Dec. 19
Opponent: University of Miami (7-1)
Result: L, 68-52
Bearcat of the Game: Erica Carter. Carter, a senior starting guard, posted a team-high 17 points, 15 of which came off 3-pointers, shooting 43 percent overall. Carter also added three steals and four rebounds in the losing effort.
Why They Lost: BU was outrebounded 51-28 for the game. More than half of Miami’s rebounds came on the offensive glass, creating 19 second-chance points. The Hurricanes also picked up 27 points off 21 Bearcat turnovers, compared to just five points off turnovers for BU. Miami had two 20-point scorers.
Why They Could’ve Won: The Bearcats outscored the Hurricanes in the second half, by a 29-22 margin. Much of this was accomplished by limiting Miami to 28.6 percent shooting in the half, after they hit nearly half their shots in the first half. The team also limited leading Hurricane scorer Riquna Williams, who had 28 points in the game, to just four points in the second half.
Dec. 21
Opponent: Sacred Heart University (6-3)
Result: L, 67-59
Bearcat of the Game: Erica Carter. The senior guard again led the team in scoring with 16 points and was the only Bearcat to reach double figures. She hit seven of her nine shots, including a pair from behind the 3-point line. Carter added three blocks, a career high, en route to winning her second consecutive America East Player of the Game honors.
Why They Lost: Binghamton allowed the Pioneers to shoot over 50 percent from the field for the game, including three of six 3-pointers in the second half. The Bearcats were again outrebounded, this time 40-33, and again allowed a 20-point scorer. They ended the game on a three-minute field goal drought.
Why They Could’ve Won: BU won the turnover battle, committing just 11 to the Pioneers’ 19, and recorded seven blocks. Despite allowing Sacred Heart to shoot 54 percent from the field in the first half, the Bearcats only trailed by three points at halftime. They cut that to a single point a minute into the second half.
Dec. 28
Opponent: at Fordham University (6-5)
Result: W, 49-45
Co-Bearcats of the Game: Viive Rebane and Theodora Panteli. The two 6-foot forwards recorded double-doubles for BU. Rebane, a sophomore, ended up with 12 points and 13 rebounds, both team highs. Panteli put up 10 points and 12 rebounds, going 5-for-7 from the field. She sealed the match with a jumper with 30 seconds left to give BU their 49-45 lead, and then stole the ball to end any chances of a comeback by the Rams.
Clutch Plays of the Game: With 5:25 left in the game, the Bearcats found themselves down 41-34. BU fought back, clawing within 42-39. That’s when sophomore point guard and last year’s America East Rookie of the Year Andrea Holmes drained a 3-pointer to tie up the game. The Rams hit a three to go up three points with three minutes to go. Then with 1:45 left, junior guard Jackie Ward hit a 3-pointer to tie things up again, permanently shifting momentum to the Bearcats. After free throws from Rebane to give BU the lead, Ward stole the ball from Fordham with 51 seconds to go. Panteli hit a jumper and followed with a steal, and the Bearcats’ third win of the year was sealed.
Why They Won: After missing all eight 3-point attempts in the first half, the Bearcats went five of 12 in the second half, including a pair at the end of the game to complete the comeback. They held Fordham to just 26.7 percent shooting in the second half and outrebounded the Rams by 10. In the end, though, it was clutch play to end the game that gave BU the victory in the first of two games at the Fordham Holiday Classic.
Dec. 29
Opponent: East Carolina University (10-2)
Result: L, 86-82 OT
Bearcat of the Game: Andrea Holmes. The 5-foot-6-inch sophomore guard from Tennessee had a game-high 28 points, converting six of 12 3-pointers. In fact, she only hit one field goal inside the 3-point line. The performance was tied for the second-highest scoring output by a Bearcat this year.
Clutch Plays of the Game: Holmes single-handedly kept BU in the game at the end of regulation, scoring the final 13 points for the Bearcats in the second half. This included a game-tying 3-pointer with 20 seconds left to force the overtime. Down 82-81 in overtime, she hit a free throw to tie the game, though she missed her next one.
