Dec. 2, 2007
Final Stats
BOCA RATON, Fla. -
Clutch free throw shooting down the stretch and a game-clinching 12-2 run late in the second half secured a 78-72 victory for the St. Bonaventure women's basketball team at Florida Atlantic in the final game of the FAU Holiday Classic early Sunday evening.
The Bonnies picked up their first win following consecutive defeats to improve their overall record to 6-2, while Florida Atlantic dropped its fifth game of the year to fall to 2-5.
The Brown and White received contributions from throughout the roster as four members of the squad reached double figures led by sophomore Dana Mitchell's game-high 21 points that earned her a spot on the All-Tournament team. Fellow classmate Andrea Doneth notched a career-best 19 points, including a 9-of-10 performance from the free throw line, while junior Erica Schiefen and freshman Cara Gustafson chipped in with 10 points apiece. Junior point guard Tiara Johnson hauled down a season-high 16 rebounds to tie the eighth best rebounding performance in program history and senior Megan Ellis capped a solid weekend with career-bests in points (5) and rebounds (9).
In the game's final 3:18, St. Bonaventure connected on 15-of-16 freebies from the charity stripe as Doneth and Mitchell accounted for a combined 13 points from the line to close out the game.
The Owls refused to let the Bonnies escape Florida easily as the Brown and White were forced to weather a 20-9 FAU run midway through the second stanza before retaliating with a spurt of their own to pull ahead of the host school for good.
After Doneth drained a wide open three-pointer from the left corner off of an out of bounds under to put the Bonnies ahead by 10 points at 44-34 with 13:51 remaining in the second half, the Owls used a 20-9 run over the next 5:13 to take their first lead of the half at 54-53 with 8:06 showing on the scoreboard. Five different Owls scored in the five-plus minute span, including back-to-back three-pointers from Bianca Sellers and Jaimie Givens and six points from Shuteamia Brayboy.
However, the Bonnies retaliated with 12 of the game's next 14 points to take control of the contest to the tune of a 67-60 advantage with 2:30 left as free throw production proved to be the deciding factor in the remaining 150 seconds.
Mitchell accounted for seven of the 12 points and sparked the game-clinching span with a conventional three-point play to knot the score at 58-58 with 6:08 remaining. The Fairless Hills, Pa. product followed with a soft runner in the lane prior to Doneth's second trifecta of the evening. Mitchell and Doneth added a pair of free throws to extend the club's lead to 67-60.
A fast-paced first half saw St. Bonaventure head into the locker room with a 30-28 advantage following the opening 20 minutes. The Bonnies used an 11-5 spurt into the break capped by a last second jumper from Ellis to snap a 28-28 tie.
Gustafson opened the first frame closing run with her first three-pointer of the game from the right wing before senior Maripier Malo drained a long two-pointer from a similar spot to pull ahead by a single point at 24-23 with just over three minutes remaining before the break. Doneth added a short jumper coupled with an Ellis runner in the lane prior to her buzzer beating deuce to end the half.
Putting Saturday's result behind them, the Brown and White raced out to a 10-4 start following the opening tip. Although the Owls tallied the first basket, senior Katelyn Murray ignited a 7-0 spurt for her club with a three-pointer from the right corner. Doneth and Mitchell followed their teammate with consecutive driving lay-ups to push the Bonnies' lead to 7-2 just 2:36 minutes into the contest. Schiefen joined in on the scoring with the team's second triple of the day to extend the St. Bonaventure margin to six points at 10-4.
Following the Brown and White early push, Florida Atlantic accumulated nine straight points beginning with a long range triple from Carla Stubbs at the top of the arc. The Owls accounted for seven additional points in the run, while holding the visiting squad scoreless for nearly three minutes of action. Mitchell put the Brown and White back on the board with a fast break lay-in followed by three straight points from Schiefen to put the Bonnies on top 15-13 with 11:26 showing on the clock.
The Bonnies will remain on the road following their visit to the Sunshine State as the club travels to Colgate for a 2:00 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, Dec. 8.
