that’s somebody that we’re going to have to replace,” School said. “But I … know we’ve got the talent to do that.”

This year, the Bearcats will return America East Rookie of the Year Andrea Holmes. Playing point guard for Binghamton, Holmes led the team with 126 assists and tied for second in steals with 49, which were good for fourth and ninth in the conference, respectively. The four-time America East Rookie of the Week also put up 10 points and 4.7 rebounds per game and was named a member of both the All-Rookie team and the All-Conference third team.

Playing alongside her will be fellow All-Rookie team member Viive Rebane. The post player was second on the team with 5.7 rebounds per game and 21 blocks and the team leader with 55 steals and a .456 field goal percentage.

“The famous saying is, ‘The great thing about freshmen is that they’re going to be sophomores,’” Scholl said. “Especially with Andrea Holmes and Viive Rebane, with the amount of minutes and playing experience that they got last year, that’s just going to continue to make us better.”

In addition to the former standout rookies, the Bearcats will feature offensive leader Erica Carter, a senior who led the team in scoring, 3-pointers and free throw percentage, while adding 25 steals. Though noted for her 3-point prowess, she is looking to display a more diverse game this year.

“People still consider me as a 3-point shooter, and I’m hoping to change that and make it a little more difficult to guard me, hopefully get to the basket more,” she said.

Junior guard Jackie Ward came off the bench for the Bearcats last season, putting up 27 3-pointers, 22 steals and 6.2 points per game in limited playing time. Six-foot senior guard Darryll Peterson was just behind Rebane in rebounds with 4.9 per game, and knows that in her fourth year, she will have to take on new roles.

“Personally, just watching Franchise [Laura Franceski] and other seniors last year, I just learned how to be more of a leader on the court and off the court,” said Peterson. “I’ve taken over the role more as a post player now rather than a guard … I understand all the positions on the floor, and that’s really helped me be able to be a leader for everybody.”

The new players for Binghamton this season will include sophomore center Emma Cronk, who sat out last year as a transfer, redshirt-freshman forward Kiara Conner, freshman forward Simone Thomas, who was invited to take part in Canada’s National Elite Development Academy and Kara Elofson, who played on a Class 4A high school team that was among USA Today’s top 25 in the nation.

With Franceski no longer anchoring the middle, the Bearcats will focus on a transition offense and stronger defense. Over the offseason the team practiced running the floor and finishing at the other end of the court, in preparation for their new style of play.

“Transition and defense are definitely going to be our strong suits this year,” Scholl said. “I thought that at the end of the season last year we started really picking that pace up. We’re going to build on that part of it.”

Team chemistry and confidence are two things the team does not lack, and players have given glowing reviews of their head coach. The question is whether or not players can step up into the new roles that have been thrust upon them, and how well the players acclimate themselves to the new style of play.

The Bearcats will have multiple games to prepare before their first conference game on Jan. 7 at home against Boston University. Highlights of the nonconference schedule include a home game against the University of Miami on Dec. 19, as well as road games against Syracuse University on Nov. 22 and Villanova University on Dec. 11.

The Bearcats open the season against St. Bonaventure University on Friday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.