A late rally by Le Moyne College gave them a slim lead with three minutes to go, forcing the Binghamton University women’s basketball team to use a timeout in an exhibition game at the Events Center yesterday. The Bearcats, who had once led by 13, needed to regroup in order to hold off the feisty Division II Dolphins.

The Bearcats rallied to beat Le Moyne 65-58 in a game that was close to the final minute.

A 13-point BU lead early in the second half was whittled away quickly, forcing the Bearcats to rely on senior stars Laine Kurpniece and Brianna Thompson to keep the team together.

‘They took the lead late there, but we were able to get it back,’ said head coach Rich Conover. ‘It was a good gut check for us.’

Le Moyne got into foul trouble early in both halves of the game, putting the Bearcats to the line 20 times. The Bearcats hit most of those free throws down the stretch to put the Dolphins away.

Kurpniece had game highs of 18 points and 11 rebounds, and dished out three assists.

‘It was our first game, we were happy to win and we were able to see how everyone did,’ Kurpniece said.

The Bearcats led at halftime 30-24 riding on a stifling defensive effort, holding Le Moyne to 30 percent shooting and allowing them to overcome their own lackluster offensive effort. The second half seemed to be a reverse of that as the Bearcats couldn’t contain the Dolphins inside.

Senior Laura Sario played big second half minutes and proved to be a catalyst down the stretch, pulling down five rebounds and adding a block and an assist. Her team leadership was vital for the Bearcats.

‘We saw the seniors play the game the way they should,’ Conover said. ‘We got to see what the rest of the team needs to do better.’

Thompson added 17 points and four rebounds for BU. Sophomore Erica Carter was also a success yesterday, providing 13 points and three assists.

The Bearcats have a tough early season schedule, with their first five games on the road. Many players realize the importance of exhibition games at home to prepare for this challenge.

‘It’s important to get all the newcomers used to the college game,’ Sario said. ‘It’s just going to get harder and harder.’

The rigorous preseason workout had Binghamton almost salivating for action.

‘It gets boring to beat up on each other in practice,’ Conover said. ‘It’s good to gauge against a good team to see what we need to work on.’

The Bearcats have a lot to work on until they start functioning as a team capable of competing for the conference title. But this team has as good of a shot to win the title this season as it has in recent years.

‘We have as good a team as any school in the conference,’ Sario said.

Binghamton continues its exhibition schedule at home this Tuesday against St. Rose.