The Binghamton women’s basketball team defeated Akron 66-50 to earn its second straight victory to begin the 2024-25 season. Despite leading by just six points at the half, a fourth-quarter surge, spearheaded by redshirt junior guard Jadyn Weltz and junior guard Kaia Goode solidified a 16-point win for the Bearcats.
“I think our defense went right,” said Binghamton head coach Mary Grimes. “I’m happy we came away with the win. We rebounded like beasts today.”
After winning the tipoff, Weltz knocked down a step-back three to give Binghamton (2-0) an early lead over Akron (1-1). Both teams shot well from the field early on with BU leading 10-7 midway through the first quarter. Things continued to go back and forth and with 10 seconds left in the quarter, sophomore guard Yanniah Boyd drained two free-throws to give the Bearcats a 15-13 lead at the end of one.
“I think we’ve learned to have some composure,” Grimes said. “We really had to fight. That’s an [Akron] team that doesn’t go away. We were able to stay steady and just really defend and understand the personnel.”
The Zips took their first lead in the opening minute of the second quarter to make it a 16-15 game. Binghamton regained the advantage shortly after and added to it with two free-throws from sophomore guard Leah Middleton and a layup from Boyd to make it 23-20. BU’s 2-3 zone defense proved effective, holding Akron to 33.3 percent shooting in the quarter to take a 32-26 lead into the half.
“Our team just kind of dialed it in,” Weltz said. “We got together and we said, ‘Listen, we got to stop the ball and we’ve got to get some stops.’ We stuck together, and we played hard, and I think that was the difference maker.”
Coming out of halftime, Akron used a 6-0 run to tie the game at 32. Soon after, a tough left-handed finish, corner three-pointer and floater from Goode was part of a 7-0 run that gave Binghamton some breathing room at 39-32. A similar pace of play continued as the Bearcats maintained their lead to take a 45-38 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
“I think at the end of the day, we just played very, very hard,” Grimes said. “Even though people were out of position, we had people in foul trouble, everybody just went out there and played hard in the the positions they were in defensively.”
BU maintained the momentum at the start of the fourth as the hosts went on a 7-0 run. This included four points off layups from Weltz in addition to a three-ball from Goode to make it 52-40. The Bearcats continued to pad their lead as a flurry of buckets, capped out by a three-pointer from Weltz extended Binghamton’s lead to 19 at 66-47. When the final buzzer sounded, the Bearcats came out on top, 66-50.
“For me, I was just trying to stay locked in and dialed in,” Goode said. “Those points came to me, and I took them. I trusted in my teammates.”
Weltz led all scorers with 18 points, while Boyd scored a career-high 14 points. Binghamton held Akron to 33.3 percent shooting from the field while grabbing 44 rebounds in comparison to the visitors’ 29. Sophomore guard Bella Pucci played a major role in this, grabbing 13 boards, the most she has accumulated in a single game in her overall playing career.
“I don’t think I’ve actually ever had that many in my life,” Pucci said. “Coach Grimes is a great leader. She always wants to win. She basically tells us to go out there and, fight as hard as we can and give effort, and we’re going to come out with wins.”
Binghamton will continue its nonconference slate against St. Bonaventure on Saturday, Nov. 9. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Reilly Center in St. Bonaventure, New York.