It was one of those games that left Bearcats fans grumbling, mumbling and shaking their heads. The Binghamton University women’s basketball team could not seem to score and dropped a disappointing home opener, 59-55, at the Events Center. The Bearcats have lost all five of their games of the season.
‘We were really disappointed with the outcome,’ said Binghamton head coach Rich Conover. ‘We [just] need to get better with the ball ‘ and more decisive with the passing.’
The game went back and forth in the first half, with the Bearcats (0-5) leading by as many as four points with about two minutes to go. It seemed as if they would clinch the half as they led the game 31-29, but a 3-pointer by Bucknell’s Jessica Lynch in the last 30 seconds told otherwise, closing the half in favor of Bucknell, 32-31.
The Bearcats had just one lead early into the second half, as they were forced to play catch-up with the Bisons (2-4) the rest of the way. BU tried to kick the game into overtime, but Kesha Champion managed to connect on 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the last minute of the game.
It seemed as if there was a force field of some sort covering the hoop because the Bearcats simply could not get the ball in. BU shot 28 percent from the field, including 5-for-26 in the second half.
‘We just couldn’t get anything to fall,’ explained junior forward Laura Franceski. ‘Our offense was not up to par.’
The hard-nosed defense of the Bisons forced 21 turnovers, but had its drawbacks. It gave the Bearcats a plethora of free throw opportunities, allowing Binghamton a chance to stay in the game, especially in the second half, but the Bearcats couldn’t take advantage. The Bearcats shot 20-for-31 from the free throw line, including 14-for-22 in the second half.
While its offense struggled, Binghamton’s defense improved greatly, forcing 16 turnovers and out-rebounding Bucknell 49-37.
Although the shots didn’t fall as expected for the Bearcats, senior guard Laura Sario managed to get a team-high of 17 points, while Franceski posted 11 points and 11 rebounds. Bucknell’s Amanda Brown scored a team-high 17 points.
Despite a disappointing defeat, Conover and his team do not think of the game as a total loss.
‘There was a hard effort on court,’ he explained. ‘We contended out there and stayed strong on defense, which is definitely an improvement.’
‘We fought out there as a good team,’ added Sario. ‘We just need to take care of the little things and fight to get to the last step.’
The Bearcats will strive to put an end to their losing streak as they host La Salle at 2 p.m. tomorrow.