For the majority of the 2015-16 season, the Binghamton women’s basketball team refused to play like what it was — a young, short-handed squad in just its second year of a rebuilding process. Unfortunately for the Bearcats (14-17, 8-8 America East), however, that is exactly how they performed in Sunday’s 79-43 loss to Albany (26-4, 15-1 AE) in the AE semifinals.
The Great Danes used an explosive first-quarter offensive showing to set the tone for the rest of the matchup, racking up 14 points before the Bearcats finally got on the board with a mid-range jump shot by sophomore forward Alyssa James almost three minutes into regulation. Albany forced nine turnovers in the period, thwarting any hope Binghamton had of getting its offense off the ground. Even when the Bearcats managed to hold onto the ball, they did themselves no favors, going 3-for-12 from the floor to end the quarter down, 19-7.
Binghamton’s grip on the ball improved throughout the game, as BU committed just five turnovers following the first quarter, but the Bearcats failed to penetrate the Albany zone, shooting a meager 25 percent from the field.
“The difference is that … [Albany] made shots,” Binghamton head coach Linda Cimino said. “We didn’t make shots. It’s that simple. We missed a lot of shots today, a lot of layups and elbow jumpers that we made last time we played them.”
The Great Danes, led by three-time AE Player of the Year and senior forward Shereesha Richards, continued their offensive onslaught, attacking the paint and overpowering James, the AE Defensive Player of the Year. Richards scored 33 points on the night to set a new program record of 704 points scored in a single season.
By the start of the fourth quarter, Albany had increased its advantage to 60-33. Binghamton kept Albany off of the board for a three-minute stretch in the period, but couldn’t scratch the surface of the deficit as the Great Danes held on for the victory.
Binghamton’s strong defense, which has been the cornerstone of its success this season, was noticeably ineffective on Sunday evening, as the Bearcats were out-rebounded, 50-36, while allowing 12 second-chance points.
“My biggest problem with today’s game was our defense wasn’t great,” Cimino said. “Our defense wasn’t great because our offense wasn’t good. We weren’t getting good shots and we were turning the ball over.”
The loss marked the end of the Bearcats’ most successful season since 2011-12. After being selected to finish last in the conference preseason poll, BU finished the regular season tied for third, entered the AE tournament with the fifth seed, and upset fourth-ranked UMBC, 49-41 in the quarterfinals.
Saturday night’s victory over UMBC was Binghamton’s first playoff win since 2012 when BU defeated Hartford in the quarterfinals. Senior guard Kim Albrecht led the way for the Bearcats, netting 18 points and went on a key 5-0 run in the third period to hand Binghamton the lead for good. UMBC came within five with just under five minutes left in regulation, but BU scored six of the final nine points to secure the win.
Despite the end of their postseason hopes, the Bearcats recognize their accomplishments this season.
“We’ll be back,” sophomore forward Imani Watkins said. “We’ll be better. We’ll be stronger. We’ll be faster. We’ll make more shots. We’re hungry. We were predicted to finish last and we won a playoff game. That’s huge for us and it’s a huge confidence builder. We’ve come a long way, but this is only the beginning for us and we all know that.”