In its lone exhibition of the 2014-2015 season, the Binghamton women’s basketball team impressed offensively, scoring 83 points in a rout of Division-II Mansfield.
“I am really proud of the way the girls played,” BU head coach Linda Cimino said. “Our whole goal and focus in practice has been to play hard and be intense and communicate and I think they did a really good job with that.”
The Binghamton offense saw an explosion from two different players in the first half. Freshman guard Jasmine Sina dominated the early portion of the period, draining three treys from the top of the key to lead BU to an early 20-15 lead with twelve minutes remaining in the half.
“I think my teammates really got me going once I hit my first three,” Sina said. “They really supported me. … I used my nervousness in a positive way after that first three.”
Mansfield would not roll over, however. The Mountaineers scored the next six points to take a one-point lead with six minutes until halftime. At that point, junior guard Kim Albrecht took control of the Bearcat offense. She scored nine points – including a long three-pointer and two impressive pull-up jump shots – in the final portion of the period to help the Bearcats extend a 37-29 lead heading into the locker room.
“We were just moving the ball really well,” Albrecht said. “We were pushing in transition and that was really helpful in getting the momentum going and keeping them on their toes. Just pushing the ball was really beneficial for us.”
After the break, the Bearcats were scorching hot, putting the ball in the basket from everywhere on the court. They refused to hit the brakes, pouring in 46 points through the half.
Sina again impressed on the offensive side of the ball, draining a pair of treys on consecutive possessions for the Bearcats to open the half. Albrecht and senior forward Sherae Swinson added back-to-back baskets of their own to push BU’s lead to ten. Mansfield responded with two scores to cut the deficit to six, but Binghamton, led by five points from freshman guard Imani Watkins, erupted on a 12-4 run to increase its advantage to 14.
The Mountaineers were unable to recover, failing to stop BU in the final ten minutes of the half. The Bearcats’ lead ballooned to as many as 25, and the hosts eventually emerged with a decisive 83-60 victory.
Binghamton received double-digit scoring from all five of its starters. In their first taste of action in the Events Center, Binghamton’s pair of rookie guards finished with impressive stat lines. Sina knocked down six from beyond the arc on her way to 18 points, and Watkins added 16 of her own.
“[Sina] plays with confidence. She studies the game, she has a high IQ and she makes her teammates better,” Cimino said. “Imani struggled in the first half…. She is a gamer. She probably got her nerves out in the first half. I think in the second half, you saw the Imani Watkins that you are going to see all year.”
Swinson finished with a double-double, dominating the glass with ten rebounds while scoring 17 points. After her big first half, Albrecht finished the game with 16. Sophomore forward Kristin Ross contributed 11 points and nine rebounds.
The Bearcats are set to open their regular season on Friday, Nov. 14 against Akron at the Akron Tournament. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the James A. Rhodes Arena.