In its final game before the America East (AE) tournament, the Binghamton women’s basketball team wrapped up AE conference play on the road on Saturday afternoon with a 65-56 win over UNH. After a back and forth game for three quarters, tied at 41 going into the fourth quarter, the Bearcats outscored the Wildcats 24-15 in the final ten minutes to come out with the victory.

“This [was] as close to a tournament game as you can get,” said Binghamton head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord. “I think it was a really good test for us moving forward to get to March.”

Binghamton (13-16, 8-8 AE) and UNH (9-20, 3-13 AE) traded baskets to open the game with graduate student guard Denai Bowman laying the ball in to give the visitors their first points of the game. With the game tied at four, the Wildcats scored four more points before the Bearcats could score again to take an 8-4 lead. For the rest of the period, both teams continued to exchange buckets as a three-pointer from sophomore guard/forward Camryn Fauria gave BU a 14-13 lead at the end of the first.

“You can’t give teams extra opportunities, and we gave [UNH] too many extra opportunities,” Shapiro Ord said.

Going into the second quarter, the Bearcats extended their lead with a 5-0 run to make it 19-13, courtesy of a three-pointer from freshman guard Bella Pucci and a layup from sophomore guard Meghan Casey. However, the Wildcats kept things close, responding with a 6-0 run of its own, tying the score at 19. The lead then flipped between the Bearcats and Wildcats, with the visitors ultimately grabbing a slight advantage for the final four minutes of the half. With the clock winding down, a UNH basket cut BU’s lead to 29-28 going into halftime.

“We just laid it out there and kept battling and battling,” Shapiro Ord said. “It definitely was a gritty, gritty win and anytime you can win on the road, it’s great.”

Coming out of halftime, the Wildcats regained the lead early in the third quarter at 33-29 with a 5-0 run. Despite relinquishing their lead, the Bearcats tied things at 33 after redshirt sophomore guard Ella Wanzer drained two free throws. With several lead changes, the back and forth nature of the game continued for the rest of the period as a Bowman jumper tied the game at 41 going into the fourth quarter.

“We just talked about adjustments,” Shapiro Ord said. “Adjustments were rebounding, [and] adjustments were take care of the basketball.”

Fauria gave BU a 43-41 lead just 18 seconds in the quarter. After the Wildcats tied the game at 43, the tides began to turn with the Bearcats’ offense going on a 13-4 run to take a 57-49 lead. Binghamton maintained this lead, holding off UNH for just long enough. With junior forward Genevieve Coleman knocking down four free throws in the final minute to put the visitors up by 10, icing the game for good, BU captured a 65-56 victory to finish conference play.

“We just have to focus on us and focus on playing our hearts out,” Shapiro Ord said.

Leading the way in points was Coleman with 18 and Bowman with 16. The Bearcats held the Wildcats to 4-of-20 shooting from the field in the final period, while shooting a perfect 9-of-9 from the field in the fourth quarter, to cushion its lead and escape with the victory. Heading into the AE playoffs, Shapiro Ord is confident that her team is peaking at the right time, heading into the AE tournament.

“I think we’re playing our best basketball right now,” Shapiro Ord said. “That’s what you want.”

Binghamton will hit the road once again in preparation for its AE quarterfinal matchup against Bryant on Friday, March 8. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Chase Athletic Center in Smithfield, Rhode Island.