VESTAL, N.Y. – Host Binghamton (2-0) posted five double-figure scorers and tied its program record with 25 steals, highlighting its 92-44 victory over Bloomsburg (0-0) in a non-conference women's basketball game on Thursday night at Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center. With the victory, the Bearcats have won their first two games of the season for the fifth straight year.

Junior guard Bella Pucci led a balanced Bearcat attack with 14 points while junior forward Kendall Bennett turned in a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Pucci was 4-for-8 from the field, 1-for-2 from beyond the three-point arc and sank all five of her free throws. Bennett, meanwhile, shot 4-for-6 and hit both of her foul shots.

Freshman guard Carletta Bennett and junior guard Leah Middleton each had 12 points while junior guard Yanniah Boyd chipped in 10 points. Bennett's total represents her career high while Boyd added five rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. 

The 25 steals by Binghamton ties the school record set back on Jan. 31, 1992 against Elmira and tied against Bridgeport on Dec. 11, 1999. On Thursday against the Huskies, 10 Bearcat players recorded at least one steal led by a career-best six thefts by senior guard Meghan Casey. 

Nursing a 5-4 lead midway through the opening period, Binghamton went on a 17-0 blitz over the final 4:38 of the quarter to take a 22-4 lead. Pucci led the way with six points during that stretch and the Bearcats scored 12 of their points off of turnovers.

Binghamton closed the game just as strong, scoring 34 points during the fourth period of play. The Bearcats shot 11-of-17 (64.7 percent) over the final 10 minutes and hit 10 of their 11 free throws. Seven different Binghamton players scored during that span.

The 92 points marked Binghamton highest scoring total since they finished with 104 points against Mansfield on Nov. 23, 2021. It also represents the 12th-most points it has scored in program history.

"Sometimes it takes us a little while to adjust and understand our pressure defense and press rotations but halfway through the first quarter we were able to get some steals and some easy baskets," head coach Mary Grimes said. "We want to get up and down the court and get steals and we were able to do that the rest of the game."

Casey added six points, four rebounds and four assists to go along with her six steals while freshman guard Ashley Redd netted a career-high nine points and senior guard Kaia Goode filled up the stat sheet with seven points, four rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.

Alsion Jatajik led Bloomsburg with 12 points, going 4-for-7 from the field and hitting all four of her free throws. Because the Huskies compete at the NCAA Division II level, their game against Binghamton counted as an exhibition contest for them.

As a team, Binghamton shot 50.8 percent from the field (33-of-65) and was 21-of-24 from the free throw line. The Bearcats also scored 35 of their points off of turnovers and held a 56-16 advantage in points in the paint.

Up next for Binghamton is a Tuesday home game against St. Bonaventure at 7 p.m.

NOTES: Through two games, Bennett and Pucci are tied for the team lead in scoring (13.0 ppg). Bennett is also averaging a team-best 9.0 rebounds per night … Binghamton has averaged 24.5 steals during its first two games of the season .. the last time the Bearcats shot over 50 percent from the field came against New Hampshire on Jan. 11, 2025 when they finished 29-57 (50.8 percent).