NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. – Laycee Drake scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the St. Bonaventure University women's basketball team to a 74-56 win over Little Three rival Niagara on the road Friday evening.

Mallory Heise chipped in a career-high 14 points and finished a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Aaliyah Parker also finished in double figures for the Brown and White with 10 points to go along with five rebounds.

Niagara jumped out to an early lead Friday, but the Bonnies were able to answer with an 8-0 spurt to take their first lead of the night, 8-2.

Bona's controlled the pace in the first quarter, building an 18-9 lead after one.

Niagara, however, retook the lead, 19-18, with a 10-0 run to begin the second.

The Brown and White were able to end the drought, scoring 15 unanswered points capped off by a Kylie Buckley free throw to take a 33-19 lead.

The Bonnies limited Niagara the rest of the first half, taking a 33-23 lead into halftime.

Bona's took complete control of the contest in the third, outscoring the Purple Eagles 19-6 in the period and growing the lead to as many as 25 points.

Brillana Boyd and Gabby Robinson got the third starts with a made shot each before the Bonnies used a 9-0 run to take a 48-25 lead.

Freshmen Heise and Ivona Djikanovic combined for five points at the end of the quarter, pushing the Bonnies ahead 52-29.

Niagara looked to cut into the deficit with a 7-0 run midway through the fourth, but it was not enough as the Bonnies held on for the Little Three victory.

GAME NOTES

• The Bonnies finished the night shooting 22-for-55 (42.3 percent) from the floor and held Niagara to 21-for-57 (36.8 percent) from the field.
• Bona's outrebounded the Purple Eagles, 42-30.
• The Brown and White were efficient from the free throw line, shooting 24-for-31 (77.4 percent) from the line.

QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH JIM CROWLEY
"Really proud of this group. This is a tough environment to play in. They play hard and make you earn everything. I thought our kids did a really good job with that. I particularly liked our response midway through the second quarter. We lost some of our discipline and instead of panicking, we rallied back to what we do and were able to build it back up before halftime."

UP NEXT
The Bonnies remain on the road to take on Binghamton Tuesday, Nov. 11. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 p.m.

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