ST. BONAVENTURE vs. EDINBORO
Saturday, Nov. 4 – 5:00 p.m.
Reilly Center – St. Bonaventure, N.Y.
Exhibition Game
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STORYLINE
The St. Bonaventure women's basketball team will be in action at the Reilly Center for the first time as the Bonnies take on Edinboro in their annual exhibition game. Saturday will mark the only exhibition contest for Bona before the Brown and White opens the regular season next week.
TICKET DETAILS
All tickets for Saturday are $7 and include entry into the men's basketball exhibition vs. Alfred immediately following the women's game. For details or to order tickets, call the SBU Ticket Office at (716) 375-2500.
FAMILIAR FACES
The second year of the head coach Jesse Fleming Era begins with the return of five players who saw time a season ago when the Bonnies finished 9-20 overall. Any talk about the Bonnies roster begins with senior Mariah Ruff, who was named to Atlantic 10 preseason All-Conference teams after averaging 13.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game a season ago. Ruff enters her senior season with 935 career points and has handed out over 100 assists in each of the past two years.
Junior Mckenna Maycock turned in a breakout sophomore campaign and was one of the league's most improved players in 2016-17. She averaged 7.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game last year after averaging under 2.0 ppg as a freshman. Sophomore Jalisha Terry returns as well after being one of the Atlantic 10's top freshmen last year. Terry served as the team's starting point guard nearly all of last season, recording 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while also earning A-10 Rookie of the Week accolades twice.
Also back are sophomores Rhianna Council and Danielle Migliore, who each saw frequent reserve action during their first collegiate seasons and have earned much praise from the coaching staff for their off-season work. Redshirt sophomore Keely Fresh is expected to be cleared to return to action later during the non-conference campaign after sitting out all of last season due to injury.
NEW FACES
With the returners there is also an influx of new talent this season. Coach Fleming and his staff brought in two junior college transfers with the intention of helping the squad "get older quicker." Both Arielle Harvey and Bree Paulson were stars on the junior college scene the past two years – Harvey at Daytona State and Paulson at Western Nebraska CC. Harvey averaged over 16 points and five rebounds per game while taking first team all-conference honors last year and Paulson started 51 of 60 games the past two seasons at Western Nebraska while shooting 39 percent from long range.
Two freshmen also are expected to make big impacts as well – 6'2'' forward Abigail Johnson could be an impact player on the boards after leading the FIBA U20 European Championship in rebounding this summer after representing her home nation of Great Britain in Israel. Forward Emily Calabrese has also impressed in preseason workouts after posting 27 double-doubles during her senior season of high school in New Jersey. A fifth newcomer, Dajah Logan, is making an impact in practices, but will sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules after joining the program from the College of Charleston where she was a starter for the Cougars.
ABOUT EDINBORO
Long a power in the Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) under legendary head coach Stan Swank, the Fighting Scots appear primed for success again after logging seven consecutive 20-win seasons. During his 31-year tenure, Swank's Fighting Scot teams have scored 554 wins including 166 over the past seven years.
Edinboro returns three starters from a team that finished last year 21-9 overall – senior post player Ciara Rosten, a UMass transfer who played in 28 games for the Minutewomen in 2014-15, averaged 11.9 points and 6.4 rebounds last year and accounted for 51 blocks with Edinboro. Whitney Allen also gives the Fighting Scots a 6'1'' frame, playing in 30 games two years ago but losing all but one game due to injury last year. Junior guard Michelle Jahn was the 2016 PSAC West Freshman of the Year (10.0 ppg) and sophomore guard Michaela Barnes took that honor last year after averaging 8.0 ppg.
The Fighting Scots were ranked eighth in the preseason Division II Sports Information Directors of America Atlantic Region poll earlier this week.
SERIES HISTORY
The Bonnies and Fighting Scots will kick off the season in The RC for the eighth straight year in what has often been an entertaining series. Bona is undefeated vs. Edinboro, but has been tested in previous seasons. In 2014, the Bonnies registered a 61-51 victory while in 2012, Bona scored in the waning seconds for a 63-62 win to begin the season after both programs reached the Sweet Sixteen of their respective divisions. Last year, Edinboro held a six-point lead with 6:57 remaining in the third quarter but St. Bonaventure would finish the game on a 36-6 run to win 50-25. Mariah Ruff had a game-high 16 points, adding eight rebounds, while Mckenna Maycock and Rhianna Council each had six points for the Bonnies. Michaela Barnes had eight points for the Fighting Scots, most of any returning Boro player from that game.
NEXT UP
The regular season kicks off inside the Reilly Center on Friday, Nov. 10 when the Bonnies play host to Little Three rival Niagara at 5:30 p.m. That game will be played as part of a doubleheader with the men's team, also vs. Niagara.
Season tickets for the 2016-17 season are just $45 for adults and $25 for children 12 and under. Individual game tickets are now on sale as well. For information, call 716-375-2500 or visit GoBonnies.com/Tickets.
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