BOSTON – No. 3 Binghamton won on a buzzer-beater and No. 4 UMBC was victorious on a last-second layup on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Air Force Reserve Women’s Basketball Playoffs as the top four seeds all managed to advance.
Bearcat junior Bella Pucci banked in a runner as time expired to lift her team to a 45-44 victory after No. 6 Bryant had taken the lead with five seconds left.
In Baltimore, Jade Tillman scored with just 1.0 seconds left on the clock after having her shot blocked to give UMBC a 66-65 lead and NJIT was unable to get a final shot off as the Retrievers escaped with the win.
No. 1 Vermont pulled away in the second half for a 55-40 win over No. 8 UAlbany while No. 2 Maine shot past No. 7 New Hampshire 77-58 behind a dominant Adrianna Smith performance.
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No. 3 Binghamton 45, No. 6 Bryant 44
- Bryant grabbed an early 13-11 lead after one quarter and pushed its lead as high as 21-15 midway through the period, before Binghamton ended the half on a run to tie it 27 apiece on a Meghan Casey jumper.
- The lead went back-and-forth in the third quarter and the Bearcats held a slight 37-34 lead.
- Martinia Boba gave Bryant a 40-39 lead with a three-point play the teams traded baskets, including a tough lefty layup by freshman Izzy Adams to give the Bulldogs a 44-43 lead with five seconds left. However, Bella Pucci was the hero and connected on the game-winner to ignite the court storm at Binghamton.
- Pucci finished with nine points, five rebounds and four assists while Yanniah Boyd came through with six points, seven rebounds and two assists.
No. 4 UMBC 66, No. 5 NJIT 65
- UMBC scored the opening six points of the contest, but NJIT went on a 21-9 run over the rest of the period to capture a 21-15 lead.
- The Highlanders extended the lead to 29-18 and then 38-22 with just 1:47 left in the half. UMBC scored the last five points of the period and then outscored NJIT 19-12 in the third to trail just 50-46 after 30 minutes..
- The Retrievers pulled within one multiple times in the fourth, but trailed 65-62 with 1:10 left. Jade Tillman made a layup with 49 seconds left to pull within one and then UMBC forced a 24-second violation to set up Tillman’s go-ahead basket with 1.0 second left.
- Tillman finished the game with 21 points, 21 rebounds and four steals, while Carmen Yanex added 12 points, six assists and three steals.
No. 1 Vermont 55, No. 8 UAlbany 40
- UAlbany jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but Keira Hanson ended the run with a triple. The Catamounts led just 10-8 but finished the period on a 10-0 run.
- Vermont kept the Great Danes scoreless for nearly ten minutes, until Lara Langermann hit a triple. UAlbany went on to score 11 straight and trail just 22-19 midway through the period, but Vermont finished with a run for a 29-22 lead.
- The Great Danes closed the gap to just 33-31 with 4:08 left in the third, but eight straight from Vermont made it 40-31 after three. UVM pushed the lead as high as 18 in the fourth quarter on the way to a 15-point win.
- Nikola Priede had 16 points, three blocks and three rebounds, while Malia Lenz was all over the court with 13 points, seven rebounds, five steals and two blocks.
No. 2 Maine 77, No. 7 New Hampshire 58
- Maine jumped out to an early lead but UNH kept it close and trailed just 18-17 after one quarter.
- The Black Bear offense came alive in the second quarter, outscoring the Wildcats 28-13 and then had a 17-8 edge in the third quarter to stretch their lead to 63-38 after three.
- In the final 10 minutes, New Hampshire put up 20 points to close the final score to 77-58.
- Adrianna Smith posted 35 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and 3 steals, while Lala Woods added 11 points, four rebounds and three assists. Smith’s 35 points are the most in an America East Tournament game Alex Young had 37 for BU in 2011 and she's just the third player to go for 30+ points, 15+ rebounds and 5+ assists over the last five seasons in the NCAA, joining Caitlin Clark and Lindsey Duvall of Northern Kentucky.
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