Why They Lost: Despite her heroics, Holmes committed seven turnovers, including one that led to a layup to give East Carolina an 82-81 lead. Holmes also missed a pair of 3-pointers in overtime, including one with six seconds remaining and the Bearcats down two, which likely would have won it. As a team, BU allowed the Pirates to hit five of their six shots in overtime and over half of their shots for the game. Binghamton was outrebounded 44-30.
Why They Could’ve Won: Despite their defensive lapses, the Bearcats were an Andrea Holmes 3-pointer away from defeating a team that was 10-2 at the time. Holmes was able to step up and carry the team in the second half and overtime. Binghamton had three players in double figures and hit 50 percent of their 3-pointers in the second half and overtime.
Jan. 4
Opponent: Cornell University (5-6)
Result: W, 74-42
Bearcat of the Game: Viive Rebane. The America East Player of the Game tied Jackie Ward for the game-high with 16 points. She also had three blocks, two steals and six rebounds while shooting 80 percent from the field.
Why They Won (Offense): The Bearcats got a solid overall team effort, with four players scoring in double figures, four players with at least five rebounds and a pair of players with five assists. The team hit close to 48 percent of its shots and all 12 of its free throws in the second half.
Why They Won (Defense): On the other side, the Bearcats held the Big Red to just 30 percent shooting, including two of 20 from the 3-point line. The Bearcats doubled Cornell’s block and steal totals, with 10 and four respectively. The team was consistent, outscoring Cornell by 15 in the first half and 17 in the second half, using an early 13-0 run to pull well ahead for good. All of this added up to Binghamton’s biggest win in over two years.
Jan. 7
Opponent: Boston University (5-8, 1-0 America East)
Result: L, 68-57
Bearcat of the Game: Viive Rebane. Rebane put up team-highs with 14 points, five steals, two blocks and 15 rebounds. Of her 15 boards, 11 came on the offensive glass. Rebane also added in a pair of free throws and two assists in the loss.
Clutch Plays of the Game: Binghamton went on a 10-1 run with Jackie Ward hitting a 3-pointer, then assisting on Erica Carter’s 3-pointer, and Viive Rebane hitting a pair of shots. The run brought Binghamton all the way back to within four points at 51-47 with 4:54 to go. Boston would control the game from there, though BU came within 59-54.
Why They Lost: BU played a solid stretch in the second half to come within four points, but this was after the team fell behind by 20, making the effort too little too late. Over half of the team’s shots in the second half were from behind the 3-point line, a function of being behind by 20. The Bearcats hit just 20 percent of those second-half threes. For the game, BU shot under 30 percent.
Why They Could’ve Won: Holmes had eight points, six assists, six rebounds and just one turnover, though she hit just three of her 13 shots. Ward and Carter both scored in double figures, while senior Darryll Peterson had nine points and 13 rebounds. The team had its best rebounding performance of the year, pulling down 51 in total. Binghamton held the Terriers to just one of six 3-pointers in the second half and had an opportunity to win despite the large deficit early in the second half.
Jan. 9
Opponent: Stony Brook University (3-11, 1-1 AE)
Result: W, 74-58
Bearcat of the Game: Viive Rebane. The title could’ve gone to any of Binghamton’s five starters, all of whom scored in double figures, but Rebane’s third straight America East Player of the Game award and second straight double-double gave her the nod. She put up 13 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block in the win, hitting four of her six shots.
Biggest Momentum Shift: The Bearcats actually trailed early in this one, falling behind 21-10 just eight minutes into the game. For the next five and a half minutes of the game, BU was dominant, going on a 21-2 run to take a 31-23 lead with 6:44 to go, a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the game.
