On Wednesday, the Binghamton women’s basketball team hosted in-state rival Stony Brook just two weeks after losing by 25 to them on the road. The eighth-placed Bearcats kept clawing their way back into the competition, but a missed free throw with one second remaining and gave the conference-leading Seawolves the victory by a score of 49-48.

“I thought we played our hearts out,” said Binghamton head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord. “I’m so proud of this team, we battled. For us to beat them, we really needed to just have every possession count and that’s the mindset we went in [with]. We missed a few little bunnies here and there, which of course adds up but I can’t even tell you how proud I am of this team. This record is not what it should be.”

BU (5-12, 1-6 America East [AE]) trailed by two with less than a minute to go with a chance to put the game away. Stony Brook (18-2, 9-1 AE) air balled a shot, giving BU a chance with 25 seconds remaining on the clock. The Bearcats passed it around the perimeter until junior guard Denai Bowman drove to the right and kicked it out to junior forward Birna Benonysdottir at the top of the key. The junior missed the shot from beyond the arc, but BU was quick to foul and send the Seawolves to the line. After Stony Brook only hit one shot, Binghamton had one more chance with 2.8 seconds to go. The team once again went to Benonysdottir who faked a shot, dribbled to her right and was fouled as she released the ball giving her three shots at the free throw line. The junior drained the first two but missed the tying shot.

“[Benonysdottir’s] an excellent free throw shooter but unfortunately just didn’t make that last one,” Shapiro Ord said. “And that’s not what lost the game for us. You can’t look at that last play ever … It was other things that happened.”

Each team struggled early, missing a combined eight field goals before a Seawolf knocked in a jumper. The shot helped spark the Stony Brook offense as the away side went on to finish the quarter with 15 points. The Bearcat offense stalled a while longer, but three layups by Bowman helped give the team life. After the junior made it 12-6, the Seawolves knocked down their first 3-pointer which junior forward Jalyn Van Dyke matched on the following possession. The BU offense relied on Bowman and Van Dyke for the bulk of its scoring as the juniors combined for 31 of the team’s 48 points. Van Dyke’s 15 points are a season-high for her.

“[Van Dyke] is a terrific player and when she just plays with the flow of the game, she really does a great job,” Shapiro Ord said.

In just over two minutes of play in the second quarter, Binghamton went on a 7-0 run fueled by another Van Dyke three. Benonysdottir hit a jump shot during the following possession, giving the Bearcats the lead for the first time all game. The Seawolves regained the lead, but Van Dyke answered with one more three, sparking an 8-0 run to give BU a seven-point advantage. Stony Brook eventually started making shots, but still trailed by one entering the half.

“When you see the ball go through the hoop and you’re getting some stops, it just really energizes you,” Shapiro Ord said.

The beginning of the third quarter saw BU falter offensively while Stony Brook found its rhythm. After Bowman knocked a jumper in early, the Seawolves went on an 11-0 run to take an eight-point lead. During that span, BU was outrebounded 10-5, five of those boards being offensive.

“We let them get a couple extra shots and we missed a few opportunities,” Shapiro Ord said.

After a timeout from Shapiro Ord, senior guard Hayley Moore knocked down a three to give BU its first points in nearly seven minutes. The Bearcat defense held and after a successful trip to the charity stripe, BU found itself within three once again. Binghamton capped off its 12-0 run with a layup from Bowman to go up four points heading into the final frame.

Each team struggled to make shots in the fourth quarter, but the Seawolves’ seven made free throws in the fourth lifted them over the home team.

Binghamton plays twice this weekend against the University of Maine as part of its five-game homestand. It will be the team’s third and fourth games in less than a week.

“I know they’d rather play than have practice,” Shapiro Ord said. “So we’re excited to have Maine come in here and we’ll have them for two games so it’ll be a lot of fun.”

The first of those games is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 4. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center in Vestal, New York.