The Binghamton women’s basketball team swarmed Rebecca Carmody on Saturday afternoon at the Events Center after the freshman guard finished a layup with two seconds remaining to edge the Bearcats past New Hampshire, 51-50.

“[Carmody] probably doesn’t realize the magnitude of the shot she just made,” BU head coach Linda Cimino said.

Carmody’s buzzer-beater allowed the Bearcats (6-9, 1-1 AE) to record their first conference victory since January 10 of last year and remain perfect at home this season.

“It’s a great win for us, a great win at home and we’re really excited that we could protect our house and stay undefeated,” Cimino said. “I’m really proud of our girls. They didn’t give up and they fought right until the final buzzer and that’s what it’s all about.”

Although Carmody provided a highlight finish, it was sophomore guard Imani Watkins who drew a foul to set up the game-winning four-point possession for Binghamton. With BU down, 50-47, against the Wildcats (6-8, 0-1 America East), Watkins was fouled with seven seconds remaining while attempting a shot from beyond the arc. She fell just short of tying it up, sinking the first two of three free throws to narrow the gap to just one point. Fortunately for BU, sophomore forward Alyssa James grabbed her ninth rebound of the game on Watkins missed shot, allowing the Bearcats to call a timeout.

With only four seconds remaining, Watkins inbounded the ball to senior guard Kim Albrecht, who launched a fade-away 3-point attempt that bounced off the rim only to be caught and immediately put back up by Carmody.

“I didn’t want to lose,” Carmody said. “I saw an opportunity where I wasn’t boxed out, so I was like ‘I’m going to get this,’ and I did. I did it for my team, so there’s nothing better than that.”

The close nature of the final moments mirrored the rest of the game, as neither BU nor UNH pulled ahead by more than six throughout the contest.

Binghamton headed into halftime ahead, 25-21, thanks to an impressive defensive performance. BU recorded seven steals in the period and held the Wildcats to just one offensive rebound in the first 20 minutes of regulation.

New Hampshire, however went on a 17-7 run in the third quarter to take a 38-32 lead thanks largely to senior guard Elizabeth Belanger and sophomore center Carlie Pogue. The two led the offensive effort during the third period and finished the game with 15 and 14 points, respectively.

With 45 seconds left in regulation, UNH scored three straight to break a 47-47 tie and set the stage for BU’s comeback.

Binghamton was once again led offensively by Watkins, who contributed 20 points, nine rebounds, and five steals in the contest. Albrecht added 13 points while James recorded 12.

Saturday’s victory followed a conference-opening loss at Stony Brook, in which BU was up by as many as 16 points but failed to hold on in the final quarter, falling 64-58.

“We were really disappointed after our Stony Brook loss,” Cimino said. “That was a game that we should have won. We were in full control and we just didn’t do what we needed to do down the stretch and I thought it was going to be déjà vu [against UNH].”

Despite holding the lead throughout much of the game against SBU (10-5, 2-0 AE), the Bearcats fell apart in the fourth quarter, in which they were outscored, 22-7. Even Watkins season-high 27 points were not enough to hold off the Seawolves, who notched their seventh straight win against Binghamton.

BU is set to return to action on Wednesday at Hartford. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. from Chase Arena in Hartford, Connecticut.