The Binghamton University women’s basketball team is in its final month of the season, fighting to hold on to the No. 4 seed in the conference. But Stony Brook is right behind the Bearcats, and they are seeking revenge for a loss at the Events Center earlier this season.
The Bearcats (8-14, 4-5 America East) are scheduled to face off on the road against the Seawolves (6-16, 4-6 AE) on Saturday, and a win for Stony Brook would propel it past Binghamton for the No. 4 spot in the conference. The Bearcats are coming off a 79-56 defeat at the hands of Boston University in which senior guard and leading scorer Erica Carter was held to just three points.
“The loss obviously was a disappointing [one],” said Bearcats head coach Nicole Scholl. “But moving on and learning from the things that we didn’t do well in this game, and the things that we did do well and continue with that, and then it’s just about preparation for the next game.”
Binghamton defeated Stony Brook 74-58 at home on Jan. 9, holding the Seawolves’ leading scorer Kirsten Jeter, who’s currently averaging 13.5 points per game, to just five points. As for the Bearcats’ scorers in the previous matchup, all five starters reached double figures. Sophomore guard Andrea Holmes led the attack with 14 points and four steals, while sophomore forward Viive Rebane tallied 13 points, 10 rebounds and three steals. But each team struggled with turnovers, committing 24 apiece. As a unit, Binghamton shot 53.5 percent from the field, compared to just 36.1 percent by Stony Brook.
Last season, however, the Bearcats defeated the Seawolves at home and lost to them on the road just under a month later. Accordingly, Scholl anticipates the upcoming game going much differently than the last.
“It’s definitely going to be different, being … on the other team’s floor. There’s always different circumstances that can happen. Last time when they came to us, their star player was in some foul trouble and had to sit, and I thought we capitalized with her out of the game. It’s going to be a different story. We’re going to have to come in with energy and focus and the attitude that we can step on anybody’s floor and get a win.”
So far this season, the Bearcats have identical overall home and away records (4-7), but are just 1-3 in conference road games so far. Stony Brook has won three of its past six after dropping 13 of its first 16 games.
The landscape of the conference battle this year includes three teams that have established themselves to be at the top of the league: Hartford (10-0 AE), Vermont and Boston University (both at 8-2). Five other teams, including the Bearcats, have three or four conference wins, meaning that the tournament seeds are very much up in the air. However, there are still several conference games left to play, which leaves plenty of time for any team to make a winning run or hit a losing skid and lose their tournament position.
Despite the Bearcats’ latest loss, Scholl believes the team can’t revel in the past for very long.
“We don’t have much time to worry about what you should’ve done in the past game,” she said. “You have to just keep moving forward and look toward your next opponent.”
The Bearcats and the Seawolves are set to square off at 2 p.m. Saturday at Stony Brook.