Some BU students will be spending their winter break tanning in Cabo, or skiing in Killington. Others will be getting internships, or returning to their part-time jobs. But for this team, the break will be spent doing what they do best: playing basketball.
While most of the campus will leave the Southern Tier for the coming month off, the Binghamton University women’s basketball team will stay behind playing nine games, against such big time programs as Syracuse and Harvard, while also opening America East Conference play.
The season thus far has been a success for the Bearcats, who have been playing inspired team basketball and currently sit at 4-3. Going into the break last year, BU was 1-6 and did not register its fourth win until Jan. 18.
The Bearcats have been led by a surprisingly potent offense, as senior guard Rachel Laws, sophomore forward Laine Kurpniece, and senior guard Jen Blues have all averaged double digits in scoring. Senior forward Jen Haubrich is right behind them averaging 8.7 points per game. BU’s play has been marked by a balanced attack, where the bench has become just as dangerous as the starting five.
That team play must continue over the break, as the Bearcats have a very tough schedule ahead of them starting with a showdown against Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. The Orange have never lost to BU, winning the past seven times that the two teams have met. Still, the Orange finished 11th in the Big East last year, and have only made the NCAA Tournament once in the last 17 years.
BU will also play the best and worst that the Ivy League has to offer. They will head to Harvard to take on the defending Ivy champion Crimson on Dec. 30, and will host a Cornell team predicted to finish last on Jan. 8. Both teams defeated BU last year.
The other non-league opponent will be Colgate from the Patriot League, a team that returns just one starter from a sixth-place squad.
But more importantly, the Bearcats will play five America East games over the break, including matchups against conference favorite Hartford and perennial powerhouse Maine.
The Bearcats open conference play at Maine to take on a Black Bears squad that returns four starters to a team that qualified for the WNIT last season. The game against Maine kicks off probably the toughest stretch of the season for BU, as they will then face Stony Brook, Boston University and Hartford before winter break ends.
Hartford returns four starters after advancing to the NCAA Tournament a year ago and was unanimously predicted to repeat as conference champ.
Most of the America East teams have gotten off to hot starts, as six of the squads now sit above .500. If the Bearcats want to distance themselves from the rest of the pack when conference play begins, they will need to continue to display the hard-nosed team play that has become their trademark all season.