Prior to Wednesday night, the Binghamton women’s basketball team had not picked up a single win in the last seven games. Following the team’s 61-48 defeat to UAlbany, however, the Bearcats extend their losing streak to eight games.

“[Albany is] really playing well,” said Binghamton head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord. “They are really doing a good job of playing together, and they had four people in double figures. They were able to spread their points out a little bit. … We need a rest day, and then we’ve gotta get back to it.”

The Bearcats (5-18, 1-12 America East [AE]) got off to a rocky start. UAlbany (18-8, 11-4 AE) posted nine points in the first quarter before BU managed to find the basket. Binghamton finally got on the scoreboard after junior forward Birna Benonysdottir bagged a 3-pointer midway through the fourth minute of play.

“[UAlbany] did a good job defensively,” Shapiro Ord said. “They were doubling down on [Benonysdottir] and we started being a little bit loose at the back.”

Binghamton clawed back some points after Benonysdottir’s contribution, but the Great Danes got back on their feet and established a 17-12 lead heading into the first break.

In the first quarter, Binghamton matched Albany on rebounds with each tallying eight. As the game progressed, however, the Bearcats began a downward trend on the rebounding end. By the end of the game, BU allowed 14 offensive rebounds compared to Albany’s seven.

“We’re not gonna win a game when we give a team 19 second-chance opportunities,” Shapiro Ord said. “We can’t match them. We gotta get stops, and we can’t get stops when we’re having them shoot and get extra opportunities.”

Although BU only scored one less point than Albany in the second quarter, it squandered many of its second-chance opportunities after being out-rebounded by the Great Danes 12-6. Heading into halftime, UAlbany still led 33-27.

UAlbany maintained control of the game in the third period. The Great Danes scored the first points of the quarter just over 30 seconds in. Benonysdottir landed a free throw shortly after, but the hosts drove another five points past the Bearcats before they found an answer. Continuing to falter on the rebounding end, BU only registered five rebounds compared to UAlbany’s 11, which allowed the Great Danes to post six second-chance points in the third quarter alone, accounting for almost half of their 14 points that period. With 6:16 left on the clock, Albany posted its largest lead of the quarter with a 12-point surplus. Binghamton cut down the deficit heading into the break but was still 10 points behind at 47-37.

Binghamton was unable to surmount the deficit and failed to outscore the Great Danes in the final frame as they eventually developed a game-high 17-point lead. After giving Albany another 10 rebounds, the hosts ended the game with an overall 41-23 rebounding advantage over BU as well as 19 second-chance points in comparison to the Bearcats’ five.

While Benonysdottir was the strongest performer for the Bearcats with 14 points and seven rebounds, senior guard Hayley Moore contributed another 11 points to keep Albany from pulling away early on.

“[Benonysdottir] had seven rebounds, that’s huge,” Shapiro Ord said. “Tonight [Moore] knocked some threes down. She got to see the ball go through the net and all of the sudden [Albany] was worried about Hayley Moore, not backing off of her, which is great.”

Without a win under their belt since late January, the Bearcats are seated last in the AE standings. Hartford currently sits right above BU with only one more win.

“I’m proud of the way they don’t get on each other,” Shapiro Ord said. “They’re sticking together, they’re playing hard … I think these next five games are big ones. We really gotta step it up.”

Binghamton’s next matchup is scheduled against UMass Lowell on Saturday, Feb. 19. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at the Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center in Vestal, New York.