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AKRON, Ohio – Junior guard Kim Albrecht poured in a career-high 27 points and freshman guard Imani Watkins added 21 points, powering Binghamton (1-1) to a 90-84 win over Delaware State (0-2) in the final day of the Akron Classic on Saturday afternoon at Rhodes Arena. The victory was the Bearcats' first under head coach Linda Cimino.
Albrecht, whose previous career high was 16 points, nailed three three-point field goals and was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. Watkins, who was named to the all-tournament team, also added nine rebounds and four assists.
Freshman guard Jasmine Sina scored a career-high 18 points while senior forward Sherae Swinson finished with 14 points.
"Our team showed a lot of heart today," Cimino said. "We had several players step up for us. In the first half, we struggled from the free throw line but we shot a lot better (from the line) in the second half."
The 90 points is the most scored by Binghamton since it defeated Stony Brook 91-86 on January 18, 2009. The last time a pair of Bearcat players scored at least 20 points was on Jan. 2, 2012 in a 72-54 win over Maine (Viive Rebane had 26 points and Orla O'Reilly netted with 22 points).
Down 11-5 early in the game, the Bearcats went on a 10-4 run to tie it up at 15-15 with 12:10 remaining in the first half. Albrecht had five points during that stretch, including the game-tying three-point field goal.
The lead went back and forth over the next seven minutes before Binghamton went on a 10-0 blitz in a span of 3:13 to take a 40-29 lead with 1:15 remaining in the half. Watkins had eight of her points during that stretch.
Leading 42-33 at the break, the Bearcats stretched their lead to 57-43 on a three-point field goal by Sina with 14:10 left in regulation.
Delaware State closed within 81-74 with 2:38 left in regulation. From there, however, the Bearcats sank their last 10 free throws to ice the game. Albrecht made the last six attempts.
Tierra Hawkins and Raven Bankston each finished with 22 points for Delaware State.
Watkins finished the weekend with 20.0 points per game, having scored a team-high 19 points against Akron on Friday night.
Up next for Binghamton is a Wednesday night game at Canisius. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
NOTES: Albrecht set her previous career high against Stony Brook on Feb. 6, 2014 … Sina finished the weekend with 13.5 points per game ... Watkins is the first BU freshman to score at least 20 points in a game since Andrea Holmes finished with 24 points at Albany on Feb. 7, 2009.
