The pendulum keeps swinging back and forth for the Binghamton women’s basketball team.

Alternating wins and losses in their last seven games, the Bearcats (8-15, 4-6 AE) looked to ascend into third place in the bunched up America East, but the Maine Black Bears foiled their plans at Alfond Arena. Now they seek to avoid slipping into the play-in game scenario when they take on the equally desperate UMBC Retrievers (11-13, 4-7 AE) at 7 p.m. Wednesday night at the Events Center.

‘That’s going to be a huge game,’ said head coach Rich Conover after the Maine loss.

Although the Bearcats still stand in fifth place after the tough 59-56 loss to Maine, they are only one game ahead of eighth-place New Hampshire. With home games looming against first-place Hartford and second-place Stony Brook and road games at Vermont and Boston, the Bearcats may be looking to save their season the next time they step on to the court.

‘We’re going to have to right the ship on our home floor against a very tough UMBC team,’ Conover said.

UMBC’s Princeton offense and suffocating two-three zone keeps the Retrievers in most games. Difficult to plan against, the Retrievers have given the Bearcats fits, especially on the offensive end with Binghamton averaging only 51.3 points in the last three regular season meetings against UMBC. That is its lowest scoring output against any America East team in the past two years.

In their first meeting, the Bearcats jumped out to a 10-0 lead within the first four minutes. As has been the case much of season, BU lost the lead and dropped a 60-50 decision. After hitting four of their initial six shot attempts, the Bearcats shot a Siberian 22.7 percent for the rest of the contest.

Junior small forward Laura Sario and senior guard Rebecka Lindgren provided 33 of Binghamton’s 50 points, but UMBC shut down the Bearcats’ frontcourt by collapsing their zone defense. Laine Kurpniece, Brianna Thompson, Juta Jahilo and Laura Franceski combined to hit only four of 19 shots from the field for 14 points.

Although point guard Brittnie Hughes and small forward Sharri Rohde are recognized as UMBC’s most talented players, it is 6-foot-3 Amanda Robinson who steps up against the Bearcats. Robinson led all scorers with 19 points in the last matchup, and gives the undersized Retrievers a presence in the paint against Binghamton’s physical front line.

Sadler injured: The Bearcats will be without freshman point guard Muffy Sadler for the rest of the season.

Binghamton stat leaders: Laura Sario, 13.4 ppg (7th, America East), Juta Jahilo, 5.9 rpg (8th, America East).

UMBC stat leaders: Sharri Rohde, 12.8 ppg (9th, America East), Rohde, 6.3 rpg, (T-6th, America East).