The Binghamton women’s basketball team opened Wednesday’s game against host Bucknell by scoring zero points in the first four minutes of play.
This early deficit set the tone for Bucknell’s eventual 76-46 rout of the Bearcats (1-2), in which BU’s leading scorer of the season, sophomore forward Alyssa James, played just 19 minutes before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
The Bison came charging out of the gate, thanks largely to sophomore guard Jacquie Klotz, who scored 11 of her 19 points in the first 10 minutes of play. BU’s play, meanwhile, was erratic, as multiple Bearcats rushed their shots in an attempt to answer Bucknell’s offensive barrage. Binghamton finally got on the board with a James jumper from inside the paint at the six-minute mark, but by that time the score was already 15-2 in Bucknell’s favor. James scored five of the Bearcats’ nine first-quarter points, but had just two more from that point on. By the time the buzzer sounded signaling the end of the first period, Binghamton found itself in a substantial hole, trailing Bucknell (2-1), 27-9.
“Bucknell got off to a very good start,” BU head coach Linda Cimino said. “They had a bunch of shots early on. When you get into a hole early on, it’s hard to climb back up.”
Despite trailing by such a large margin, the Bearcats kept pace with the Bison in the second quarter, being outscored by just one point while forcing seven turnovers. Sophomore guard Imani Watkins led the Binghamton comeback attempt, scoring eight points in the second quarter, bringing her squad to 12 points with five minutes left until halftime. Watkins scored 20 points in the game, the fourth time she’s reached that mark in her collegiate career.
“Imani did a great job running our offense,” Cimino said. “She always hustles, she has a big heart, and that was obvious in her effort today.”
Any BU rally that developed was soon stifled by Bucknell, which went on a run of its own to head into halftime- up 43-24. Integral to the Bison offense were Klotz and junior forward Claire DeBoer, each of whom recorded a double-double. In addition to her 19 points, Klotz grabbed 16 boards while DeBoer netted 10 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.
Bucknell’s prowess on the board proved to be key to its victory, as the Bison dominated the Bearcats in the rebound battle, 56-29. James, who has proven to be a force for BU in the paint, recorded just one rebound in her 19 minutes of play. More than half of Bucknell’s points came in the paint as Binghamton’s best defensive threat watched from the bench.
The Bison bench, on the other hand, proved to be its strength, as 31 of its 76 points were scored by players that didn’t start the game. Although no Bucknell players stayed in the game for longer than 30 minutes, 11 different Bison recorded a point.
For the remainder of the game, Bucknell continued to pull away from Binghamton, entering the final quarter with a 60-34 advantage. The Bisons’ largest advantage, 75-42, came after a lay-up by freshman forward Maegan Mikkelsen with just under five minutes to play.
Although Wednesday’s blowout was not the outcome Coach Cimino had hoped for, she used it as an opportunity to insert players that otherwise wouldn’t have seen much time on the court, including freshmen forwards Corinne Godshall and Kennedi Thompson. The freshmen combined for 32 minutes in the contest.
Binghamton is set to return to action this Saturday against Cedar Crest College. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at the Events Center in Vestal, New York.