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The Binghamton women’s basketball coach offered up a two-part compliment by noting that the first-year leader of the University at Albany was “kind of in a no-win situation.”
That was praise for the Great Danes over recent years, and also a tip of the cap to Joanna Bernabei-McNamee. The bright side, if not exactly a flip side, is the program is up to meeting its old expectations — running the winning streak to six games Thursday with an 80-63 win against the Bearcats at SEFCU Arena.
It’s twice the length of the previous long streak this season, achieved in early December against a quick succession of lightweights. But since losing at Maine on Jan. 22, UAlbany is prospering with better balance, Imani Tate playing lights-out ball and Bernabei-McNamee continuing to feel comfortable in a program that has won four previous America East regular-season championships.
“We’re excited that everybody is starting to click right now,” she said, after the Danes had four double-digit scorers (led by Bailey Hixson’s 20 points) and held the league’s second-best scorer (behind Tate) to 10 points on 3-for-19 shooting.
Binghamton coach Linda Cimino is in her third year at Binghamton, her fourth head-coaching job since 2001. So she knows what it means to start somewhere new and, as all coaches say, build their culture.
She praised Thursday night’s counterpart as someone she likes, considers an asset to the league and has arguably a tougher team to prepare for than some of the predecessors. That’s not a knock on Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, either, just an opinion (not the first one to have it) that the Danes could become predictable in what they’d do. They just happened to have the greatest player in school history, Shereesha Richards, to accept the ball.
Now, the new UAlbany coach employs a team that saw Hixson make four of her first five 3-point shots. And then it had Tate (8-for-12 shooting, 20 points, right at her season average) finish it late with a quick burst that included a patented free throw-distance jumper and a couple of crafty and-one plays at the rim.
Mackenzie Trpcic (who drove and dished to Heather Forster late for a nifty three-point play) added 10 points and five assists, while Jessica Fequiere added a dozen points.
UAlbany had a 49-28 rebounding margin and held Imani Watkins to 10 points (about nine below her average).
“It’s good to see everybody contributing,” Tate said.
UAlbany now gets an unusually long five-day break before playing again at UMBC next Wednesday.
Just four games remain in the regular season for the 15-10 (9-3 AE) Danes. Right now they are becoming the clear-cut No. 2 seed, though they also defeated first-place New Hampshire at home Monday after losing there by 13 points on Jan. 11.
Building up to tournament time is the mission, UAlbany’s coach says. UAlbany has been to the NCAA Tournament five consecutive years.
Cimino sees more ball movement and changing defenses this year as she pointed out the clear challenge of taking over the best program in the league.
Do well, it’s expected.
The current UAlbany coach didn’t look the least bit conflicted about having that problem.
Note: Former Shenendehowa standout Carly Boland had five points, six assists and five rebounds in 22 minutes for Binghamton. “The first player in the history of my coaching career I’ve had to yell at to shoot the ball (more),” Cimino said with a smile.
jfranchuk@timesunion.com
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