By Kyle Soppe
Outstanding performances very rarely begin with four consecutive turnovers and no shot attempts during the games first two minutes. But that is precisely what the St. Bonaventure women did en route to an impressive 76-45 home victory over the UB Bulls.
After the ugly start, Megan Van Tatenhove (12.6 points per game) provided the leadership that the Bonnies were in search of. Her aggression got her to the rim, and her finesse allowed her to continuously finish the scoring opportunities. After posting up and gaining superior position, she shot over the top of the helpless UB defender to finally get SBU on the board. A Bull turnover resulted in a transition opportunity, and Van Tatenhove was once again the beneficiary. She caught a pass from guard Alaina Walker and took it strong to the rim. She finished amidst contact, earning herself an old fashioned three point play. Another UB turnover, and everybody in the Reilly Center knew where the ball was going: but could anybody do anything about it?
The simple answer … No. Van Tatenhove drove to the middle of the lane with a defender riding her hip, anticipating another strong take to the rack. Instead, the savvy senior stopped on a dime, and sunk a jump shot from the middle of the lane. The solo spurt put Bonaventure ahead 7-6, and was a sign of things to come. After an Ephesia Holmes layup, Chelsea Bowker rained in a three ball, giving SBU a 10-8 advantage, and providing the games final lead change. Only minutes later, Van Tatenhove powered up for yet another lay in, advancing her to 10th all time on the Bonnies career scoring list. The lone downside from Saturday’s matinee was an apparent head injury to Van Tatenhove in the first half. She left the game and her status moving forward is yet to be determined.
The home team displayed great defensive fundamentals, leading to there dominance. Boxing out, communication, and hustle are actions that won’t show up in any box score, but there importance cannot be overstated. The Bulls here held to an astounding 24.1% shooting in the first half (7/29), and came up empty in their eight attempts from three. Head Coach Jim Crowley stated that it was Alaina Walker that was “stirring our drink” on the defensive side. While defense is a team responsibility, Walker was assigned Brittney Henderson, who poured in 31 points against Canisus on Wednesday night. While Henderson recorded her 1,000th point in the first half, she was held in check by the relentless pressure. It was clear the all of the Bonnies fed off of her tenacity, propelling them to never look back.
As the Bonaventure lead continued to expand, it felt as if it was only a matter of time until Jessica Jenkins (SBU’s leading scorer) got involved. The streaky sharp shooter caught fire during an incredible three minute stretch in which she completely dominated. An established threat from downtown, Jenkins was set up by CeCe Dixon for an open trey. There is something to be said for a hot shooter seeing the net move, and that was just what Jenkins needed. The following exchange was unlike anything I’ve seen this year in A-10 hoops. The senior guard recovered a loose ball, took a handful of dribbles, surveying the open court. She seemed to glide to the right wing, with a defender looking to cut off her angle at the bucket. This appeared to be an insult to Jenkins, whose eyes focused on the three point line. She took a final dribble and rose up from just outside the arc. Nothing but the bottom of the net.
For good measure, Jenkins split a double team and lofted a soft floater over a third awe struck defender, to send her Bonnies into the locker room with a 40-18 advantage. St. Bonaventure shot 46.9% from the field (15/32) and made five deep balls, giving them a +15 advantage from the three point line.
Poised to start the second half in much different fashion than the first 20 minutes, the Bonnies came out firing. Chelsea Bowker, starting the second period in place of the injured Tatenhove, nailed two three pointers en route to a career high 11 points. The lead swelled to 51-22, enabling SBU to play some reserves who otherwise would not get such extended minutes. “A game with such a large difference allows us to play some new players. And I thought they came in and played well” stated Coach Crowley. The games high scorer, Jenkins, also was encouraged, not surprised, but the play of the SBU reserves: “When we scrimmage in practice, starters vs non starters, it’s always a battle. Everybody played well tonight”.
The defensive efforts of SBU would go unrecognized if not for strong play from the Bonnies bigs. They out rebounded Buffalo (45 to 36) behind a career high 10 boards from Doris Ortega. Walker, Armelia Horton, and Ashley Zahn all added five rebounds, further proving that this squad has bought into the team concept of defense. St. Bonaventure ranks second in the A-10 in points allowed, a big reason for their early season success.
With the win, St. Bonaventure remains the class of the A-10 with an 8-1 mark. The Bonnies will get to rest for the next six days, before hosting Niagara on December 16.
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