Women’s basketball winter recap

"Dec. 19

Opponent: University of Miami (7-1)

Result: L, 68-52

Bearcat of the Game: Erica Carter. Carter, a senior starting guard, posted a team-high 17 points, 15 of which came off 3-pointers, shooting 43 percent overall. Carter also added three steals and four rebounds in the losing effort.

Why They Lost: BU was outrebounded 51-28 for the game. More than half of Miami’s rebounds came on the offensive glass, creating 19 second-chance points. The Hurricanes also picked up 27 points off 21 Bearcat turnovers, compared to just five points off turnovers for BU. Miami had two 20-point scorers.

Why They Could’ve Won: The Bearcats outscored the Hurricanes in the second half, by a 29-22 margin. Much of this was accomplished by limiting Miami to 28.6 percent shooting in the half, after they hit nearly half their shots in the first half. The team also limited leading Hurricane scorer Riquna Williams, who had 28 points in the game, to just four points in the second half.

Dec. 21

Opponent: Sacred Heart University (6-3)

Result: L, 67-59

Bearcat of the Game: Erica Carter. The senior guard again led the team in scoring with 16 points and was the only Bearcat to reach double figures. She hit seven of her nine shots, including a pair from behind the 3-point line. Carter added three blocks, a career high, en route to winning her second consecutive America East Player of the Game honors.

Why They Lost: Binghamton allowed the Pioneers to shoot over 50 percent from the field for the game, including three of six 3-pointers in the second half. The Bearcats were again outrebounded, this time 40-33, and again allowed a 20-point scorer. They ended the game on a three-minute field goal drought.

Why They Could’ve Won: BU won the turnover battle, committing just 11 to the Pioneers’ 19, and recorded seven blocks. Despite allowing Sacred Heart to shoot 54 percent from the field in the first half, the Bearcats only trailed by three points at halftime. They cut that to a single point a minute into the second half.

Dec. 28

Opponent: at Fordham University (6-5)

Result: W, 49-45

Co-Bearcats of the Game: Viive Rebane and Theodora Panteli. The two 6-foot forwards recorded double-doubles for BU. Rebane, a sophomore, ended up with 12 points and 13 rebounds, both team highs. Panteli put up 10 points and 12 rebounds, going 5-for-7 from the field. She sealed the match with a jumper with 30 seconds left to give BU their 49-45 lead, and then stole the ball to end any chances of a comeback by the Rams.

Clutch Plays of the Game: With 5:25 left in the game, the Bearcats found themselves down 41-34. BU fought back, clawing within 42-39. That’s when sophomore point guard and last year’s America East Rookie of the Year Andrea Holmes drained a 3-pointer to tie up the game. The Rams hit a three to go up three points with three minutes to go. Then with 1:45 left, junior guard Jackie Ward hit a 3-pointer to tie things up again, permanently shifting momentum to the Bearcats. After free throws from Rebane to give BU the lead, Ward stole the ball from Fordham with 51 seconds to go. Panteli hit a jumper and followed with a steal, and the Bearcats’ third win of the year was sealed.

Why They Won: After missing all eight 3-point attempts in the first half, the Bearcats went five of 12 in the second half, including a pair at the end of the game to complete the comeback. They held Fordham to just 26.7 percent shooting in the second half and outrebounded the Rams by 10. In the end, though, it was clutch play to end the game that gave BU the victory in the first of two games at the Fordham Holiday Classic.

Dec. 29

Opponent: East Carolina University (10-2)

Result: L, 86-82 OT

Bearcat of the Game: Andrea Holmes. The 5-foot-6-inch sophomore guard from Tennessee had a game-high 28 points, converting six of 12 3-pointers. In fact, she only hit one field goal inside the 3-point line. The performance was tied for the second-highest scoring output by a Bearcat this year.

Clutch Plays of the Game: Holmes single-handedly kept BU in the game at the end of regulation, scoring the final 13 points for the Bearcats in the second half. This included a game-tying 3-pointer with 20 seconds left to force the overtime. Down 82-81 in overtime, she hit a free throw to tie the game, though she missed her next one.

Why They Lost: Despite her heroics, Holmes committed seven turnovers, including one that led to a layup to give East Carolina an 82-81 lead. Holmes also missed a pair of 3-pointers in overtime, including one with six seconds remaining and the Bearcats down two, which likely would have won it. As a team, BU allowed the Pirates to hit five of their six shots in overtime and over half of their shots for the game. Binghamton was outrebounded 44-30.

Why They Could’ve Won: Despite their defensive lapses, the Bearcats were an Andrea Holmes 3-pointer away from defeating a team that was 10-2 at the time. Holmes was able to step up and carry the team in the second half and overtime. Binghamton had three players in double figures and hit 50 percent of their 3-pointers in the second half and overtime.

Jan. 4

Opponent: Cornell University (5-6)

Result: W, 74-42

Bearcat of the Game: Viive Rebane. The America East Player of the Game tied Jackie Ward for the game-high with 16 points. She also had three blocks, two steals and six rebounds while shooting 80 percent from the field.

Why They Won (Offense): The Bearcats got a solid overall team effort, with four players scoring in double figures, four players with at least five rebounds and a pair of players with five assists. The team hit close to 48 percent of its shots and all 12 of its free throws in the second half.

Why They Won (Defense): On the other side, the Bearcats held the Big Red to just 30 percent shooting, including two of 20 from the 3-point line. The Bearcats doubled Cornell’s block and steal totals, with 10 and four respectively. The team was consistent, outscoring Cornell by 15 in the first half and 17 in the second half, using an early 13-0 run to pull well ahead for good. All of this added up to Binghamton’s biggest win in over two years.