Swinson leads Bearcats over UMBC

1/30/2013 (Updated 11:21:49 PM)

BALTIMORE, MD.Junior forward Sharae Swinson scored 17 points and junior guard Jasbriell Swain finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, leading Binghamton (4-17, 3-5 AE) to a 66-57 win over UMBC (6-15, 2-6 AE) in an America East womens basketball game on Wednesday night at the Retriever Athletic Center. The win is the second in the past three games for the Bearcats.

Unlike the previous three games, when the Bearcats started off slow, it was a stellar first half that was the difference against the Retrievers. Binghamton went up 33-20 at the break and maintained a double-digit lead for most of the second half.

We started off strong in the first half and played great defense, head coach Nicole Scholl said. We got a lot of great offensive rebounds and I thought our focus was great tonight."

Down 12-9 with 12:34 left in the first half, the Bearcats went on a 14-2 run over the ensuing 4:47 to go up 23-14. Swain had a team-best four points during that stretch.

Binghamton showed no signs of letting up to start the second half, as it went up 41-23 in the opening 90 seconds. Junior guard Stephanie Jensen, who finished with nine points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals, scored five of her points during that span.

Junior guard Vaneeshia Paulk gave the Bearcats their largest lead at 52-32 when she sank a jumper with 9:21 left in the second half.

UMBC chipped away at the deficit during the remainder of the game, getting to within 66-57 on a four point play with 22 seconds left in regulation.

Senior forward Simone Thomas added 11 points and fellow senior forward Kara Elofson chipped in 10 points.

Raven Harris led UMBC with 24 points. Crowell finished with 12 points.

On the boards, the Bearcats held a commanding 52-35 advantage and pulled down 15 offensive rebounds.