BUFFALO – Dani Haskell poured in a career-high 29 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, to help the St. Bonaventure University women's basketball team erase a 12-point first-half deficit for a 66-63 win over Canisius Tuesday night at the Koessler Athletic Center.
Haskell finished the night 10-for-15 from the field and 4-for-7 from three-point range. Isabellah Middleton also finished in double figures with 14 points to go along with four rebounds and four steals.
Trailing by 12 at halftime, the Bonnies were able to flip the script in the second half.
The Bonnies (2-2) outscored the Golden Griffins 25-14 in the third quarter while also grabbing their first lead since the first quarter following a steal from Middleton and score from Nadechka Laccen with 1:28 on the clock in the period.
Bona's battled back at the free throw line, hitting on 12-of-16 chances in the quarter.
The momentum carried into the fourth for the visitors, opening the final period with a 7-0 spurt capped off by a Zoe Shaw three to take a 56-50 lead.
Canisius (1-3) would not go away easy, using a 6-0 run of its own to tie the game back up at 56-56 with 6:05 to play.
The Bonnies were holding onto a 66-61 lead with under two minutes to play.
Canisius brought the game within two after a layup with 1:29 showing on the clock, but that is as close as the Bonnies would let the game get.
The Golden Griffins had an attempt to tie the game with a three as time expired, but the shot rolled out as the Bonnies claimed the rivalry win.
The two teams traded baskets to start Tuesday's matchup as Mackenzie Pettinelli's 3-pointer tied the game at 9-9 at the first media timeout.
Canisius, however, ended the first period on a 10-3 run to take a five-point, 22-17 edge.
The Golden Griffin defense clamped down in the second quarter, holding the Bonnies to just 3-for-14 shooting from field in the period.
A 12-2 run from the hosts extended their lead to double digits at halftime, 36-24, before the Bonnies would roar back.
GAME NOTES
- Dani Haskell's 29 points were the most by a Bonnies player since Mariah Ruff's 30 points against George Mason Feb. 27, 2018.
- The Bonnies finished the night shooting 40.4 percent (21-for-52) from the field and shot 35.0 percent (7-for-20) from beyond the arc. The Bonnies also shot 77.3 percent (17-for22) from the free throw line.
- Bona's forced 19 Canisius turnovers, scoring nine points of Golden Griffin errors.
- With Tuesday's win, the Bonnies broke a tie in the all-time series, taking a 30-29 lead over the Golden Griffins.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH JIM CROWLEY
"Really proud of our group. Credit to Canisius, they were very good in the first half and we were not. We were not defending with the intensity we needed so we could not get any pace going off stops."
"To our credit, they came out with energy in the second half. Canisius kept making plays and every time we would get a little bit of a lead, they would make play or two. We kept hanging around and did a good job of keeping the ball where we needed to."
UP NEXT
The Bonnies return home for the first time since the season opener to host Colgate Saturday, Nov. 23. Tip is slated for 1:00 p.m. at the Reilly Center.
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