For Immediate Release: January 30, 2008
Contact: David O'Brian (dobrian@binghamton.edu)
Phone: 607-777-6478

Women's basketball falls on the road at Albany 80-60

Box Score

ALBANY, N.Y. - Tanika Thrower and Sherri Mikus scored 15 points apiece to lead five Albany (5-14, 3-3 America East) players to score in double figures as the host Great Danes topped visiting Binghamton (6-13, 4-2 AE) 80-60 in an America East Conference women's basketball game from SEFCU Arena Wednesday.

The loss snaps the Bearcats' three-game road win streak at Albany.

"We knew coming in that we would see a lot of pressure. We just did not handle it well. You have to give Albany credit," said Binghamton head coach Rich Conover. "We handled the ball better in the second half, but we had already dug ourselves in too deep of a hole."

Albany's full court pressure kept BU out of sync for much of the evening. The Bearcats were forced into 14 first-half turnovers, off of which the host Great Danes scored 20 points, and quickly found themselves facing a double-digit deficit.

The Great Danes used a 17-5 run midway through the first half to break an early tie and led by as many as 22 points before settling on a 42-21 advantage headed into the break.

Binghamton hit on its first 4-of-7 from the field, but went cold, missing 17 of its next 20 attempts. The Bearcats finished the evening strong winding up shooting 43% from the field, but their 23 turnovers proved to be the difference.

Sophomore guard Erica Carter (Naperville, Ill.) led Binghamton with 14 points, including 3-of-3 three-point shooting. Senior center Laine Kurpniece (Riga, Latvia) added 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds.

Kurpniece moves into eighth on the all-time Bearcat scoring list, passing former players Helene Thomas (1,018, 1981-85) and Jen Blues (1,019, 2002-06). She now has 1,025 career points.

Binghamton heads to Maine on Saturday for a noon tipoff.