ST. BONAVENTURE (1-0) vs. MERCYHURST (1-2)
Wednesday, Nov. 11 – 4:30 p.m.
Reilly Center
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Bonnies Online Network

OPENING TIP
The St. Bonaventure women's basketball team welcomes Mercyhurst to the Reilly Center on Wednesday afternoon as the Bonnies continue a three-game homestand to begin the season. Wednesday's game will serve as the opener of a doubleheader with the Bonnies men's team. For Wednesday's doubleheader, all past and current military, police, fire or EMS receive free admission to the game to celebrate Veterans Day.

MATCHUP OF POSTSEASON SQUADS
Wednesday's game brings a strong early season non-conference matchup between two national postseason teams last March. Like the Bonnies, Mercyhurst qualified for the postseason WNIT after running through the NEC with a 14-4 conference record.

A DEBUT TO REMEMBER
Bonnies freshman Ella Trinkaus made her collegiate debut in fine fashion during last Wednesday's season-opening win over D'Youville with one of the best opens by a Bona freshman in program history.

Trinkaus poured in a game-high 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor in 27 minutes off the bench in the victory, marking the most points by a Bonnies freshman in a debut contest in over two decades.

In fact, it was the highest scoring output by any Bonnies player in a season-opener since current SBU Athletics Hall of Famer Jessica Jenkins recorded 22 points to begin the 2010 season with a win vs. Binghamton.

NEW HEIGHTS
Sophomore Elyse MacDonough started the 2026-27 season by establishing a new single-game high in scoring during Bona's win over D'Youville. The Vermont native tallied 15 points in the contest for her second career double-figure scoring effort. She previously had a career-high of 10 points late last season vs. George Washington.

She continues what was a strong finish to her freshman season: She averaged 6.4 points per game and shot 40 percent from distance (16-for-40) over the last 10 games of the '25-26 campaign.

STRENGTH IN OPENERS
SBU head coach Jim Crowley moved to 17-3 overall during his Bonnies career in home openers with Wednesday's victory. It also extended his winning streak to 15 straight seasons in home debuts.

MIGHTY MAC
Junior Mackenzie Pettinelli has been a staple in the Bonnies lineup over the past two seasons. She has appeared in all 64 games during her career including 62 starts. Entering this week, she has started 50 consecutive games for the Bonnies.

Among all returners on this year's roster, Pettinelli led the Bonnies last year in minutes (28.4 mpg), scoring (5.6 ppg), rebounds (2.9 rpg), assists (49) and steals (42).

SERIES HISTORY
St. Bonaventure leads, 12-1
The Bonnies and Lakers have met 13 times previously with SBU winning the last 11 matchups.

Last year, the two teams met for the first time since the 1985-86 season with the Bonnies holding on for a 60-57 victory in Erie. Bona led by as much as 10, 41-31, late in the third but could not pull away. Mercyhurst's Shannon Heine drilled a 3-ponter with 10 seconds to go to pull the Lakers within a bucket and had a chance to tie the game as the buzzer sounded but a three attempt went off the side of the rim to allow SBU to preserve the victory. Laycee Drake scored 19 points with 10 rebounds to lead all scorers while Elyse MacDonough and Brillana Boyd each chipped in nine points apiece.

The first matchup came in Bona's initial varsity season of 1972-73 when the Bonnies came away with a 48-29 win. Mercyhurst's only win in the series came the following year, 56-43.

MERCYHURST NOTES

• The Lakers were picked as the NEC preseason runner-up after returning five of last season's top six leading scorers on the team. Preseason First Team selection CiCi Hernandez headlines as the top returner for Mercyhurst after she averaged 13.7 ppg a season ago. Other key returners feature St. Bonaventure transfer Lena Walz, who spent her freshman year at Bona's, and Erica Hall. Hall and Walz currently lead the Lakers in scoring with Hall scoring 9.0 ppg and Walz pitching in 8.7 ppg.
• Sophomore guard Sofia Wilson is also back for the Lakers. She delivered a game-high 23 points on 8-of-20 shooting and 6-of-11 beyond the arc off the bench in last year's meeting between Bona's and Mercyhurst. It marks the career-high in scoring for last year's NEC Rookie of the Year.
• Mercyhurst posted a 15-17 record a season ago, including a 14-4 conference record. Mercyhurst also played in the WNIT, losing to Binghamton in the first round.
• The Lakers have played three games this season, losing to No. 17 Ohio State (91-57) and to Seton Hall (63-37) but picking up a victory against Penn St. Beaver (94-46).

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