QUEENS, N.Y. – Down 10 points with eight minutes remaining Saturday afternoon, the St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team fought back and opened its season by claiming its first-ever road win over a nationally ranked opponent as it defeated No. 25 St. John’s, 64-58.
The win is just the second over a nationally ranked team in the program’s history. The other came Dec. 7, 2008 at home against No. 21/24 Michigan State.
Senior Megan Van Tatenhove led all scorers and rebounders with a 16-point, seven-carom performance, while classmates Jessica Jenkins and Armelia Horton each added 14 points for St. Bonaventure.
The Bonnies took care of that 10-point deficit with a single run, as the club went on an 11-0 stretch to take a 55-54 lead at the 3:41 mark following a Van Tatenhove layup.
The two teams then traded baskets over the next few minutes, and with 2:21 left the game remained tied at 57-57. From that point on, the Bonnies locked down on the Red Storm and closed the game on a 7-1 run for its first win over St. John’s and its seventh consecutive season-opening triumph.
St. John’s was paced by Eugenia McPherson who led a trio of scorers with 15 points. Shenneika Smith added 12 while Mary Nwachukwu contributed 10.
In the first half, St. Bonaventure turned the ball over nine times, but more importantly the Red Storm converted those nine giveaways into 16 points – nearly half of their entire point total in the opening frame.
In the second half, Bona’s turned the ball over just two times – and not once in the final 13:14 of the game. Conversely, St. John’s gave the ball away 10 times. The Bonnies turned those 10 giveaways into 16 points, and did not allow a single point off a turnover in the second half to the Red Storm.
Jenkins was saddled with foul trouble throughout as she had four fouls midway through the second half, limiting her minutes to just 19 on the day. However, the Atlantic 10’s leading returning 3-point shooter was efficient in her time on the floor, connecting on 4-of-6 3-point attempts.
St. John’s used an 11-0 run midway through the first half to open up its largest lead of the game, 29-16, at the 6:02 mark. However, despite the foul issues, the Bonnies were able to fight their way back behind Horton to trail by just five at the half, 34-29.
Horton kept the Bonnies in the game in the first half as the Harlem native finished the opening 20 minutes with a team-high 11 points. That’s a total she surpassed just three times in a game all of last season.
St. Bonaventure will have a quick turnaround as it heads to Canisius on Monday for a battle with Little Three rival Canisius. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. as the Griffs will open their season.
GAME NOTES: Sophomore Doris Ortega added seven points, while Alaina Walker chipped in with eight and Chelsea Bowker added three … St. John’s sported camo warmup tops in honor of Veterans Day on Nov. 11 … St. John’s defeated the Bonnies in the Reilly Center last year, 55-44, as the Red Storm were then ranked No. 22/24 in the nation … Preseason ALL-BIG EAST selection Da’Shena Stevens did not play in the contest as she recovers from an offseason knee injury … former Bona players Katelyn Murray (’08), Dana Mitchell (’10) and Cara Gustafson (’11) were among those of the 1,306 in attendance.
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