Jan. 24, 2009
Final Stats
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. -
The St. Bonaventure women's basketball team relied on their defense and some veteran leadership to pull out a huge 55-52 Atlantic 10 victory over Temple on "Think Pink Day" Saturday afternoon at the Reilly Center.
With the win, the Bonnies put an end to their 10-game losing streak against the Owls. The Brown and White's last win over Temple was back on Jan. 20, 2002 at the Reilly Center, 83-76.
St. Bonaventure was led in scoring by Senior Katelyn Murray and junior Dana Mitchell. The pair both scored 16 points apiece, while combining to score the Bonnies last nine points of the game. Murray shot 7-of-16 from the field and 2-of-7 from the three-point line, while Mitchell was 5-for-9 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.
The St. Bonaventure defense, which has been so strong this season, was a huge factor in today's game. The defense, which rebounded nicely after allowing 71 points to Richmond on Tuesday, held Temple to a season-low 52 points on 37 percent (22-60) shooting from the field.
Armelia Horton also had a strong game for the Bonnies. Horton had seven points and three rebounds in the game, but her ability to penetrate into to the Temple defense opened up the floor and created several quality shot opportunities for others.
The win bumps St. Bonaventure up to 14-5 overall and 3-1 in the A-10. The victory also improves the Bonnies home record to an impressive 9-1 on the season.
Temple, who was coming in off a win over Big 5 rival La Salle, drops to 11-7 overall and 3-2 in A-10 play.
Just as they did in the Richmond game, the Brown and White fell behind early coming out of the gates. Temple opened the first three minutes of the game on a 9-2 run capped by a lay in by LaKeisha Eaddy.
The Bonnies would claw their way back into the game using a 9-3 run of their own. A Murray three-pointer would bring St. Bonaventure to within 12-11, with 14:36 left in the first. The Brown and White would rally to take the lead, 15-14, after a jumper by Cara Gustafson with 12:27 remaining.
Defense would become the name of the game for both squads over the next five minutes of play, as each team managed only one field goal apiece over the stretch.
The Owls would be the team to break the offensive struggle, rolling off a 13-6 run over the last six minutes of the first half. A jumper by Kristen McCarthy right as the buzzer sounded would give Temple a seven point lead, 29-23, going into half.
The Bonnies struggled offensively in the first half, shooting only 31 percent. The 23 points scored by St. Bonaventure was its second lowest total in the first half all season.
The Brown and White came out of intermission re-energized, going on an 8-3 run after a Temple basket to start the second half. A pair of free throws by junior Andrea Doneth would make the score 34-31 Temple, with 16:15 remaining in the second half.
The teams would trade scores over their next two possessions as the Owls would continue to hold onto their three point lead. The Bonnies would then use a 6-0 spurt over their next three possessions to take the lead. Two scores by Horton and a layup by Priscilla Edwards would put St. Bonaventure out in front 41-40, with 11:47 left in the game.
The Owls would grab the lead right back from the Brown and White after back-to-back three-pointers by Eaddy and Shaqwedia Wallace put Temple up 46-42, with 8:56 left in the game.
The Owls would extend their lead up to six points, 52-46, after a jumper from Marli Bennett with just under five minutes left in the game. However, that would be the last offense Temple would be able to muster against St. Bonaventure the rest of the game. The Bonnies defense would clamp down and hold the Owls scoreless for the remaining 4:29 of the game.
The Brown and White would begin their comeback run with a jumper by Mitchell and a three-pointer by Murray to pull St. Bonaventure within one, at 52-51, with 2:59 left.
A fast break lay-in by Murray would give the Bonnies the lead, at 53-52. Temple would try to grab the lead back but a driving layup by Eaddy was blocked by Priscilla Edwards, going off Eaddy out of bounds giving St. Bonaventure the ball back.
Mitchell was then fouled on the next possession and calmly sank both her free throws to put the Brown and White up three with only 16 seconds left in regulation. The Owls had a chance to force overtime with a trifecta, but Eaddy's three-pointer clanked off the iron as time expired to give the Bonnies a huge win on Women's Basketball Coaches Association "Think Pink Day".
Temple was led by Kristen McCarthy who tallied 16 points on 6-of 17 from the field, and LaKeisha Eaddy who chipped in 12 points on 5-of-17 from the field.
The Brown and White will be back in action on Wednesday, January 28 as they travel to Pittsburgh, Pa. to take on Duquesne. The game will tip-off at 7 p.m. at the Palumbo Center.
