Box Score (PDF)

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The combination of Mckenna Maycock and Mariah Ruff partnered for 45 points, helping St. Bonaventure erase a 12-point deficit on the way to a thrilling 65-62 win over Penn State Saturday night at the Reilly Center.

The Bonnies even their record at 5-5 overall while Penn State drops to 8-3 on the season.

Maycock matched her career high with a game-high 23 points, adding eight rebounds while Ruff netted 22 points on the night. 

Penn State started the game living up to the reputation of being a Big Ten squad that won 21 games and reached the third round of the WNIT a season ago, shooting 45 percent during the first half on the way to a 40-28 lead at the break.

Like they have much of the early season, though, the Bonnies controlled the third quarter.

St. Bonaventure changed the game by launching a 17-3 run to open the third, making the Penn State lead a thing of the past. The rally brought the RC crowd to life and the Bonnies made the comeback complete on a Ruff 3-pointer from NBA range for Bona's first lead of the night, 45-43, with 3:41 left in the third.

Penn State's Amari Carter followed with a trey of her own, though, to re-take the lead and the Lady Lions went to the fourth ahead, 52-49.

A fastbreak bucket by Ruff and one of two at the line by Maycock tied the game again, 52-52, with 8:09 to go and the teams stayed within two points of each other for nearly the next six minutes.

Ruff and Maycock also combined on one of the biggest buckets of the game.

After a beautiful ball fake and drive of the lane by Arielle Harvey tied the game at 56-56, Ruff found Maycock on a cross court pass to allow the junior guard to sink a corner trey for a 59-56 Bonnies lead with 2:27 remaining.

Back-to-back buckets from Jaylen Williams and All-American Teniya Page put the Lions back up, but it was short-lived. An offensive rebound from Maycock allowed Harvey to beat two defenders underneath for a layup and a 61-60 lead.

A defensive stop on the other end and an outstanding defensive rebound by Abigail Johnson forced Penn State to foul with under 30 seconds remaining. At the charity stripe, Jalisha Terry hit two clutch free throws for a 63-60 advantage and 25 seconds to play.

A Bonnies foul allowed Penn State three chances at the line for the tie, but Carter was only able to convert on two to pull within a point with 17 seconds to go.

Maycock calmly sank two free throws on the other end for a three-point lead, and Penn State made Bonnies fans hold their breath as the Lions missed three tries for a tie as the seconds ticked away. Carter's final try went off the rim, allowing the Bonnies to come away with victory.

Ruff filled the stats sheet with eight rebounds and seven assists in addition to her 22 points.

"Mariah probably played her best game since I've been coaching her," St. Bonaventure head coach Jesse Fleming said. "Mckenna had a great game obviously. I thought Rhianna Council was a difference maker. She came in with her energy. She just had a real nose for the ball tonight and made some plays."

Several performances shined beyond the box score. Council went 4-of-5 from the floor with career highs in points (nine) and minutes (29). Harvey finished with seven points and Johnson pulled down six rebounds.

"I just think we've gotten better over the last week," Fleming said. "We were practicing better and I even thought we were playing well in the first half. I'm just really happy with how hard we played and it's good to get some payoff from the hard work the girls have been putting in."

Page finished with 18 points to lead Penn State while Carter registered 12.

For the game, the Bonnies limited Penn State to 33.8 percent shooting and just 7-for-32 during the second half including 1-for-13 from distance. St. Bonaventure shot at a 43 percent clip for the game.

St. Bonaventure will now break for finals, next taking the floor vs. Buffalo at home Friday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m.

GAME NOTES: St. Bonaventure has won three straight games over Penn State dating to the 2014-15 season … Johnson played in her first game with the Bonnies after missing the first nine games due to injury, playing 18 minutes off the bench … Maycock matched her career high, equaling her effort in a win over UMBC on Nov. 25. It was her fourth career 20-point game, all coming this season … Terry matched her career best with three steals … St. Bonaventure has outscored opponents by 58 points combined during the third quarter at home … Saturday marked the ninth win for the Bonnies over a power conference team since 2011-12 and their first since defeating Oklahoma State in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament ... the Bonnies wore yellow shoelaces to support Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer, supporting the Go4theGoal Foundation in its quest to end pediatric cancer. For more information on Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer or to make a donation, visit the Bonnies Go4theGoal Foundation page.

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