This past Feb. 7, the Binghamton women's basketball team was in a good place. It had just played perhaps its best game of the season – a 64-52 win over Albany – and was in a battle for fourth place in the America East Conference.

The Bearcats entered the 2020-21 season without a returning starter and just two upperclassmen on their roster. Without the benefit of a summer session and normal fall workouts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team took time to gel. By the time they defeated the Great Danes, the Bearcats appeared ready for a strong finish to the season.

That all changed, however, when COVID-19 protocols led to Binghamton's season ending prematurely on Feb. 20. The win over Albany would be its final game of the season.

"Our group approached every day last season with great attitudes amidst a climate of constant change," head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord said. "They were committed to the process for one simple reason...each other! To have played 16 games and finish the season on a winning note with these amazing young ladies and my staff ... I am truly grateful."

It is against that backdrop that Binghamton heads into the 2021-22 campaign in a much different situation. This time around, four starters return as well as five of its top six scorers. This summer's session further cemented the Bearcats' team chemistry, which was already strong having gone through the uncertainty of the past season together.

Simply put, Binghamton is in a very good place heading into the year.

"There is no ceiling as to what this team can accomplish," Shapiro Ord said. "The sky is the limit because the way our team plays together and how they believe in each other and themselves. They have done a tremendous job of building our team culture and embracing the process of improving every day."

This year's group features a mixture of experience and youth. There are nine returning letterwinners – eight of whom are upperclassmen - as well as five freshmen and one transfer. During the summer, however, the Bearcats blended together to become a total team.

"Our returning players did a great job in looking after the freshmen," Shapiro Ord said. "Everyone has been taking care of each other since the summer and they are all on the same page."

GUARDS

Junior Denai Bowman is the Bearcats' top returning player from last season. She was the first Binghamton underclassmen to be named all-conference since 2004 and was also chosen to the America East's All-Defensive Team. Bowman is a preseason all-conference pick heading into the current year.

During the 2020-21 campaign, Bowman ranked fourth in the America East in scoring (12.5 ppg.), third in steals (2.0 spg.), ninth with a .409 field goal percentage, tied for No. 10 in rebounding (5.9 rpg.) and tied for No. 12 in assists (2.4 apg.). She reached the 20-point mark in scoring four times and in the Bearcats' final game against Albany, she turned in a 21-point, 13-rebound, four-steal performance.

"Denai has worked really hard and deserves the honors that she has gotten," Shapiro Ord said. "I am excited to see how she continues to add to her game. She is a dual threat scorer who works on her craft day in and day out."

Binghamton's lone senior on this team is guard Hayley Moore. Since her freshman season, she has been a three-point specialist and last year, she ranked third in the conference with 1.8 three-point field goals per game. Where she has improved during her career, however, is on the defensive end. Last year, she guarded the opposing team's top scorer.

"Hayley has done a great job of growing her game at both ends of the court," Shapiro Ord said. "She is a scrappy player who works really hard offensively and defensively. Hayley typically guards the opposing team's best player because of how well she can defend."

Sliding into a starting position last year was current junior guard Cassidy Roberts. By the end of the 2020-21 season, she was running the team's offense from the point position. Although she only started in the Bearcats' final 11 games, she was still eighth in the America East with 2.6 assists per game. She also shot 42 percent from the field during the season.

"Cassidy is a great leader on the court for us," Shapiro Ord said. "As a point guard, her high IQ and decision making brings good poise to our style of play."

One guard who has shown significant improvement since last year has been junior Zahra Barnes. She has been a reserve the past two season and can be slid into either backcourt position.

"Zahra has worked very hard to improve certain aspects of her game from last season," Shapiro Ord said. "She gives us good depth offensively and adds a different look for us on the defensive side of the of the ball with her ability to guard in the open court and pressure the ball."

Binghamton adds three freshmen to the backcourt in Ella Wanzer, Jadyn Weltz and Camila Kirschenbaum. Wanzer arrives from Buffalo, New York, where she averaged 20 points and six rebounds during her senior year at Amherst High School.

