Dec. 28, 2008

Box Score

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - St. Bonaventure could not hold on to a 12-point second half lead and dropped a 69-68 decision to Big East power Syracuse on Sunday afternoon at the Reilly Center.

The Bonnies held the lead for the better part of the game, but Erica Morrow scored six-straight points late in the game to carry Syracuse to the victory.

Syracuse improves to 10-2 with the win, its sixth straight, while St. Bonaventure drops to 8-4 with the loss.

Jessica Jenkins led the Brown and White in scoring, pouring in a season-high 18 points on five-of-seven shooting from the three-point line. Dana Mitchell was the only other Bonnie in double figures with 16 points to go along with seven rebounds.

Erica Schiefen had a solid game for the Bonnies as well, chipping in nine points on three-of-four shooting from downtown. For the game the Bonnies shot 11-of-31 from the three-point line, setting new season-highs in both made and attempted three-pointers.

Back-to-back buckets by Mitchell on the Bonnies first two possessions would give St. Bonaventure an early 4-0 lead. A three-pointer by Armelia Horton, the first of her career, would extend the Bonnie lead up to 7-0 early.

Syracuse would respond to the Bona fast start by scoring the next seven points of the game, capped by a lay-up by Chandrea Jones, to tie the game up at 7-7 with 15:45 remaining in the first half.

A three-pointer from the top of the key by Jenkins would put St. Bonaventure back in the lead, at 12-8. Jenkins would hit another Bona three-pointer, their fourth in the first nine minutes of the game, to extend the Bonnies lead up to 18-10.

A jumper by Erica Morrow would trim down the Bonnies lead to 23-19 with 6:58 remaining in the first.

Another three-pointer by Jenkins, her third in the first half alone, would give the Bonnies their largest lead of the half, at 30-22, with 3:37 remaining in the first half. The Bonnies would eventually take a 32-28 lead into half.

A lay-up by Mitchell and a three-pointer by Schiefen would extend the Bonnies lead up to 37-28 coming out of intermission. The Brown and White would continue their hot shooting from downtown, as Schiefen would hit two more three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give St. Bonaventure its largest lead of the game at 45-33, with 17:47 left in the game.

A lay-in by Jones would bring Syracuse within six, at 51-45, with 10:26 to go in the second half. Another Syracuse lay-in by Lynnae Lampkins would cut the Bona lead down to four.

Another clutch three-pointer by Jenkins, her fourth of the game, would give the Brown and White some breathing room at 55-49 with 6:58 remaining in the game.

The free throw line would help the Bonnies during their next run. The Brown and White would make four consecutive free throws, two by Ashley Edwards and two by Jenkins, to put St. Bonaventure up 59-53 with 4:52 remaining in the second half.

Morrow would begin to take over for Syracuse as she scored the next seven points of the game. A pair of free throws by Morrow would put the Orange in front for the first time in the game, at 60-59 with 3:01 remaining in the game. A three-pointer by Tasha Harris would extend the Orange lead up to 63-61 with 2:06 left.

After the teams traded baskets, a jumper by Doneth would tie the game up at 65-65 with just 1:05 left in the game.

Another lay-in by Morrow on Syracuse's next possession would put the Orange up two, 67-65, with 24.8 seconds left in the game.

St. Bonaventure would come up empty on its next possession as Jenkins missed a three-point try. After an intentional foul by the Bonnies, a pair of free throws by Morrow would put the Orange up 69-65. A three-pointer by Jenkins, her fifth of the game, at the buzzer would make the final score 69-68.

The Brown and White shot 37 percent (26-71) from the field while Syracuse shot 38 percent (23-61) from the field and 63 percent (19-30) from the line for the game.

The Orange were led by Morrow who poured in a game-high 23 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field and 9-of-13 from the free-throw line. Teammate Juanita Ward had a double-double in the game tallying 13 points and 11 rebounds in the win.

The Brown and White return to action on Tuesday as they welcome Northeast Conference member Fairleigh Dickinson to the Reilly Center for a 2:00 p.m. tip-off.