PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Binghamton women's basketball (20-13) fell to La Salle (19-13) in the second round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) on Monday evening in Philadelphia, Pa.

Leah Middleton led the team in scoring with 15 points, while Kendall Bennett earned her 17th double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Binghamton slayed at the free-throw line, going a perfect 11-for-11 at the line, just the second time in program history the Bearcats finished 1.000 at the free throw line on at least 10+ attempts.

"It was a competitive back-and-forth game," head coach Mary Grimes stated. "Proud of my team for fighting for 40 minutes today."  

La Salle opened the scoring with a three-pointer on their first possession. Going the other way, Bella Pucci drained a three of her own with an assist from K. Bennett to match the Explorers and set the tone out for the second-round matchup. The two sides traded points, leaving the score 19-18 in La Salle's favor after 10 minutes of play.

Middleton took over for the Bearcats, making five of Binghamton's six field goals resulting in 10 points for the junior guard in the second quarter.
Despite Middleton's strong offensive efforts, the Explorers were able to generate opportunities for themselves, resulting in them scoring another 19 points to Binghamton's 16, leading 38-34 at the half.

The two sides came out of the half continuing to exchange points, but Binghamton would find the advantage with Boyd and K. Bennett getting to the rim, giving the Bearcats a 52-51 lead heading to the final quarter of play.

As the score was even at 59 with just under five minutes left to play, the Explorers were able to gain momentum through a 6-0 run, giving them a 65-59 lead.  The Bearcats made a valiant effort to find a last chance comeback, but La Salle would go on to convert on five free throws to finalize the victory and advance to the Super 16.

This concludes the 2025-26 Bearcat campaign.