The Binghamton University women’s basketball team dropped its third straight game to begin its 2012-13 campaign, falling to Austin Peay State University, 71-67, in Clarksville, Tenn. on Sunday afternoon.

The loss spoiled the performance of BU sophomore forward Sherae Swinson, who posted a career-high 23 points to lead all scorers. Junior guard Jasbriell Swain chipped in with 10 points and 11 boards for her second consecutive double-double.

BU head coach Nicole Scholl said she was proud of her team’s efforts but added that the players lost their legs toward the finish.

“We played very well against a very good team,” Scholl said. “But in [the] second half I just thought that we had a few mental mistakes and I think some of that was a little bit because of fatigue, and that caused us to lose that lead late. We played well at the end, but it wasn’t good enough, and Austin Peay hit their free throws at the end to close out the game.”

Binghamton (0-3) and Austin Peay (1-2) were both mired in an offensive funk to begin the game, but the Lady Governors pulled ahead with an early 13-9 lead. The Bearcats answered with a 6-0 run to go up by five, 19-14.

BU closed out the first half by extending its lead to 31-21 thanks to contributions from the bench and the play of Swain, who scored eight of her 10 first-half points in the final five minutes.

Scholl said that the team’s tenacity on the defensive end was a major factor in its success in the first half.

“We talked about from the start just to focus on team defense, and I thought we did a nice job of really doing that,” Scholl said. “We started to get some easy transition baskets because we were able to get some defensive rebounds and get [out and] run a little bit.”

But Binghamton could not carry its momentum over into the second half. Austin Peay opened with back-to-back three-pointers to trim BU’s lead to six. After junior guard Stephanie Jensen connected on a three-pointer, the Bearcats lost their way offensively, going 0-for-3 from the field and committing three consecutive turnovers. BU’s offensive futility propelled the Lady Govs to go on a 13-2 run, which would give them a 40-38 advantage midway through the second half.

Binghamton did not go down without a fight, however. The Bearcats went up by one, 43-42, after freshman guard Kandace Newry hit a three-pointer. But they relinquished the lead soon thereafter and never got it back due to the efforts of Austin Peay senior forward Leslie Martinez and senior center Kaitlyn Hill, who scored a combined 18 points down the stretch to seal the victory for the Lady Govs.

Binghamton exceeded its season average in points and shooting percentage, with 67 points and a 40.4 percent clip from the field. The Bearcats also saw a season-high 33 points from the bench.

Binghamton is scheduled to continue its trip through Tennessee with a match against Belmont University tonight. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

“Belmont by far will be the toughest competition that we will have seen this season” Scholl said. “They’re big inside; they’ve got some really good shooters on the outside. So height-wise, it’s definitely a mismatch for us. But for us, again, it’s going to be focusing on team defense and getting out in transition [so we can] run a little bit.”

Opening tip is set for 7 p.m. at Belmont’s Curb Event Center.