BURLINGTON, Vt. – Binghamton women's basketball (17-7, 9-2 AE) fell to Vermont (21-6, 10-2) in a tight-knit battle at Patrick Gymnasium, 61-52 on Thursday evening.

Bella Pucci (17), Kendall Bennett (12), and Carletta Bennett (11) each reached double figures in scoring, while K. Bennett also collected 12 rebounds to register her 12th double-double of the season.

"We knew it was going to be a back-and-forth game." head coach Mary Grimes stated. "We didn't make plays on the offensive or defensive side when we needed to through out the game and that hurt us in the end."

The first half, featuring the top two teams in the conference, was a defensive battle, as both teams shot under 40% from the field. However, both sides were successful from the three-point line, with each team hitting 4-for-10 from beyond the arc. The Catamounts took the first quarter 14-8, with the Bearcats taking the second 15-13.

A three-pointer from Bella Pucci saw Binghamton take its first lead of the game with 52 seconds remaining in the first half. However, UVM was able to get to the free-throw line and recover an offensive rebound, resulting in a last-second jumper from Jayden Weltz to give the Catamounts a 27-23 lead at the half.

The second half continued to be a close battle, but Vermont would keep the edge over Binghamton, leading 41-33 entering the final 10 minutes of the game.

Thursday's game came down to the very end, as Binghamton began to make a charge with Pucci connecting on a three-pointer and K. Bennett making a layup to trail 53-50 to Vermont with 2:44 left to play.

Vermont connected on a three-pointer to go up 56-50. Yanniah Boyd was able to get a steal and score to trail only by four with 1:43 left on the clock.
With 36 seconds to go, Vermont's Keira Hanson crossed the 20 points mark with a driving layup that saw her head to the line for a three-point play to seal the deal for Vermont and take the victory 61-52.

The Bearcats will look to bounce back into the win column against UAlbany on Saturday for a 7 p.m. tip-off.