The Binghamton women’s basketball team kicked off its regular-season campaign in a challenging fashion on Saturday, losing 90-62, on the road to powerhouse Michigan. While a scoring deficit of nearly 30 might read as a blowout, BU’s ability to roll with the Wolverines for close to 20 minutes was the silver lining of the day, according to BU head coach Linda Cimino.
“I thought we did a great job today,” Cimino said. “Our kids were tough and we stuck to our game plan. I was really happy with the effort that we gave … I think our kids are going to be confident, because Michigan is a Big Ten team and now we know we can compete with the best of the best.”
After falling into a quick 12-point hole to start the contest, the Bearcats came storming back into the game by ending the first quarter on a 7-0 run. Binghamton largely kept pace with Michigan throughout the majority of the second period until a late flurry of offense enabled the home team to enter halftime with a 38-27 lead.
But, the second half was an entirely different story for BU. After sinking two straight three-pointers at the beginning of the third quarter and implementing a hounding full court press that led to multiple points off of turnovers, Michigan stretched its lead to 53-32. The Wolverines went on to outscore Binghamton, 31-19, in the third quarter, continuing their scintillating shooting from beyond the three-point line.
As the fourth quarter commenced, the deficit was too great for the Bearcats to overcome. Michigan continued its strong play in the fourth quarter as well, ensuring that BU’s first-ever trip to Ann Arbor ended in defeat.
The Wolverines scored 11 3-pointers in the contest, registering an impressive 42.3 percent 3-point field goal percentage. Junior guard Siera Thompson was particularly lethal from beyond the arc, draining four of her seven three-point attempts.
“The strength of the Michigan team is their guards and their ability to shoot the ball, so we knew we were facing a really good offensive team,” Cimino said. “We’ll continue to work on player-player defenses and zone defense, and hopefully the next game we don’t give up as many jump shots.”
While they may have failed to win the contest, there were a few bright spots for the Bearcats. Sophomore forward Alyssa James finished with a double-double in her first regular season game for BU, recording 17 points, 10 rebounds. James also had 5 steals and 4 blocks.
“Alyssa is a great player,” Cimino said. “Her biggest presence is on the inside on defense, as she has the ability to block shots and rebound. She takes away opportunities from opponents by making the court a little bit smaller.”
BU freshman guard Rebecca Carmody also tallied 17 points on her way to being named America East (AE) Rookie of the Week. The Wolverines’ offense was spearheaded by sophomore guard Katelynn Flaherty and freshman guard Nicole Munger, each of whom led all scorers with 19 points apiece.
BU returned to action last night with a 54-50 victory over NJIT for its fist win of the season. James recorded 15 points and sophomore guard Imani Watkins added 14 points and 11 rebounds.
“It feels really good to get the win,” Cimino said. “We haven’t won since January 10 and we came in knowing that today was a day we could get this win … it was a remarkable win for us as a team.”
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