PHILADELPHIA – The St. Bonaventure University women's basketball team overcame a slow start to defeat La Salle, 48-41, Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia.
Dani Haskell paced the Bonnies with 19 points and six rebounds while Caitlin Frost posted her third double-double of the season with 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.
Haskell scored 17 of her 19 points in the second half in which the Bonnies (6-21, 2-14 A-10) outscored the Explorers (8-21, 2-14 A-10), 37-26, en route to the comeback win.
The Bonnies trailed by as many as nine with 5:37 on the clock in the third before flipping the script Saturday.
Bona's closed the gap with an 8-2 run to end the third, pulling within one, 29-28, with scores from Frost and Haskell.
La Salle pushed its lead back to four early in the fourth, 34-30.
With 6:21 left in the game, Gabby Robinson Forde's jumper from the baseline sparked an 11-0 run to propel the Bonnies into the lead, 41-34.
Jolena Armendariz pulled the hosts within five with 1:26 to play, but it was too late as the Explorers were forced to foul.
Hannah Richardson and Haskell made free throws down the stretch for the Bonnies, earning the road win.
Pettinelli and Frost combined for all nine points and five steals in the first period, giving the Bonnies a five-point lead after one.
La Salle, however, opened the second quarter with a 9-0 spurt, taking a 13-9 lead and forcing a St. Bonaventure timeout with 4:18 on the clock.
Neither team could take any momentum as the Explorers led by four at the break, 15-11.
Ty'renisha Bowers tallied 14 points to lead the Explorers.
GAME NOTES
·      The Bonnies finished the game shooting 29.4 percent (15-for-51) from the field while La Salle shot 31.6 percent (18-for-57) from the floor.
·      Bona's won the battle on the boards, outrebounding the Explorers, 42-37.
·      The Brown and White swiped 13 steals from the La Salle Saturday, marking a new season-high. Mackenzie Pettinelli led the Bonnies with four steals while Frost and Robinson Forde added three each.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH JIM CROWLEY
"I am proud of the way our group was able to stick with it. We had a very rough second quarter, but we kept defending and were able to get some better tempo. Just really proud of how hard they played together and how we stayed consistent with our defense."
"We've really been working on being aware of the ball and what can we do off the ball to create some extra opportunities. Early in the game, we were getting opportunities but weren't able to finish them off. Later in the game, we were able to take advantage of those and get some separation."
UP NEXT
The Bonnies remain on the road to take on Duquesne Wednesday, Feb. 26. Tipoff is slated for 11:00 a.m. at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.
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