Head coach Rich Conover and his Binghamton University women’s basketball team left University of Maine’s Alfond Arena with their hearts heavy and hands empty Saturday.
The Bearcats lost their 10th road game of the season in 11 tries, 63-50 to the Black Bears, pushing the Bearcats into fourth place in the America East Conference. Binghamton again finds itself in a slump with losses in three of its last four.
“We were [not] as aggressive as we liked to be,” said Conover. “We did not create opportunities for ourselves, and [Maine] took advantage of our tentativeness.”
Binghamton (6-14, 4-3 AE) led Maine 11-6 four minutes into the game, but the Black Bears (6-15, 3-5) came right back with a 7-0 run over the next three minutes.
The Bearcats tied the score midway through the first half, but never led the rest of the game.
“We faltered on the defensive end in the [first] half,” said Conover. “It was hard to come back from.”
Sophomores Brittany Boser, Amanda Tewksbury and freshman Emily Rousseau took the court by storm with 15 points apiece for Maine.
Maine shot 43.5 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc in the first half to take a 36-22 at the break.
Binghamton trailed as much as 18 points early on in the second, but a 13-2 rally tightened the gap to 44-37 with 9:54 remaining. Senior Brianna Thompson and sophomore Darryll Peterson each contributed points to the run.
Binghamton never came within eight points afterward. Maine led 57-43 with two minutes remaining in regulation.
“We scored 50 points at [the end], but it was just not enough,” Conover said. “To be effective we have to be a lot more aggressive.”
Although the Bearcats turned a poor performance defensively, they pulled down 37 rebounds.
BU sophomore Erica Carter scored a team-high 11 points and notched a career-high six assists. She’s reached double figures the last three games. Senior Laine Kurpniece scored 10 points, while Patterson and Thompson each tallied eight.
As a team, the Bearcats are still searching for consistency away from the Events Center.
“I wish I had the answer for that,” Conover said. “I think you need to have a lot more focus and a lot more intensity because you are away from your home court. We just need to find that strength.”
The Bearcats return home to face Vermont (14-6, 5-2) at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Binghamton defeated the Catamounts twice last season, 64-55 at the Events Center and 77-67 at Patrick Gymnasium. Catamounts sophomore guard Courtnay Pilypaitis poured in 40 points in Vermont’s previous game, a 83-73 loss to host Boston University Saturday. That tied a team record.
Pilypaitis averages a team-high 16.3 points a game followed by junior guard Amy Rosenkrantz, who is Vermont’s second leading scorer with 13.5 points a game.
Athletic department to host “Girls Night Out:” On Tuesday, Binghamton University, as part of a nationwide celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, will be hosting “Girls Night Out” which will feature a presentation by Bess Greenberg, the school’s all-time leading scorer, and a reception in the Bearcat Den. The event, which will feature a question-and-answer session, will start at 4:45 p.m. and is open to all girls in grades 6-12.