No. 9 ST. BONAVENTURE (16-14, 7-11 A-10) vs. No. 8 LOYOLA CHICAGO (13-16, 9-9 A-10)
Thursday, March 5 – 11:00 a.m.
Henrico, Va. – Henrico Sports & Events Center
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Bonnies Online Network

The St. Bonaventure University women's basketball team is set to battle Loyola Chicago for a third time this season in the second round of the 2026 Atlantic 10 Tournament Thursday, March 5. Tipoff is set for 11:00 a.m. at the Henrico Sports & Events Center in Henrico, Va.

LAST TIME OUT
The Bonnies snapped a two-game losing skid, scoring a 77-69 win over Fordham last Saturday afternoon at the Reilly Center on Senior Day.

The graduate duo of Laycee Drake and Aaliyah Parker combined for 49 points in the win. Drake finished with a game-high 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and three assists. Parker poured in 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting while pulling down seven boards and dishing out three assists. The duo combined to shoot a perfect 17-fo-17 from the free throw line.

Mackenzie Pettinelli had a career day for the Bonnies, setting a new career-high with 18 points on an efficient 6-for-8 shooting, including a trio of 3-pointers.

SETTING THE STAGE
The Bonnies earned the No. 9 seed in the 2026 Atlantic 10 Tournament after finished the season 16-14 overall and 7-11 in Atlantic 10 play. Loyola Chicago captured the No. 8 seed with a 13-16 overall record and a 9-9 mark in A-10 play.

The winner of Thursday's game moves on to take on top-seeded Rhode Island in the quarterfinals Friday morning at 11:00 a.m. on USA Network.

60 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
Bona's is 12-3 this season when allowing 60 or less points, giving up 61.3 points per game. Rhode Island touts the best scoring defense in the A-10, allowing just 53.8 points per contest.

DEFENDING THE THREE
The Brown and White currently sit third in the Atlantic 10 and 69^th in the NCAA, holding opponents to a 28.6 shooting percentage from beyond the arc this season.

The Bonnies have held opponents to five or fewer 3-pointers made 14 times this season, including a season-low one made three in the season opener against Mansfield Nov. 3.

DRAKE TURNING HEADS
Bonnies graduate Laycee is one of the most improved players in the country this season. In 28 games last season at UAlbany, Drake averaged 3.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists across 8.4 minutes per game. She finished the year with nine steals and shot 37.9 percent from the field.

This season, Drake leads the Bonnies in scoring, rebounds and assists. She is averaging 15.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Drake has registered 52 steals and is shooting 44.2 percent from the field while making a career-high 34 3-pointers.

Drake currently ranks second in the Atlantic 10 in field goals (179), fifth in field goal percentage (44.2), sixth in scoring (15.3) and 11^th in rebounding (6.1).

PARKER'S PROWESS
Aaliyah Parker surpassed 1,500 career points and 700 rebounds this season, making her one of just 27 active players nationally to achieve those numbers. Her 328 career steals stand sixth among all active players while her 2.80 steals per game are behind only Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame, Ny'Ceara Pryor of Texas A&M and Taylee Chirrick of Montana State.

This season she ranks fifth in the Atlantic 10 in steals (60), fifth in steals per game (2.1) and is 10^th in free throw percentage (77.9 percent).

MAC ATTACK
Mackenzie Pettinelli has been a staple in the Bonnies lineup since joining the program as a freshman last season. She has appeared in all 60 games during her career and has made 58 starts for head coach Jim Crowley.

She is averaging 5.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists across 28.2 minutes per game while shooting 42.3 percent from the floor and 37.1 percent from beyond the arc.

LOYOLA CHICAGO NOTES

·       Loyola Chicago enters the Atlantic 10 Tournament on a two-game losing streak, falling to Dayton and La Salle to end the regular season. Like the Bonnies, the Ramblers outplayed their preseason projection after being picked 13^th in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll.

·       Alexus Mobley and Alex-Anne Bessette are both averaging 11.2 points per game to lead the way offensively for the Ramblers. Alexa Kinas also averages double figures for Loyola Chicago, chipping in 10.2 points per game. On the glass, Brooklyn Vaughn is pulling down a team-high 5.4 rebounds per game.

·       Allison Guth is in her fourth season as the head coach of the Ramblers, carrying a 47-73 record in Chicago. Guth has 10 years of experience as a head coach with a career record of 146-147.

SERIES HISTORY
The Bonnies and Ramblers are set to meet for the seventh time since Loyola joined the Atlantic 10 and will be the first postseason meeting between the two schools. Loyola Chicago holds a 4-2 edge in the all-time series, winning both games this season against the Bonnies.

Bonnies head coach Jim Crowley is 1-4 all-time against Loyola Chicago.

UP NEXT
The winner of Thursday's game moves on to take on top-seeded Rhode Island in the quarterfinals Friday morning at 11:00 a.m. on USA Network.

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