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ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure (8-1) closed the first half on a 16-0 run in just over two minutes and never looked back en route to a historic 76-45 win over the University at Buffalo (3-7) Saturday afternoon from the Reilly Center.
Senior Jessica Jenkins scored 13 of her game-high 19 points in the first half, junior Chelsea Bowker tallied 11 and sophomore CeCe Dixon also netted 11. For the 14th time in her career, Jenkins hit exactly five 3-pointers in a game, finishing 5-of-9 from behind the arc.
The 31-point win is the largest margin of victory in series history, which spans 23 games. The previous record was 24 in a 71-47 Bonaventure win on Dec. 6,1983. The win is the largest for the Bonnies since they secured a 34-point triumph over Canisius last year.
After not scoring for more than five minutes and having the Bulls trim their deficit to just six, 24-18, the Bonnies responded with a burst in the final 2:16 of the first half, fueled by consecutive 3-pointers from Jenkins, Dixon and Jenkins once again to take a 40-18 halftime lead. The 40 points are the most by the Bonnies in the first half of a game this year, and marks the third straight game the club has held an opponent below 20 points in the opening stanza.
Following two baskets by the Bulls to open the second-half scoring, Bona rattled off 14 straight to create what was then its largest lead of the afternoon at 54-22. Bowker keyed the run with two 3-pointers, interjected among six points from classmate Alaina Walker.
Walker locked down on UB's leading scorer, Brittany Hedderson, holding her to just nine points, nine below her average. Hedderson was coming off a 31-point performance against Canisius on Wednesday. Walker scored all nine of her points in the second half, finishing with five rebounds, a team-high three assists and two steals.
Not a single UB player got into double-figure scoring as it shot just 26 percent (13-50) from the floor. The Bulls are the third consecutive opponent the Bonnies have held below 30-percent shooting as they have allowed just 124 points over the last three contests.
Sophomore Doris Ortega grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds as part of a 45-36 rebounding edge for the Bonnies. Senior Jennie Ashton came off the bench and tallied a career-high six points while grabbing six rebounds on her birthday in a season-high-tying 18 minutes.
The Bonnies were able to beat the Bulls for the fourth straight time without the complete services of senior Megan Van Tatenhove. The club's second-leading scorer at 12.6 per game hit her head on the floor while diving for a loose ball in the first half and did not return, playing 10 minutes and scoring nine points.
After falling behind early, 6-2, the Bonnies went on an extended 20-6 run to open up a double-digit advantage, 22-12, following an Armelia Horton traditional three-point play.
St. Bonaventure will have a week off for final exams before it next takes to the court on Friday, Dec. 16, against Little Three rival Niagara as it looks to sweep the Big Four clubs.
GAME NOTES: For the third time this year, all 11 Bonnies played, including a career-high 17 minutes of action for sophomore Ashley Zahn, who contributed a season-high five points … the Bulls had just four assists and 18 turnovers … the game was the first of a doubleheader as the men's team played host to Little Three rival Canisius … Jenkins has hit 13 3's the last three games after knocking down just three the three games before that … after turning the ball over on its first four possessions of the game, the Bonnies finished with just 12 on the day.
