The University of Maine women’s basketball team snapped its four-game losing streak in dramatic fashion on Saturday afternoon.
The Black Bears overcame a 12-point deficit in the final 5:31 with a Caroline Dotsey layup with two seconds remaining, supplying UMaine with an unlikely 54-53 America East victory over Binghamton on the Skip Chappelle Court in the Memorial Gym in Orono.
UMaine improved to 13-14 overall and 8-6 in America East while Binghamton fell to 14-14 and 6-9.
Binghamton’s Yanniah Boyd hit a traditional three-point play with 45 seconds left to end a scoreless drought lasting 4:46 and giving the Bearcats a 51-50 lead.
A Bella Pucci steal and a UMaine foul put Boyd on the foul line with 19 seconds left and she hit both foul shots to expand the lead to three.
UMaine’s Asta Blauenfeldt sank two free throws with nine seconds left to make it a one-point game.
UMaine purposely fouled Kaia Goode with six seconds left.
Goode missed both free throws and UMaine’s Paula Gallego grabbed the rebound after the second miss and fed Dotsey for the game-winning layup.
Pucci missed a desperation three at the buzzer.
UMaine was trailing 48-36 with 5:31 remaining when Caroline Bornemann began the comeback with a layup off a Gallego pass.
Bornemann then fed fellow Dane Blauenfeldt for a 3-pointer to reduce the deficit to 48-41 with 4:06 remaining.
Olivia Rockwood pulled the Black Bears within four as she nailed a 3-pointer off a Blauenfeldt pass with 2:31 to go.
Sera Hodgson made it a one-point game with a three off a Blauenfeldt pass with 1:53 left and Rockwood’s three gave UMaine a 50-48 lead with 1:03 remaining.
The Black Bears outscored Binghamton 20-10 in the fourth quarter.
UMaine, which has been mired in a shooting slump during its four-game losing streak to the tune of a dismal 33.7 shooting percentage from the floor, shot 46.7 percent from the floor (7-for-15) in the fourth quarter after shooting 31.4 percent through the first three periods (11-for-35).
UMaine shot 4-for-10 beyond the 3-point arc over the final 10 minutes.
Senior guard Hodgson had a team-high 12 points to go with three steals and two assists. Junior guard Blauenfeldt had 11 points and two assists and graduate student guard-forward Bornemann wound up with 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Graduate student guard Rockwood had nine points and a game-high nine rebounds and senior guard Gallego produced seven points, seven rebounds, a game-high six assists and three steals. Dotsey had five points and two rebounds.
Jaydn Weltz paced Binghamton with a game-high 13 points. She also grabbed two rebounds. Goode had 10 points, four assists and two steals. Pucci, Boyd and Leah Middleton had seven points apiece. Pucci also had a game-high four steals and two rebounds, Middleton had five rebounds and two steals and Boyd had three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Kendall Bennett chipped in with six points and a team-leading eight rebounds.
UMaine outrebounded Binghamton 34-26.
UMaine will entertain New Hampshire on Thursday at 6. It will be Seniors Night.
Binghamton will host UMass Lowell on Saturday at 2 in its final regular season game.
