University of Maine
Binghamton
Maine Downed at Binghamton in America East Opener
1/2/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
VESTAL, N.Y. -- Brittany Williams (Rochester, N.Y.) totaled 18 points, earning her Maine's America East Player of the Game nod but Binghamton took home the win in each team's conference opener, defeating Maine 72-54 on Monday evening. Samantha Baranowski (Stanhope, N.J.) added 11 points as she totaled double-figures for the second-straight game. Maine falls to 3-11 with the loss and 0-1 in America East play while Binghamton improves to 7-7 and 1-0 in league action.
Viive Rebane scored 18 of her game-high 26 points in the second half on 12-for-16 shooting to lead the Bearcats while Orla O'Reilly added 22 points.
The Black Bears came storming out of the gate on a blistering pace, running out to a 6-0 lead just over a minute into the opening half. Williams and Baranowski traded buckets on back-to-back possessions. Maine's defense then forced a Binghamton turnover as Williams picked up the steal and rushed down court for the fastbreak layup, forcing the Bearcats to call a quick timeout.
Binghamton answered out of the timeout as it would break out a 9-3 run to knot things right back up at 9-9 off a fastbreak layup by Orla O'Reilly.
The two teams traded buckets for much of the next 10 minutes until Williams knocked down a three from the foul line extended to put Maine up 19-17 and start a 7-2 run. Kelsey Mattice (Cicero, N.Y.) added to the run when she drew a foul and hit a pair of free throws before Williams worked to get open and hit a jumper from just inside the arc at the top of the key, giving Maine a 23-19 lead with 6:21 to play in the half.
The Bearcats wouldn't go away easily as they ended the half on a 16-0 run, powered by ten points by O'Reilly, to take a 37-25 lead into the halftime break.
Williams paced the Black Bears in the opening half with nine points on 4-for-5 shooting. Danielle Walczak (Lee, N.H.) pulled down six first half rebounds for Maine as Courtney Anderson (Greene, Maine) added five points, three rebounds and two assists. O'Reilly led the Binghamton charge with 16 first half points while Andrea Holmes chipped in 11.
Maine worked away at diminishing the Binghamton lead, getting the lead down to eleven on a 5-0 run started by a nice dribble-drive lay-in by Williams. Walczak then cashed in on an old fashion three-point play as she battled in the low post, hitting a nice turn around shot while drawing the foul and knocking down the free throw to bring the Black Bears within eleven, 45-34 with 14:55 to play in the second half.
The Black Bears closed within nine on a nice up and under move by Baranowski off an assist by Ashleigh Roberts (Wilmington, Del.) at the halfway mark of the second half, but Binghamton then answered by stretching its lead to 21 on an 18-6 run on 12 points by Rebane with 4:00 to play in the closing half.
Maine continued to battle but failed to cut into the Bearcats lead, dropping its America East opener 72-54.
Maine continues America East action on Saturday, Jan. 7 when it hosts UMBC in a men's and women's double-header beginning at 12 p.m. For tickets, visit the ticket office located inside Alfond Arena or call the ticket office at 581-BEAR or 1-800-756-8326.
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