Over Thanksgiving break, the Binghamton women’s basketball team went 0-2 at Puerto Rico College Sports Tours Classico, suffering a 68-57 loss against Appalachian State on Friday and coming up short against Furman in a 74-72 defeat on Saturday.
“We played two really, really good teams,” said Binghamton head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord. “Did we have a chance to win both? Absolutely. Even though we came up short in the first [game], I thought we got better.”
In BU’s (2-5) first matchup on Friday against Appalachian State (4-1), the Mountaineers opened up the game with a quick basket. Then, sophomore guard/forward Camryn Fauria made a fadeaway jump shot to get the Bearcats on the board. Both teams went neck and neck and at the end of the first, Appalachian State held a 15-13 lead. Binghamton took the lead early in the second quarter after junior forward Genevieve Coleman drained a three-pointer. The pace of play was similar to the first as neither team was able to string together a significant run. Ultimately, the Bearcats found themselves down 28-27 heading into halftime.
“We came out a little flat,” Shapiro Ord said. “We weren’t getting some stops, and we weren’t knocking our shots down.”
Appalachian State pulled ahead in the third quarter, securing a lead with timely baskets. Despite Binghamton's struggles, they found a rhythm in the fourth quarter, narrowing the gap to three points. However, Appalachian State maintained control, and Binghamton ultimately lost 68-57 in their opening game.
“Instead of spacing the floor like we did in the first half, we were starting to get really tight inside,” Shapiro Ord said. “We were starting to make passes that weren’t really there.”Graduate student guard Denai Bowman and redshirt sophomore guard Jadyn Weltz led BU’s offensive effort with 14 and 13 points, respectively. The Bearcats struggled defensively as they were outscored 38-22 in the paint.
Binghamton had a strong start against Furman, hitting nine of their first 10 shots, including four three-pointers, to establish a 22-11 lead. Despite cooling off in the second quarter, the Bearcats maintained control with baskets from Bowman and Weltz. They finished the first half shooting 60 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc, heading into halftime with a 48-37 lead.“Our first quarter, we played terrific,” Shapiro Ord said. “I thought we did some really nice things in the first half.”
In the third quarter, Binghamton struggled offensively, leading to a shift in momentum. Furman outscored BU 22-11 in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 59. The Bearcats' shooting struggles persisted, and the game came down to the wire. Weltz's free throw tied it at 72 with under a minute left, but Furman secured a late lead with an offensive rebound and jumper. In the final moments, Coleman's three-point attempt fell short, and the Bearcats lost 74-72.
“We were just trying to do too much coming out in the third quarter,” Shapiro Ord said. “[Coleman] at least put ourselves in a situation to get an extra opportunity. Unfortunately, it didn’t go in. We just need to do better with giving [Furman] second chance opportunities and taking care of the basketball.”
Weltz neared a triple-double with 18 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, while Bowman contributed 14 points and three steals on defense. Despite a 43-22 rebounding deficit, Shapiro Ord praised their leadership. The Bearcats face Cornell on Nov. 29 at 6:07 p.m. in Vestal, New York.
