The Binghamton women’s basketball team took on UMBC in its final game of the regular season. With a 58-48 win over the Retrievers, the Bearcats earned a sixth-place spot in the America East (AE) playoff seeding.

“I’ll take any ugly win,” said Binghamton head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord. “The first half I thought we did terrific, and I was hoping we could’ve built on that … We put ourselves in a position to be in sixth place which I think is better than what it was about a month ago.”

Early on, BU (9-19, 5-13 AE) got out to a hot offensive start, hitting 61.5 percent of its shots in the first frame. The scoring came from a variety of Bearcats, with four of the five starters connecting on at least one shot. Binghamton also locked the Retrievers (3-23, 2-14 AE) up on the defensive side of the ball holding them to just seven points on 10.5 percent shooting from the field in the first quarter. This allowed BU to take a commanding 19-7 lead after the first, setting the tone for the rest of the match.

“We were playing disciplined defense in the first half,” Shapiro Ord said. “We were in our gaps, we were helping each other, we were communicating really well.”

The second quarter was more evenly matched than the first, as UMBC attempted to get back into the game. Despite the Bearcats’ success on both sides of the ball, they struggled to keep possession as they turned the ball over 11 times in the first half. This allowed UMBC to stay within reaching distance of the game. Even with the turnovers, however, Binghamton led 35-21 at the end of the first half.

Leading the way for the BU offense were junior forward Jalyn Van Dyke and senior guard Hayley Moore. By the end of the first half, the duo tallied eight points apiece and both knocked down two 3-pointers in the process.

“That’s what we need, game in and game out,” Shapiro Ord said. “When we have other people step up and knock down shots, that’s what we need to do to win.”

Junior forward Birna Benonysdottir got the scoring started in the penultimate quarter when she drove into the paint, spun past her defender and connected on a layup. The Bearcats continued their lockdown defense, getting two steals on back-to-back possessions. Following Benonysdottir’s effort, junior guard Denai Bowman began heating up as well, scoring 11 of BU’s 17 points in the third.

“[Bowman] with her 18 points, five boards, three steals, she was tremendous,” Shapiro Ord said. “And [Benonysdottir] was on another level … Her four blocks and her defensive ability … I thought she did a tremendous job as well.”

The Retrievers were able to narrow their deficit in the third, making it a nine-point game with less than a minute remaining in the period. However, a jump shot from junior guard Cassidy Roberts on the next possession brought the Bearcats’ lead back up to 11 points going into the final frame.

To start the fourth quarter, UMBC hit a 3-pointer on its first possession to cut the lead to eight. The Retrievers remained within striking distance for the entirety of the quarter, but BU was able to hold on to its advantage. At the four-minute mark, the away side cut its deficit to just seven points, but a 3-point shot from Moore on the following possession put the game to bed.

“[Moore] helps draw the players out so that we can get the ball back inside,” Shapiro Ord said. “When we’re not hitting, everyone just sags in … When we get those outside looks … It just opens up the inside.”

Binghamton’s defensive efforts were ultimately the difference in the win. The Bearcats accumulated seven blocks and eight steals for the game, getting 16 points off of turnovers. Benonysdottir blocked four shots while Bowman added two blocks and three steals.

“I’m so proud of them, they just battle and battle,” Shapiro Ord said. “What we’ve been through to get to this point, it’s putting us in a position for a really good run in the [AE] tournament.”

BU are set to play Vermont in the first round of the AE playoffs this Saturday, March 5. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at the Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington, Vermont.