ERIE, Pa. – Binghamton women's basketball (20-12) defeated Mercyhurst (15-17) in the opening round of the Women's National Basketball Invitational (WNIT), 81-60 on Thursday evening. Binghamton reached the 20-win mark for just the third time in program history since joining the Division I level.
"I'm really proud of the team for attacking the press and getting the win today," head coach
Mary Grimes stated, after earning Binghamton's second postseason tournament win in program history.
Kendall Bennett had an historic game with 23 points on over 90% shooting from the field and grabbing 16 boards for her 20th double double of the season. Bennett's 91.6% (11-12) field goal percentage is the highest FG% in program history (min 10 attempts), surpassing Hall of Famer Leah Truncale's 81.9% (9-11).
"I'm just focusing on finishing and getting in the right position so that my teammates can pass the ball to me," K. Bennett said her historic performance. "If I don't become an open target for them, they can't pass me the ball. So as long as I can get to the right spots and help my teammates out, I can take it from there."
Meghan Casey (13),
Bella Pucci (13) and
Leah Middleton joined Bennett in the double-digit scoring figures, while also leading the way for Binghamton to shoot 58.1% from the field, their fifth best shooting percentage against a Division I opponent.
Binghamton was very efficient on the offensive side of the ball. After one quarter, the team converted on 10 shots on 17 attempts, with Bennett scoring 10 points in the first 10 minutes of the game. Mercyhurst battled with the Bearcats to keep the score close at 21-19 at the end of the first quarter.
The Bearcats continued to put points on the board, with six different Bearcats scoring in the second quarter to keep the offensive surge going. Mercyhurst was able to nearly match Binghamton's offense with a 19-17 quarter in Bing's favor. Sending the game to halftime at 40-36.
The second half was dominated by the Bearcats. Binghamton shot their highest percentage in the third quarter (69.2%) while holding the Lakers to just eight points on 17.6% shooting. Binghamton's defensive pressure, on top of multiple steals and blocks, were the key factors to shutting down Mercyhurst and lead by 16 at the end of the third quarter.
Bennett continued to dominate the glass on both sides of the ball and didn't miss a shot until the last six minutes of the game, where she tallied 20 points on a perfect 10-for-10 up until that point.
Binghamton would go on to cruise their way to an 81-60 victory, their first time reaching the 80-point mark since January 10, when they defeated UMass Lowell 80-52.
With the win, the Bearcats move on to the second round in the WNIT, where they will travel to Philadelphia, Pa. to take on La Salle for a 6 p.m. tip-off.