Weltz hails from Ontario, where she where was a member of her provincial team the past several seasons. Kirschenbaum, meanwhile, comes from Montevideo, Uruguay, where she was one of her country's most promising youth basketball players.

Sophomore Elena Delicado and senior Hanna Strawn are the Bearcats' other returning guards.

FORWARDS

Junior Birna Benonysdottir is Binghamton's top returning scorer up front. After transferring from Arizona in the summer of 2020, she made 12 starts and reached double figures in scoring five times. Her signature game was a 22-point performance against UMBC on Dec. 28. Benonysdottir also had four games with multiple blocks.

"Birna is a great player with both a strong inside and outside game," Shapiro Ord said. "She does a great job at posting up inside and can stretch the floor with her ability to shoot outside."

Fellow junior Clare Traeger split time at the forward and guard positions last season. She led the Bearcats and was ninth in the America East with 6.1 rebounds per contest. She reached double figures in rebounding four times and recorded a double-double.

"Clare is a very strong player who has really worked on her shot this summer," Shapiro Ord said. "She is a versatile player who can play either the three or four position. She continues to improve in all parts of her game."

Three newcomers join the Bearcats at the post positions. Junior Jalyn Van Dyke transferred from Salt Lake Community College (located in Utah) while freshman Genevieve Coleman was two-time all-state selection at nearby Owego Free Academy. In addition, freshman Monica Balistrere arrives from Fairfax, Va., where she played at Bishop O'Connell High School.

Also returning up front this season is junior Khoryn Bannis, who sustained a season-ending injury in the Bearcats season-opener last Dec. 2 against Fairleigh Dickinson.

SCHEDULE

Binghamton returns to a normal regular-season schedule this year, which includes the return of fans at the Events Center. The home crowds will have plenty of chances to see the Bearcats early on because their first five games – starting with the Nov. 9 season opener against Siena – are all at the Events Center.

The Bearcats' game against the Saints will be followed up with contests against Canisius (Nov. 13), Cornell (Nov. 17), St. Bonaventure (Nov. 20) and Mansfield (Nov. 23). Their final non-conference home game takes place on Dec. 7 against Pitt-Johnstown.

On the road during non-conference play, Binghamton heads to Fairleigh Dickinson (Dec. 1), Lehigh (Dec. 4) and Eastern Michigan (Dec. 10). In addition, the Bearcats return to the Florida International Tournament for the second time in three seasons, with matchups against the host Panthers on Dec. 20 and Ohio the following day.

The Bearcats have three of their first four America East games at the Events Center this season. After opening up against UMBC on Dec. 30, Binghamton heads to UMass Lowell (Jan. 2) before hosting Albany (Jan. 5) and NJIT (Jan. 8).
Other conference home games are against Maine (Jan. 16), Hartford (Jan. 26), Stony Brook (Feb. 2), UMass Lowell (Feb. 19) and New Hampshire (Feb. 26).

Binghamton also travels to Hartford (Jan. 12), Stony Brook (Jan. 19), NJIT (Jan. 22), UMBC (Jan. 29), Maine (Feb. 5), New Hampshire (Feb. 12), Albany (Feb. 16) and Vermont (Feb. 23).

The America East Tournament will once again feature the higher seeded teams hosting each individual game. The quarterfinals are slated for March 3, followed by the March 6 semifinals and March 11 title game.

LOOKING AHEAD

Shapiro Ord has been pleased with the Bearcats progress over the past year. But she believes the team can reach a higher level of play.

"We want to put our players in uncomfortable positions, in which they will be stretched to become better," she said. "This group has embraced and come to love the process of pursuing greatness and they know there is more room to grow."

In the end, the pieces are in place for Binghamton to not just improve as a team this year but continue to develop as a program.

"We have always placed a big emphasis on building a family culture," Shapiro Ord said. "Our team has been through so much together and they have become a very close-knit group that is self-motivated. They know that good things happen when they work hard and trust the process both on and off the court. I am excited to see how this group continues to grow throughout the season."