MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Senior Jessica Jenkins scored the 1,000 point of her career, and in the process led the St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team (3-0) to a 56-48 road win over West Virginia (1-1) Friday evening.
Jenkins poured in a game-high 23 points behind five 3-pointers to become the 19th member of SBU’s 1,000 Point Club. After WVU took a 33-32 lead at the 12:53 mark, the Bonnies went on a 17-3 extended run to open up their biggest lead of the night at 49-36. Jenkins scored 11 of those points, hitting her 1,000 career point on a 3 from the left wing at the 10:36 mark.
After the Mountaineers knocked down a 3-pointer to open the game’s scoring, their only other lead of the night came at 33-32. Bonaventure converted 19-of-21 free throws to seal the win, including a perfect 10-for-10 showing from redshirt senior Armelia Horton.
The loss is just the fourth in WVU head coach Mike Carey’s career at home against non-conference teams. Carey was previously 61-3 at home in such contests.
Horton finished with 12 points, and senior Megan Van Tatenhove scored 11 as 52 of the team’s 56 points came from the starting five. Doris Ortega pulled down a career-high eight rebounds against WVU’s much taller front line, but the Mountaineers out-rebounded the Brown and White on the night, 46-37.
The Bona defense – which in last year’s meeting allowed WVU to score 47 second-half points – held the Mountaineers to just 28.1-percent shooting (16-57) on the evening.
Jessica Harlee recorded a double-double off the bench with 12 points and 12 rebounds for WVU, while Brooke Hampton contributed 13 points.
St. Bonaventure jumped out to a 10-3 lead at the 13:54 mark following a CeCe Dixon steal and layup. The Bonnies then stretched to their largest lead of the first half, 20-12, at the 4:30 mark on a Ortega jumper before settling for a 26-23 halftime lead.
Horton and Jenkins kept Bona in the game in the first half as they teamed up to account for 77 percent of the offense, tallying 20 of Bonaventure’s 26 points and doing it in their typical fashion. Horton converted 8-of-8 free throw attempts in the opening frame after being fouled while driving, and Jenkins knocked down two 3’s and pulled up off the dribble-drive from the elbow for her other two buckets.
The win is the second over a BIG EAST team in six days, as the Bonnies defeated then-No. 25 St. John’s on the road last Saturday. It is the first time in program history that Bonaventure has defeated two BIG EAST schools in the same season.
The Bonnies – for the second week in a row – will have just one day off in-between games as they return to the court in their home opener against Morgan State on Sunday. Tipoff from the Reilly Center is set for 1 p.m. as Bona looks to avenge last season’s loss to the Lady Bears.
GAME NOTES: Ortega scored four, while Dixon talled two for the six Bona bench points … sophomore Alaina Walker defended Taylor Palmer most of the night, holding her to just three points after she scored 33 in WVU’s season opener … Jenkins hit all five of Bonaventure’s 3-pointers … the Bonnies committed fewer turnovers, 16-13, than WVU, making it three straight games to start the year they have done that.
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