After losing to Lehigh in a game that featured a lack of ball movement and scoring outside of senior forward Rebecca Carmody, the Binghamton women’s basketball team dished out 12 assists and had five players score at least eight points in a win over the Army Black Knights on Sunday. Without junior guard Kai Moon, who exited the team’s previous game with an injury, the Bearcats (4-3) neutralized the Black Knights’ season-leader in scoring, senior forward Madison Hovren, and used a second-half surge to defeat Army, 60-47.

“This was a real gritty win,” said BU head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord. “These young ladies from West Point are training for battle, training for war, and they’re not a team that’s gonna [give up] lightly. I know their record doesn’t show it, but that’s a tough team.”

The game’s first half featured both teams struggling to put up points. Offensively, Binghamton failed to score efficiently from anywhere on the court, shooting only 28.1 percent from the field and 25 percent from three in the first two periods. Defensively, BU forced Army (1-4) out of its comfort zone when running its offense. Hovren was held scoreless in the opening half, largely due to tenacious defense from sophomore forward Kaylee Wasco. The half featured single-digit scoring outputs from Army in the first quarter and Binghamton in the second; the Bearcats entered halftime trailing, 24-22.

“I’m gonna give a lot of credit to Wasco,” Carmody said. “She had a role to play today, which was to stop [Hovren]. Without [Hovren] in the game, they don’t really do much, which is easier for us. She was big today and she helped us a lot defensively.”

Binghamton got its offense humming while maintaining an intense defensive effort in the second half. The Bearcats were able to limit the Black Knights to only one shot per possession frequently, having multiple players crash the defensive glass. BU outrebounded Army by 10 in the second half, enabling the Bearcats to focus more on its offense, shooting far more efficiently as a result. Binghamton shot 51.9 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from behind the arc in the second half, exemplifying its improved offensive production. Shapiro Ord appeared to believe that the Bearcats’ rebounding efforts were key to helping the team pull away late.

“[Rebounding] is something we talk about all the time,” Shapiro Ord said. “We want to give only one-and-dones for them and then we want extra opportunities, so they really had that mindset and did a great job.”

Carmody and sophomore forward Olivia Ramil each contributed a double-double for BU. Ramil’s presence was felt all over the court, also chipping in four assists, two blocks and a steal. Junior guard Carly Boland also scored in double digits for BU to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks. While her defensive performance does not entirely show up in the box score, Wasco held Hovren to only four points on one-for-five shooting from the field.

“Giving everyone an opportunity to score gives everyone confidence,” Carmody said. “I know [our] last game against Lehigh we struggled to put the ball in the basket … [getting easy shots] builds momentum, and getting assists is nice. I’d rather get an assist than score a bucket.”

Binghamton is currently 2-1 in its four-game homestand. The Bearcats will look to end this stretch with a winning record when it plays Fairleigh Dickinson this Friday, Nov. 30. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. from the Events Center in Vestal, New York.