FINAL SCORE: Binghamton 52, Vermont 38
BINGHAMTON, N.Y.– Vermont has lost two straight road games following a 52-38 defeat at Binghamton on Wednesday night (Feb. 14). The Bearcats finished the season series with a 2-0 record against the Catamounts.
  
"I loved our defense today holding that high-powered offense to only 52 points," said UVM head coach Chris Day. "What's been plaguing us all season is our shooting. We get every look we want but we just can't seem to consistently capitalize on those wide-open looks. We will try to do so Saturday at Hartford."
 
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The Catamounts and Bearcats went back and forth in the first quarter. Binghamton held an 11-10 lead after the opening period.
 
Binghamton held Vermont to six second quarter points and rolled into the intermission with a 25-16 lead.
 
In the second half, the Bearcats camped down defensively and held the Catamounts to 13% shooting in the final quarter. Binghamton wrapped up its sixth-consecutive win against UVM by a final score of 52-38.
 
All fourteen Catamounts saw playing time on Valentine's Day. Rachel Merrill made the first start of her senior season in front of her family from nearby Owego, New York.
 
One rare occurrence happened for the Catamounts: no players finished the game with double-figures in the scoring column.
 
Hanna Crymble led UVM with eight points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes of action. Cassidy Derda added eight points (2-4 3PT) and four rebounds in the loss.
 
Additionally, Sydney Smith scored six points, grabbed four rebounds and recorded four steals. Smith picked up three steals in the previous game at UMass Lowell on Sunday.
 
Aside from Smith, her co-captains Katie Lavelle and Kristina White contributed for the Catamounts. White finished with three points and three rebounds, while Lavelle recorded four points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals.
 
Freshman Carmen Handy played in just her seventh game of the season. She scored two points and recorded a career-high four rebounds in just seven minutes off the bench.
 
On the other side, Imani Watkins spearheaded a Bearcats offense that saw three players in double-figures scoring wise. Watkins, the leading scorer in the conference, finished with 16 points, two rebounds and three assists. She has finished with double-figures in points in all 26 games this season.
 
Kai Moon recorded a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. She also tallied seven assists while adding a block and a steal.
 
Rebecca Carmody ended the game with 10 points, and Alyssa James grabbed 11 rebounds for Binghamton.
 
Despite the loss, the Catamounts out-rebounded the Bearcats 45-43. Binghamton ranks at the top of the America East as a team in rebounding.
 
Vermont was held to a season-low 38 points. The Bearcats rejected 11 UVM shots, with six of those blocks belonging to James, who ranks first in the conference and fourth in the nation in that category.
  
With the loss, Vermont is now 8-18 overall, 2-10 on the road and 5-8 in America East play. Meanwhile, Binghamton improves to 18-8 overall, 7-4 at home and 9-4 in conference play. The Bearcats won both games against the Catamounts this season and have won the last six games played against UVM.
     
As a team, Vermont shot 24% from the field, 20% from downtown (5-25) and 83% at the free throw line (5-6). Meanwhile, Binghamton went 31% from the floor, 33% from distance (8-24) and 62% at the foul line (8-13).
    
Next up, UVM concludes the three-game road trip at Hartford on Saturday afternoon (2 p.m.). It is Vermont's final road game of the regular season. The Catamounts are 1-0 against the Hawks this season.
 
The video broadcast for the Hartford game can be found on ESPN3. Per a contract with ESPN, every America East basketball game airs online on ESPN3. 
 
As always, Logan Ratick has the play-by-play call for Saturday' America East showdown between Vermont and Hartford on CatamounTV.com, as well as the flagship station for UVM women's basketball, News/Talk 620 WVMT-AM. Pregame coverage begins at 1:40 p.m., with tip-off set for 2 p.m. from Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion in West Hartford, Connecticut.