While the Binghamton women’s basketball team stretched its losing streak to five games against UMBC on Wednesday, there was a glimmer of hope late in the first half. The Bearcats (4-17, 2-6 AE) rallied on a 21-6 run late in the first to cut a 16-point deficit to one heading into halftime. However, BU never took a lead in the contest, and ultimately fell to the Retrievers (7-14, 2-6 AE), 71-55.
“I thought we exerted a lot of energy,” Binghamton head coach Linda Cimino said. “Playing [from] behind and playing catch-up takes a lot out of you.”
During the run, the Bearcats showed a glimpse of their prowess from beyond the arc. Three different players contributed to BU’s 3-point total in that timespan. Junior guard Kim Albrecht knocked down three of her own to cut UMBC’s lead, while senior guard Gintare Surdokaite and freshman guard Jasmine Sina drained one apiece.
“Our intensity level picked up tremendously,” Sina said about the first-half run. “We came out, I think, a little slow, but once we started hitting our shots, we really helped each other up.”
Albrecht went on to finish the game with a team-high 19 points, including going 8 for 12 shots from the field, while Sina finished the game with 13 points and eight rebounds.
“Coach reminds me that I have the green light and that has been very helpful for me,” Albrecht said. “Coming up as an upperclassmen now helps too with the experience and stuff like that. I would say … I’m a little bit more confident this year. I’ve just got to keep shooting.”
Surdokaite added a career-high 12 points and six rebounds coming off the bench. Overall, the Bearcats drained eight shots from behind the perimeter for the game.
“Whenever our guards are open, we just have to be ready to catch and shoot,” Albrecht said. “All of us are pretty confident in our shots. When you’re open, you just have to take them.”
But despite impressive individual performances, BU hampered its chance for victory by committing 22 turnovers, good for 18 UMBC points. The Retrievers employed a full-court press for almost the entirety of the game, making it difficult for Binghamton to get into its half-court sets, wearing the Bearcats down.
“We only had four turnovers the whole night in their press,” Cimino said. “I think we turned the ball over a lot in the half court and I think fatigue had a lot to do with that.”
To make matters worse for BU, standout freshman guard Imani Watkins failed to reach double-digit scoring on Wednesday for the first time in her last six games. Extinguished by the Retrievers defense, Watkins was held to just five points and committed seven turnovers.
“We all forget that Imani is a freshman,” Cimino said. “The girl has been the heart and soul of our team. She had a bad game, and everybody has a bad game. She still worked hard and she still kept her head up. I’m proud of her for that.”
Binghamton is scheduled to take the court next when they travel to take on UMass Lowell Sunday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at the Costello Athletic Center.