Why They Won: Five Bearcats scored in double figures, underlying the strong team effort. As a team, Binghamton shot a season-high 53.5 percent from the field and hit nearly half of its 3-point attempts. After allowing the Seawolves to shoot nearly 50 percent in the first half, BU held Stony Brook to just 26.5 percent shooting in the second half, including 13 percent on 3-pointers.
Jan. 13
Opponent: at No. 24 University of Vermont (13-3, 3-0 AE)
Result: L, 76-43
Bearcat of the Game: Orla O’Reilly. The 6-foot sophomore had a team-high 13 points, adding in three rebounds and a block. Theodora Panteli led the team with 13 rebounds, and Holmes and Peterson had three steals each.
Why They Lost: The Bearcats missed all five of their shots and committed three quick fouls and a pair of turnovers, allowing Vermont to take a 17-0 lead. Binghamton pulled within 16 in the second half, but couldn’t sustain a run, losing by 33. The team shot under 30 percent from the field, and under 20 percent on 3-pointers.
Why They Could’ve Won: It was O’Reilly’s best performance since her 15-point showing against Cornell, as she provided a spark off the bench. After being down 17-0, the Bearcats were able to fight back within 24-11, though that was the closest they would get from that point on.
Jan. 16
Opponent: University of Hartford (12-3, 3-0 AE)
Result: L, 70-65
Bearcat of the Game: Andrea Holmes. For the first time since their game against East Carolina University, the Bearcats had a 20-point scorer, and once again it was Andrea Holmes. The sophomore point guard had 22 points, four assists, five rebounds and a steal. Her numbers were marred only by her 12 turnovers.
Why They Lost: Going into the final two minutes, the largest lead by either team was five points. The Bearcats held a 52-48 lead with 5:59 left in the game. That’s when the Hawks went on a 14-2 run. The Bearcats stayed close in the final minutes, pulling within five points with 30 seconds to go, but couldn’t put together the final run they needed to get the win.
Why They Could’ve Won: Coming off a tough 33-point loss to Vermont, the Bearcats held their own against the team that is currently No. 1 in the conference and went into halftime with a two-point lead. BU actually outshot the Hawks for the game, hitting more field goals and more 3-pointers, but Hartford’s 21 free throw attempts to Binghamton’s three was the difference.
Jan. 18
Opponent: at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (8-9, 2-2 AE)
Result: W, 80-63
Bearcat of the Game: Erica Carter. The senior guard scored a game-high 27 points for the Bearcats and in the process surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career. Seven of her eight field goals were from behind the 3-point line, and only attempted two shots inside the arc.
Turning Point of the Game: For most of the first half the game was close, and the two teams found themselves tied at 28 with 4:20 left in the first half. It was the Bearcats who closed out the half strong, going on an 8-0 run to take a 36-28 lead into halftime. Coming out to start the second half, Erica Carter hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 11, and the Retrievers would never get any closer than that.
Why They Won: The Bearcats were consistent, outscoring the Retrievers by eight in the first half and nine in the second half and shooting 43.5 percent for the game. Their 10 turnovers were the third-fewest by the Bearcats this year.
Jan. 21
Opponent: at University of Maine (5-13, 1-5 AE)
Result: L, 55-51
Bearcat of the Game: Erica Carter. Carter had a game-high 20 points, 18 of which came off 3-pointers, and hit half of her shots. She added in five rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist in the loss.
Why They Lost: Down by 13 in the second half, the Bearcats fought back, cutting the lead to two in seven minutes. With just over a minute left, Holmes was fouled as she hit a layup, and with the free throw the Bearcats cut the lead to just one. With 37 seconds left BU was forced to foul and Maine hit its free throws down the stretch. Maine outrebounded BU by 16.
Why They Could’ve Won: Although the Bearcats shot just 30 percent from the field, they held Maine to 29.2 percent shooting, including 16.7 percent on 3-pointers. Holmes had 15 points, hitting a pair of threes, to go with five rebounds, while Viive Rebane put up 10 points and seven boards. The Bearcats kept it close, and in the end were just a couple shots away from getting another win on the road.