Despite mounting a late comeback in the fourth quarter, Binghamton women’s basketball fell short against No. 3 Bryant 66-63 in the America East quarterfinals. A career-high 19 points from sophomore forward Kendall Bennett and a combined 22 points from sophomore guards Bella Pucci and Yanniah Boyd were not enough, as Bryant’s size proved to be too much for the Bearcats.

“I am really proud of our team and how we came back,” Binghamton head coach Mary Grimes told BU Bearcats. “We turned up the defensive pressure and our full court press led to some big stops and points in transition. Give [Bryant’s sophomore forward Nia Scott] credit, she just buried us all night so kudos to her. But tonight we showed the resiliency we need to build on for next year and I am super proud of our team.”

Binghamton (15-15, 7-9 AE) got off to a slow start offensively in the first quarter, shooting just 4-of-12 from the field in the period. Meanwhile, Bryant (17-14, 9-7 AE) jumped out to a 4-0 lead within the first two minutes. The Bulldogs went up as much as 10 in the period, but Pucci laid one in to cut Bryant’s lead to 16-8 at the end of one.

The Bearcats found their footing in the second quarter on both ends of the floor, holding Bryant to nine points in the quarter. The tides began to turn when Boyd drew a foul and drained both free throws, sparking a 6-0 run for BU, which cut it to 23-21. Binghamton’s strong defensive effort resulted in Bryant leading just 25-21 heading into halftime.

Bryant erupted in the third quarter, matching their first-half point total with 27 points and missing just one shot in the quarter. The Bulldogs would go up by as much as 14, but the Bearcats refused to disappear, scoring 20 points in the quarter, as Bennett scored 11 of her 19 points in the period. Ultimately, BU faced a 52-41 deficit at the end of the third.

A 10-2 run to start the fourth quarter allowed BU to cut the Bryant lead to just three at 54-51. Then, a notable sequence, which included an and-one layup from Bennett cut the Bryant lead to two before a three-pointer from Boyd at the top of the key gave Binghamton its first advantage of the game at 59-58. However, Bryant recaptured the lead with three points, courtesy of an and-one opportunity, and made 6-of-7 free throws in the final 32 seconds to secure a 66-63 win.

In head coach Mary Grimes’ first season at Binghamton, the team went 15-15 and 7-9 in conference play, ultimately failing in the quarterfinals after advancing to the semifinals just a year ago. The Bearcats end their season with three individual accolades with redshirt junior guard Jadyn Weltz and Pucci both being selected to the all-conference third team. Pucci also earned a spot on the all-defensive team, finishing fifth in the conference with 1.7 steals per game.