Coming off two straight home victories against Maine and UMBC, the Binghamton University women’s basketball team looked to continue its success when it hit the road Sunday afternoon to play the New Hampshire Wildcats. Last time the two squads met in January at the Events Center, Binghamton got the better of New Hampshire, winning by a score of 72-60. On Sunday, it was more of the same. The Bearcats (16-8, 9-2 America East) got the win again, 59-50, thwarting the pesky Wildcats (7-16, 4-7 AE) for the ninth-consecutive time.
The first two minutes of the game belonged to New Hampshire. A couple of quick steals helped the Wildcats get off to an early 5-0 lead. Recognizing how fatal a slow start could be to a hungry New Hampshire squad, Binghamton head coach Nicole Scholl quickly called a timeout. From there, the Bearcats went on a 10-0 run, highlighted by seven points, including two 3-pointers, by junior guard Andrea Holmes, who finished with 20 points and seven rebounds.
“Coming into the game today, especially on the road, we knew it was going to be a battle,” Scholl said. “We knew they had been playing well, winning four of their last six, including their last three at home. I think we just came in and weathered an early storm and played tough on the defensive end. I think we rebounded well, had some big transition hoops, got a lead and just kept it.”
It was a back-and-forth struggle for both teams in the first half. Five lead changes translated into a lot of hustle and grinding. For Binghamton, Scholl knows it’s all about confidence.
“It’s important for us to start on the defensive end. That’ll lead to some easy hoops. It’s executing well that has translated into a lot of confidence for us,” she said.
Down 26-21 with 4:50 left to play in the first half, the Bearcats went on an 8-0 run. Junior forward Viive Rebane led the way during the stretch with six points. She finished the game with a career-high 22 points and added 11 rebounds for her 10th career double-double. Rebane, who put up 16 points and nine rebounds against UMBC on Wednesday, was named America East Player of the Week yesterday. Freshman Jasbriell Swain had just two points against UNH, but grabbed 11 rebounds. It marked the third-straight game in which Swain recorded double-digit rebounds. Swain was named America East Rookie of the Week for her performance.
Even in the second half, the Bearcats just couldn’t shake the Wildcats. With 7:51 to go in the game, New Hampshire pulled within two points.
“We understood that [UNH] wasn’t going to go away and that the second half was going to be a 20-minute battle,” Scholl said. “Toward the end they were pressing us, fouling us and sending us to the line. We hit some key foul shots when we needed to, even though we didn’t shoot a great percentage.”
Binghamton shot 12-of-20 from the free-throw line, but hit 7-of-8 in the final minute.
The Bearcats’ M.O. this year has been bouncing back strong after tough losses. For the fourth time this season, the squad has won three consecutive games after a road loss.
“We have such a solid group that we can put out on the floor that at any point in time, on any given night, somebody can step up,” Scholl said. “I feel like we’ve had a team that’s been doing that and we’ve stuck together through everything.”
The Bearcats shot 40 percent from the field on Sunday, but just 3-of-13 from behind the arc. However, they managed to hold the Wildcats to only 30 percent shooting for the game. Defense has been a crucial part of Binghamton’s game plan over the past three games; it has held each of its opponents to 50 points or fewer over that time.
The Bearcats are set to return home, where they are a perfect 9-0, to face Vermont on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. The team will look to set a Division I era program record for the longest home winning streak — 10 games.