MAINE
78
BINGHAMTON
71
VESTAL, N.Y. -- The University of Maine women's basketball team led by 13 on three separate occasions and fought off multiple runs by Binghamton but were able to hold on in the end, defeating the Bearcats 78-71 in America East Quarterfinal action.
Liz Wood (Catlett, Va.) led the charge for Maine scoring 13 of her 19 points in the second half while recording her 17th career double-double with 10 rebounds and five assists. Bella Swan (Farmington, Ut.) and Mikaela Gustafsson (Sodertalje, Sweden) each added career-highs with 15 and 17 points, respectively. Sigi Koizar(Vienna, Austria) rounded out the double-figure efforts with 14 points.
The Black Bears finished the victory 28-for-58 from the floor (48.3%) while hitting 17-of-22 attempts from the free throw line. The quarterfinal victory is Maine's first since 2004.
Maine stuck to its game plan, feeding the post throughout the contest, ultimately leading to a 36-12 advantage for points in the paint as the Black Bears also controlled the boards, 38-26.
Binghamton stuck with Maine thanks to its outside shooting where it went 10-for-19 from beyond the arc, six of which coming from its high scoring freshman Jasmine Sina who finished with 19 points. The Bearcats also converted on 15-of-18 free throws.
The Black Bears did their damage inside throughout the first half while Binghamton kept things close knocking down its outside shots. Maine outscored the Bearcats 24-4 in the paint over the first 20-minutes while Binghamton went 7-for-12 from behind the arc.
Maine's offense clicked early as the Black Bears were able to work down low on back-to-back buckets from Swan before taking an early 10-2 advantage.
Binghamton responded to cut the lead down to four after Imani Watkins sliced through the paint for a pair while drawing the foul. Following a free throw the Black Bears lead was four.
Maine regained its composure and answered with a run as six-straight points from Swan gave the Black Bears their largest lead of the half, 29-16 at the 5:54 mark.
Binghamton kept charging, closing the half on a 16-5 run as it was able to double its point total and trail by just a pair, 34-32, at the break.
Maine again came out of the locker room hot, putting together an 8-2 run on 3-pointers from Wood and Koizar to build a 42-34 lead.
But the Bearcats continued to have an answer, responding with a 9-2 sprint to bring them all the way back within a point early in the second half.
Wood began to heat up inside as her seven points, including four off her own offensive boards, were part of a 12-5 Maine run which gave the Black Bears a 56-48 advantage.
Maine continued to click as it staged a 7-0 sprint and was able to match its largest lead of the game when Wood's 3-pointer put it ahead by 13 with 10-minutes to play.
Binghamton would get within five of the lead late in the half but Maine held off the attack, hitting its free throws in the clutch spots down the stretch to take the America East Quarterfinal victory, 78-71.
Maine continues tournament action tomorrow when it meets the winner of Hartford and New Hampshire at 2 p.m.
-U-M-
