After losing both games at the Puerto Rico College Sports Tours Classico, to Appalachian State and Furman, the Binghamton women’s basketball team returned to the Events Center on Wednesday night and was defeated 58-57 by Cornell. Despite BU holding a two-point lead with 17 seconds left, Cornell regained the lead with a layup and a made free throw. Then, the Bearcats had the opportunity to tie and take the lead with two free throws in the final 1.4 seconds of the game, but they were both off the mark as the Big Red escaped with a one-point victory.

“We did not play our tempo,” said Binghamton head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord. “We did not play our game. [Cornell] brought [the energy], and unfortunately you hate to have one of your kids have to make [those free throws].”

After a slow start for both Cornell (3-4) and Binghamton (2-6), junior forward Genevieve Coleman drained a jump shot to get BU on the board first. Not long after, graduate student guard Denai Bowman made a layup to give BU a 5-0 lead. The Bearcats’ defense held the Big Red scoreless through the period’s first six minutes but, eventually, Cornell went on a run of its own, taking a 7-5 lead. Both teams exchanged baskets for the rest of the period as Binghamton held a 12-11 lead going into the second quarter.

“They were doing a really good job getting into the paint,” Shapiro Ord said. “We’ve got to be tougher. We’ve got to get better inside.”

Cornell opened the second period with three baskets in the paint. Graduate student guard Shannon O’Connor ended BU’s scoring drought by draining a corner three-pointer. Bowman then followed this up with a fast break layup to tie the game at 17. The Bearcats asserted themselves on the boards, securing two offensive rebounds before redshirt sophomore guard Ella Wanzer made a three-pointer to make it 24-19. Things continued to go back and forth as the half came to an end with the score tied at 25.

“[O’Connor] came in and gave us a good spark,” Shapiro Ord said.

Following a Cornell basket to open up the half, BU quickly responded with a layup from O’Connor. The game remained highly contested in the third quarter as both teams looked to take the lead. After back-to-back three-pointers from freshman guard Bella Pucci and Wanzer, BU took a 46-39 lead. However, Cornell stayed right with BU, ending the period on a 6-0 run, making it a one-point game going into the final quarter.

“We changed up what we did coming out of the half,” Shapiro Ord said. “And I thought they were pretty fired up, and we changed up the lineup just a little to add some pressure — introduce some different things just to get a spark.”

After Bowman made a layup, Cornell went on an eight-point run to take a five-point lead with five minutes remaining. Weltz closed the Bearcats’ deficit to two points with a three-pointer from the top of the key. Both teams traded baskets until the final minute of the game as BU held a 57-55 lead after Weltz made one of two free throws. As time winded down, Cornell made a layup to tie the game at 57, but a Cornell player was fouled by Weltz after the shot was made, sending the Big Red to the line for two extra shots.

The Big Red made one of two to take a one-point lead. Pucci was then fouled with 1.4 seconds left while attempting a fadeaway layup, but missed both free throws. However, on Bucci’s second attempt, the Big Red deflected the ball out of bounds, making it Binghamton’s basketball. In one final effort, Bowman received the inbound pass but missed the game-winning shot as the Bearcats fell 58-57.

“We’re going to regroup,” Shapiro Ord said. “They’re battling in practice. Different people are stepping up, and they’ve just got to keep doing it, and they’ve just got to believe in the process.”

O’Connor led the offense with 14 points off the bench. Weltz was right behind her, filling up the stat sheet, posting 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists. The Bearcats ultimately struggled to take care of the basketball, ending the game with 18 turnovers.

“We were really sloppy with the basketball,” Shapiro Ord said. “Eighteen turnovers is unacceptable.”

Binghamton will travel to play Pitt on Sunday, Dec. 3. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.