By: Dylan Nuzzo, Assistant Sports Information Director
ST. BONAVENTURE (3-1, 0-0 ATLANTIC 10) at BINGHAMTON (2-1, 0-0 AMERICA EAST)
Saturday, Nov. 20 – 2:00 p.m.
Vestal, N.Y. – Dr. Bai Lee Court at Events Center
TV: ESPN3
The St. Bonaventure University women's basketball team travels east on I-86 to take on Binghamton Saturday, Nov. 20. Tip is slated for 2:00 p.m.
OPENING TIP
· The Bonnies are coming off a 67-58 victory over Little Three rival Canisius Wednesday. Four players scored in double figures for the Bonnies, led by Asianae Johnson's 16 points. Tori Harris chipped in 14, I'yanna Lops added 12 and Maddie Dziezgowski registered a career-high 10.
· Johnson's first basket of the contest was a monumental one as she registered her 1,000th career point. She became the 23rd Bonaventure women's basketball player to eclipse the 1,000-point milestone and passed Beth Gromlowicz, '92 for 22nd on the Bonnies all-time scoring list.
· Bona's 3-1 record to begin the year is its best start since the 2013-14 season when that Bonnies team started 6-1 and eventually clinched a berth in the WNIT.
SERIES HISTORY
· The Bonnies and the Bearcats are slated to meet for the 12th time Saturday afternoon. The Brown and White holds a 10-1 series advantage over Binghamton. The Bearcats' lone series win came at Binghamton, 78-67, during the 2019-20 season.
· SBU had won the prior nine matchups and bounced backed last season with a 67-57 victory at the Reilly Center.
· Bona's is 21-8 all-time against America East opponents.
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
· Binghamton enters Saturday's contest with an overall record of 2-1 to begin the new campaign. The Bearcats started the year 2-0 with wins over Siena (59-55) and Canisius (73-56), but fell to Cornell, 67-57, Wednesday. The Bearcats open the 2021-22 season with five consecutive home games. Following Saturday's matchup with the Bonnies, Binghamton will host Mansfield Nov. 23 to close out its homestand.
· Bethann Shapiro Ord is in her fourth season at the helm of the Binghamton women's basketball program and touts a 41-39 record over her three-plus seasons. Binghamton was picked to finish sixth in this year's America East preseason poll while Denai Bowman was selected to the preseason All-Conference Team.
· Leading the offense through three games is Clare Traeger who averages 14.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game for the Bearcats. Also averaging double figures for Binghamton are Bowman (13.7 ppg) and Genevieve Coleman (10.0 ppg). Bowman is handing out a team-best 4.0 assists per contest.
60 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
· The Bonnies have held all four opponents this season to under 60 points, the first time a Bonnies team has done so in four straight games to begin a year since the 2012-13 season.
· The defensive effort has been there this season for the Brown and White as they rank third in the Atlantic 10 in scoring defense, allowing just 53.0 points per game. The only two teams allowing less points per game are Rhode Island (44.2 ppg) and VCU (45.5 ppg). The Bonnies also rank third in the Atlantic 10 in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to just 31.8 percent shooting from the floor.
· Another area of improvement so far this season for the Bonnies is the interior defense. The Bonnies currently sit third in the A-10 with 16 blocks, just behind Rhode Island's 19 and Richmond's 28.
TRENDING NUMBERS
6 – The Bonnies made a season-high six 3-pointers against Canisius after making just seven in their previous six games combined.
7 – I'yanna Lops is third in the Atlantic 10 with seven blocks and is fourth in blocks per game (1.8).
20.6% – Through the first four games of the season, the Bonnies are allowing opponents to shoot just 20.6 percent (20-for-97) from beyond the arc.
39.8 – Bona's averages 39.8 rebounds per game and are currently +1.3 in rebounding margin on the season. The Brown and White have grabbed 35 or more rebounds in three out of four games this season.
85 – It took senior Asianae Johnson just 85 games to reach 1,000 points for her career. She also reached the milestone by only making one 3-pointer throughout her first 85 games.
UP NEXT
· The Bonnies remain on the road to take on Little Three rival Niagara Tuesday, Nov. 23. Tip is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
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For the latest news on St. Bonaventure athletics, stay connected on social media. Follow the Bonnies on Twitter @GoBonnies and get women's basketball updates @BonniesWBB. Keep up with the Bonnies on Facebook /GoBonnies and on Instagram @GoBonnies.
