VESTAL, N.Y. (Interstat) — The Binghamton women’s basketball team controlled play from start to finish in a 69-44 victory over Massachusetts-Lowell on Saturday at the Events Center. The Bearcats built a 36-22 halftime lead and extended it after the break, outscoring the River Hawks 21-15 in the third quarter. Binghamton’s defense fueled the win, generating 28 points off turnovers while holding Massachusetts-Lowell to just nine. The Bearcats also dominated inside with 34 points in the paint. Kendall Bennett led Binghamton with 14 points and 15 rebounds, while Bella Pucci added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Jaini Edmonds scored 16 points for the River Hawks. Binghamton improved to 18-9 overall, while Massachusetts-Lowell fell to 8-19. An announced crowd of 1,583 attended the America East Conference game.

VESTAL, N.Y. (Interstat) — The Binghamton Bearcats used a dominant second quarter and a stifling defensive effort to pull away from the Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks, securing a 69-44 victory in a women’s NCAA Division I basketball game Saturday at the Events Center. Binghamton, which entered the contest on a three-game losing skid, improved to 18-9 overall and in America East Conference play. Massachusetts-Lowell, coming off an upset win at New Hampshire, fell to 8-19. The game’s decisive stretch began late in the first quarter and extended through the entire second period. After a competitive opening frame that saw Binghamton hold a narrow 17-15 lead, the Bearcats clamped down defensively. They held the River Hawks to just seven points in the second quarter on 3-of-13 shooting while forcing seven turnovers. Binghamton converted those Massachusetts-Lowell mistakes into 12 points, fueling a 19-7 quarter that broke the game open. A 10-0 run, capped by a Bella Pucci 3-pointer with 7:33 left in the half, pushed the lead to 24-15. The Bearcats continued to extend their advantage, taking a 36-22 lead into halftime. The River Hawks never recovered from that drought. While they matched Binghamton with 15 points in the third quarter, they could not string together enough stops to cut the deficit to single digits. The Bearcats’ lead ballooned to as many as 25 points in the fourth quarter. Binghamton’s defense was the story, holding Massachusetts-Lowell to 30.2% shooting from the field, including 4 of 22 from 3-point range. The Bearcats also dominated inside, outscoring the River Hawks 34-20 in the paint and scoring 28 points off 14 Massachusetts-Lowell turnovers. Kendall Bennett, a 6-foot-2 sophomore from Philadelphia, was the catalyst for Binghamton with a dominant double-double of 14 points and 15 rebounds. She anchored the interior defense and provided consistent offense, helping the Bearcats overcome a 13-of-21 performance from the free-throw line. Bella Pucci, a 5-9 guard from Rochester, New York, led all scorers with 16 points, adding 10 rebounds and three assists for her own double-double. Carletta Bennett contributed 10 points, and Kaia Goode added nine points and four rebounds. For Massachusetts-Lowell, Jaini Edmonds of Worcester, Massachusetts, led the way with 16 points and five rebounds. Paris Gilmore scored 13 points, and Amina Kameric added 11, but the River Hawks’ offense struggled with efficiency, posting an offensive rating of just 65.4 on 67 possessions. The Bearcats set the tone early by winning the battle on the glass, finishing with a 44-31 rebounding advantage, including 13 offensive boards that led to 11 second-chance points. Binghamton’s ball movement, while equaling Massachusetts-Lowell’s nine assists, created higher-quality shots, evidenced by a 6-of-13 performance from beyond the arc. The victory allowed Binghamton to sweep the season series, having defeated the River Hawks 80-52 on Jan. 10. It also provided a crucial bounce-back win as the Bearcats look to solidify their standing in the conference ahead of the postseason. Massachusetts-Lowell, which has struggled offensively for much of the season, saw a two-game winning streak snapped and will look to regroup before hosting Vermont on Thursday. Binghamton hits the road for its next two contests, traveling to face New Hampshire on Thursday and Maine on Saturday.

VESTAL, N.Y. (Interstat) — The Binghamton women’s basketball team looks to solidify its standing near the top of the America East Conference when it hosts struggling Massachusetts-Lowell on Saturday. The Bearcats (17-9, 9-4 AE) enter the matchup at the Events Center seeking to rebound from a narrow 63-60 home loss to Bryant on Thursday. That defeat snapped a three-game winning streak. Bella Pucci, a key player for Binghamton, scored 15 points in the loss and has been a consistent offensive force. She averaged 20.3 points over a recent three-game stretch, including a 31-point performance in a win over NJIT on Feb. 7. Binghamton dominated the first meeting this season, routing the River Hawks 80-52 on Jan. 10. Massachusetts-Lowell (8-18, 4-9) arrives with a bit of momentum after a 57-54 road victory at New Hampshire on Thursday. Paris Gilmore led the way with 24 points in 36 minutes. The River Hawks have struggled for consistency, however, alternating wins and losses over their last five games and averaging just 50.6 points per contest during that span. The Bearcats hold a significant advantage in the conference standings and boast a much more potent offense, averaging nearly 10 points more per game than Lowell this season. Binghamton’s defense, which allows a conference-best 56.8 points per game in league play, will aim to contain Gilmore and force Lowell into a half-court game. A win for Binghamton would keep pressure on the league leaders ahead of road trips to New Hampshire and Maine next week. Massachusetts-Lowell, sitting near the bottom of the conference, needs an upset to build on its latest win and improve its seeding for the upcoming America East tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for Saturday afternoon.