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Feb. 24, 2006

Final Stats

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - It was a storybook ending to a game and a career that even Hollywood producers couldn't have dreamt of.

Appearing in her final game of her career at the Reilly Center, senior Stefanie Collins calmly sank two free throws in the closing seconds of double-overtime to secure a Bona win over Richmond, 75-72.

"We've battled all season and have never showed any sign of quitting," an emotional Collins said. "This team has a lot of heart and it showed tonight."

Lost in the fray of the excitement, sophomore Priscilla Edwards quietly recorded the first triple-double in program history with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Spiders scored first in the second overtime period, making the score 64-62. Seconds later, freshman Katelyn Murray connected on a three-pointer from the wing, giving the home team a one-point advantage at 65-64. On the ensuing Bonaventure possession, Collins' drained her fifth long-range field goal of the game to extend the Bona lead to 68-64 with 3:09 remaining. St. Bonaventure's floor general Priscilla Edwards committed her fifth foul of the night forcing her to the bench. With Edwards on the bench, Richmond went on a 4-0 run that knotted the score at 68 with 1:38 remaining.

The two teams traded baskets to even the score at 70, setting the stage for Collins. The senior All-Conference guard took matters into her own hands, scoring the brown and white's next four points off a lay-up and two free throws making the score 74-70 with 20 tics.

A costly foul by freshman Chere Marshall put the Spiders at the line with 14 seconds left and Mirna Mazic sunk them both. The Spiders quickly fouled freshman Ashley Edwards who sank the first of two free throws, giving the Bonnies a three-point advantage, 75-72. With 12 seconds on the clock, Richmond's final possession came down to a long range shot from Chapman that landed in the hands of Murray. The win was St. Bonaventure's third Atlantic 10 win of the year, a win they needed to stay alive in the playoff hunt.

"It's fitting that the last home game of the season should end like that," said head coach Jim Crowley. "Bottom line is this team is full of competitors."

Despite the win, St. Bonaventure's playoff dreams were ended when Duquesne topped Dayton and Fordham was victorious at La Salle.

The first overtime period remained deadlocked for the first 2:13 until junior Audrey Latendresse sank the front end of a two-shot foul to give the brown and white the lead, 60-59. A minute later after trading missed shots, Richmond took a one-point lead, 61-60, off an Ali Mitchell jumper with 1:43 remaining. The Spiders' Sarah Williams hit a free-throw to extend the visitors' lead to 62-60 with 1:10 left on the clock.

Priscilla Edwards drove the left-side of the lane and converted a lay-up to tie things at 62, with 52 tics remaining. Richmond's lay-up with 26 seconds left rimmed out and Latendresse secured a rebound as the Bona bench screamed for a timeout. Murray's three-point attempt with five seconds remaining just missed, forcing the second overtime.

Down 59-50 with 2:25 left in the game, Latendresse and Collins made things interesting by knocking down back-to-back three-pointers to cut the Richmond lead to three, 59-56. Gritty defense continued to fuel the Bona comeback as they came up with clutch defensive stops. Latendresse's two free-throws with 14 seconds left capped the comeback run. With the score knotted at 59, Richmond missed its game-winning attempt taking the game into overtime.

The Bonnies shot 35 percent (25-70) from the floor while Richmond finished with a 33 percent clip (23-70) from the field. The Spiders held a 56-44 edge on the glass, but was negated by 23 turnovers.

Collins and classmate Olecia Miller were honored prior to the start of the game. Collins finished with 22 points, highlighted by five three-pointers, and six rebounds. Miller notched eight points in a season-high 22 minutes of action. Latendresse led the Bona scoring with 23 points on 6-of-15 from the field, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.

Sophomore Mirna Mazic led the Spiders with a double-double, 18 points and 10 rebounds, off the bench.

The win improves the Bonnies' record to 9-17 and 3-12 in the Atlantic 10. The loss puts a halt to Richmond's four-game win streak as they fall to 12-15 overall and 7-8 in conference action.

St. Bonaventure will round out its season with a trip to the Steel City to take on Duquesne. Tip-off is schedule for 2:05 p.m.