Following a win in an exhibition game against Roberts Wesleyan, the Binghamton women’s basketball team kicked off its season on Monday night at the Events Center, defeating Bloomsburg 72-59. After a strong start offensively for the Bearcats, the game quickly got competitive as the Huskies amped up their offense in the second half. However, BU was able to overcome this and came out on top, earning a 13-point win in its season opener.

“As a team, they’ve done a tremendous job [in terms of] chemistry,” said Binghamton head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord. “The older kids have really taken the younger ones under their wing and helped them. The competition and practice [have] been tremendous. It’s a tribute to everyone wanting to buy in and get better every day.”

After Bloomsburg (0-1) won the opening tip and got on the board first, the Bearcats (1-0) quickly responded with a layup from graduate student guard Denai Bowman and a three-pointer from redshirt sophomore guard Jadyn Weltz. Then, just over two minutes into the game, the Bearcats’ entire starting lineup was subbed out, as in five new players were brought into the game. The second unit immediately got to work, with sophomore guard Meghan Casey scoring a driving layup. The Huskies fought back less than a minute later, making another layup to tie up the score. However, after a steal from freshman guard Yanniah Boyd gave Binghamton possession, freshman guard Bella Pucci was able to make a fast break layup off of a pass from Weltz, cementing the Bearcats’ lead for the rest of the game.

“The second unit came in and did their job,” Shapiro Ord said. “They did what we asked them to do. I thought they did a really nice job of putting some pressure out there and really getting their team sped up, and getting some turnovers, which was what we wanted.”

After outscoring Bloomsburg 28-15 in the first quarter, Binghamton showed no signs of slowing down in the second. The Bearcats’ defense sprung into action, forcing two turnovers off of shot clock violations early in the quarter as they implemented a full-court press. Less than four minutes in, sophomore guard Camryn Fauria scored off of a turnover, extending the Bearcats’ lead to 20 points. Freshman forward Kendall Bennett also scored her first points in a Binghamton jersey, draining two free throws after drawing two consecutive fouls. BU ended the half forcing a total of 18 turnovers and 10 steals, establishing their dominance over Bloomsburg on the defensive end.

“I think it was a really good team effort [in the first half],” Shapiro Ord said.

Though the Bearcats started off strong, their offense began to slow down in the third quarter. Ultimately, Bloomsburg outscored BU 19-15 in the period. However, Binghamton was able to maintain its lead, with junior forward Genevieve Coleman snatching a rebound and passing it to Fauria for a quick two points — less than a minute into the quarter. Fauria also sunk a three-pointer off of an assist from Casey with two minutes left. The Huskies responded with a jump shot that made its way into the basket. However, in the last few seconds, Weltz drew a foul and drained two free throws, giving the Bearcats a 60-44 lead heading into the final period.

“We’ve been here for a couple of months already, so chemistry has been huge for us,” Weltz said. “We’re all buying into the ultimate goal, and we each have a role, and we’re sticking to it.”

In the fourth and final quarter, the Bearcats looked to solidify their win. After some back-and-forth play, eventually, BU took control when redshirt junior forward Elena Delicado grabbed an offensive rebound and put the ball back in the basket to make it 64-46. From there the Bearcats continued to dominate, especially Coleman who had eight points throughout the quarter. Bloomsburg was able to create more opportunities in the remaining minutes but was unable to catch up to BU. When the final buzzer sounded, Binghamton found itself on top, defeating the Huskies 72-59.

Coleman led all scorers with 18 points in just 20 minutes of action. Right behind her was Weltz, who filled up the stat sheet, tallying 16 points, six assists and seven rebounds.

“Everyone was getting their hands on that ball,” Coleman said. “Passing, cutting, moving — that’s the success to a good team, to getting buckets — is just moving, cutting, passing and we did that tonight.”

BU will continue nonconference play against Siena on Tuesday, Nov. 9. Tipoff is set for 6:07 p.m. at the Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center in Vestal, New York.