The Binghamton University’s women’s basketball team scored the game’s last nine points to end its 11-game losing streak at the hands of the University of Maine by virtue of a 69-59 victory over the Black Bears in Vestal, New York, on Thursday night.
Binghamton is now 10-6 overall and 2-1 in America East, while UMaine fell to 7-9 and 2-1.
Redshirt junior guard Jayden Weltz paced the Bearcats with a game-high 21 points to go with six assists, five steals and four rebounds. Junior guard Kaia Goode added 14 points and two rebounds; sophomore forward Kendall Bennett produced 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots; and sophomore guard Yanniah Boyd had 10 points and three rebounds.
Graduate student guard Olivia Rockwood had 20 points to lead the Black Bears. She also had four rebounds and an assist.
Senior guard Paula Gallego had 10 points, six rebounds and four assists; sophomore forward Caroline Dotsey had 10 points and three rebounds; and junior guard Asta Blauenfeldt finished with seven points, five assists and two rebounds.
UMaine leading scorer and rebounder Caroline Bornemann had seven rebounds but was held to four points. She got into foul trouble and played just 21 minutes.
Binghamton had 28 free throw attempts to UMaine’s six. Binghamton went 2 for 28, while UMaine was 6 for 6.
UMaine junior guard Sarah Talon, who has been bothered by a sprained ankle, played only two minutes.
Gallego’s turnaround jump shot with 3:29 left pulled the Black Bears within 60-59, but they would never score again, missing all four of their field goal attempts, including three 3-pointers, and they also turned the ball over twice.
Bennett started the decisive 9-0 run by grabbing a defensive rebound and eventually hitting a layup off a Boyd pass with 2:43 left.
Following a UMaine miss, Weltz grabbed a rebound and fed Bennett for another basket with 1:51 remaining.
After another UMaine miss, Weltz hauled down the rebound and eventually converted a layup to extend the lead to seven.
Goode added a pair of clinching free throws with 42 seconds left.
Binghamton shot an impressive 57.5 percent from the floor, while UMaine shot just 36.7 percent.
Binghamton outscored UMaine 40-24 in the paint and 13-4 off turnovers. UMaine lost despite outrebounding its opponents 35-24, including a wide 16-2 edge in offensive rebounds.
Both teams will return to action at 2 p.m. Saturday. UMaine will visit Albany, while Binghamton will entertain New Hampshire.
