Both of Binghamton’s basketball teams suffered through disappointing first halves in their most recent games, lagging at least 19 points behind their respective opponents after the midway buzzer. But while the men’s squad surged for a stunning come-from-behind win after pouring in 59 points the second half, the women’s team couldn’t surmount its deficit and fell to Bucknell, 89-48, Thursday night at Sojka Pavilion.
“I think it was the start of the game for us,” BU head coach Nicole Scholl said. “Bucknell was on fire from the start. I thought on our end we had a number of open shots and we just didn’t knock them down early, and then they built a large lead on us.”
The game did open on a sour note for Binghamton (0-2). Junior forward Sherae Swinson vied for the first shot of the match 30 seconds in and missed it. It took the Bearcats another three minutes to get on the board, with Swinson connecting on a jumper to answer the Bison’s 7-0 run to start the game.
But the Bison (1-1) were never without a response of their own, and in the last 10 minutes of the first half, they embarked upon a 25-5 spurt. During the half, they drained 18 of 28 field goals on 65 percent shooting and kept Binghamton to just 7 of 32 (22 percent).
“They were playing at home, and they were very shot-confident,” Scholl said. “I don’t think they were doing anything we haven’t seen before, but our players just didn’t come out through the game, and I think that really affected us in the end.”
That kind of potent shooting and Binghamton’s sticky first half were too much even for Binghamton’s nearly doubled offensive output in the latter 20 minutes to amend. Bucknell didn’t make it easier; the Bison replicated their 65 percent shooting, hitting 17 of 26 this time.
“[The second half] was much better, but it was kind of a little too late. But I think we can build on that,” Scholl said. “It’s the group that just needs experience right now. We’re taking some heavy hits here early and hopefully from our perspective it won’t hurt our players’ confidence. I don’t think it will, I just think it’s going to take some time for this group to continue to get better, to maintain some confidence and learn how to win.”
Swinson could take home some confidence from her team-high 17 points. Bucknell senior guard Shelby Romine scored a game-high 25 points and tacked on an additional 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals. Junior forward Audrey Dotson netted 22 points for Bucknell.
Despite her high scoring output, Swinson’s efficiency wasn’t much above the Bearcat average. She shot for just 28 percent on 4-of-14 shooting, although she far exceeded any other player with free throws, netting 9 of 11.
“[Swinson] did pretty well after she started being more aggressive. She finally got herself to the free throw line and was able to get some points from there,” Scholl said. “She got 17 points in 21 minutes, and on paper it looks like good production, but I still think Sherae can do even more for us for the number of shots that she gets.”
Sophomore guard Kim Albrecht was BU’s second-leading scorer, adding 10 points and putting away 2 of 4 beyond the arc.
The contest was a bit of a record-breaker for both teams: Bucknell reached 50 points at the half for the first time since 2007, and Binghamton’s 41-point deficit marks the largest loss margin in the team’s 13-year Division I history. But it’s still just the beginning, and the Bearcats have plenty of time to make up for last year’s six-win season.
“They’re getting comfortable with one another, and it’s going to take some time and it takes that experience,” Scholl said. “But I definitely feel like this is a team that’s improving, that they’re learning and continuing to build on that, and there’s a lot more in them that’s just a matter of potential.”
BU is set to return to play at home on Tuesday, hosting Canisius at the Events Center before hitting the road for four consecutive away games over a period of two weeks.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.