|
Women's Basketball
Bonnies down UMass to advance at A-10 Tournament
The St. Bonaventure women's basketball team overcame a 16-point second half deficit to stun seventh-seeded Massachusetts, 63-60, in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Friday evening at the Cintas Center.
The win is the Bonnies (16-14) first in postseason play since the 2000 A-10 Tournament as they move on to face second-seeded Temple in the quarterfinals tomorrow at 4 p.m. St. Bonaventure's 16 wins tie the Division I school record for wins in a season and clinches the first winning season since 1997-98. "I can't describe how proud I am of our kids right now," said head coach Jim Crowley. "They overcame a pair of big runs by UMass in a very physical game. They've shown this kind of heart and determination all season and that says a lot about what type kids they are." The Minutewomen owned a 29-23 lead at the half after leading for just over 17 minutes in the opening frame. Back-to-back three-pointers by sophomore Katelyn Murray and senior Audrey Latendresse to open the half brought the Bonnies to within one, at 30-29. Just as it seemed momentum was in the Bonnies favor, Massachusetts responded with its second big run of the game, this time posting a 15-0 scoring spurt to take its largest lead of the game (16), 45-29, with 15:24 left. Sparked the return of sophomore Ashley Edwards, who missed the end of the first and the start of the second half with a strained shoulder, St. Bonaventure rolled off an improbable 21-3 run capped by another three-pointer from Latendresse to take its first lead in almost 30 minutes at 50-48. The next five minutes featured five ties until the Brown and White took the lead for good with a 1:16 remaining as junior Maripier Malo knocked down a jumper from the left wing as the shot clock expired to give St. Bonaventure a 61-59 edge. On UMass' next possession Kate Mills converted 1-of-2 free throws to make it a one-point game, 61-60. Both teams failed to convert on their next possession and the Minutewomen were forced to foul with 13 seconds left sending Malo to the line. Malo missed the front end of the bonus and UMass came away with the rebound still trailing by one. Junior Pam Rosanio was able to work her way through the lane for an open look, but her jumper rimmed out and the rebound went to the Bonnies. The Minutewomen fouled Murray on the ensuing in-bounds pass with less than a second left on the clock. The sophomore calmly sank both shots and UMass was unable to get off another shot before the buzzer sounded. Latendresse was the main culprit in the Bona comeback as she hit for 17 of her 19 points in the second half. Latendresse finished 7-of-13 from the field and grabbed six rebounds. Priscilla Edwards turned in a solid all-around effort finishing with 10 points, a team-high nine rebounds, three assists and three steals. Murray added 12 points, while Dana Mitchell and Ashley Edwards each had 8. St. Bonaventure shot 46 percent from the floor, including an impressive 56 percent in the second half. UMass finished with a 40 percent clip from the field and owned a slight edge on the glass, at 36-34. Senior Tamara Tatham led UMass (17-13) with 16 points, while junior Kate Mills finished with 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
|
|
