The Binghamton women’s basketball team starts the 2006-2007 regular season with a daunting challenge awaiting it.

Tonight at 7 p.m. the Sacred Heart Pioneers (0-1), the defending Northeast Conference champions, will pay a visit to the Events Center. Selected by their peers to repeat as champions after finishing 26-5 a year ago, the Pioneers come into Vestal motivated after their 22-point loss to national powerhouse Boston College on Sunday.

Sacred Heart returns virtually its entire team, including NEC Player of the Year Amanda Pape. The 5-foot-8 senior shooting guard led the conference last season in scoring, with 17.9 ppg, and steals, with 3.26 spg. Along with her shooting and defensive skills, Pape ranked in the top 10 in almost every NEC statistical category last year, and will be one of the top players BU faces all season.

Binghamton will also be contending with a lot of experience. Senior point guard Kerri Burke, senior forward/center Jasmine Walker and senior wing guard Mary Rush come into the Events Center battle-tested and hungry to return to the winning ways that earned them a trip to the NCAA tournament. Walker became a force on the inside last year, registering 10 double-doubles, including a 15-point, 20-rebound effort against Rider. Burke led the NEC in assists and grew into her role as the Pioneers’ captain and unquestioned leader.

The Bearcats enter the regular season with plenty of question marks after a difficult 10-point loss to Division II St. Rose. Binghamton’s preseason performance would normally raise red flags when facing a team the caliber of Sacred Heart, but head coach Rich Conover feels his team is finding its way in the early going.

“I don’t think we’re far off, coming out of the game [against St. Rose],” Conover said. “I feel like even though we lost, we played harder and more consistently.”

The status of senior point guard Shea Kenny remains in doubt. Kenny, who injured her foot in preseason practice, did not suit up for either exhibition game. Her absence seemed to play a pivotal part in BU’s preseason scuffles, as the Bearcats in each game turned the ball over at least 20 times without their floor general dictating the action.

“Losing your starting point guard is tough,” said junior center Laine Kurpniece. “She knows where everybody needs to go [on the court].”