By Aaron M Smith
ST. BONAVENTURE, NY – Final box scores can be deceiving and at times not tell the whole truth about a game. Case in point, this afternoon’s matinee at the Reilly Center featuring the St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team and the Canisius Golden Griffins.
Returning home for the first time in a month, the Bonnies used a decisive 29-7 run in the second half to pull away from the Griffs for a hard fought 66-44 victory.
The game started out promising for the Brown & White as they forced Canisius into a shot clock violation on the very first offensive possession of the game.
Senior guard Cece Dixon started the scoring with a three pointer from the wing. Doris Ortega followed with a drive to the basket, and Dixon would add another lay-up as Bona jumped out to a quick 7-1 lead.
But as quickly as the Bonnies started, their shooting touch left. Canisius countered with a run of its own, scoring the game’s next 13 points to take a 14- 7 lead. Seniors Ashley Wilkes and Ashley Durham each scored five points apiece during the run.
The Bonnies, held scoreless for over 6 minutes, quickly countered with a run of their own, scoring the game’s next ten points to take a 17-14 lead. During the run, Ortega hauled in a defensive rebound, began dribbling the length of the floor and hit a streaking Walker in stride with a perfect bounce pass. The Pomona, NY native would catch the ball in stride and race past everyone for the easy lay-up.
Canisius returned serve yet again scoring the last 8 points of the first half including an old-fashioned three point play by junior forward, Jen Lennox, and entered the locker room leading at the half, 22-19.
The second half began with both teams trading baskets. Ortega in an attempt to put the Brown and White on her shoulders, tallied eight of the Bonnies first ten points in the half. But for each basket scored by the Brown and White, Canisius would respond with a bucket of their own.
After a free throw by Wilkes, the Griffs would lead 37-33 with 11:57 to go in the game. Little did anyone in the Reilly Center would realize, the tide in the game would turn.
A jumper by Cece Dixon, cut the lead to 37-35.
A layup by Walker tied the game at 37.
Ortega underneath the basket would find Dixon on a skip pass for a wide open three pointer for a 40-37 lead.
“Her (Doris) game is at the rim and she has gotten much better at the face up, but her game is at the rim”, Crowley confirmed. “I thought the key that got us kinda going at the start of the second half was where she kept going to the rim, going at the rim. We couldn’t stop Wilkes but she was getting to the rim, getting free throws and getting some and ones. When she has that mentality she is hard to guard, but it helps everything else because she is such a good passer.”
The next time down the floor, freshman Emily Michael hit a trifecta of her own to extend the lead to 43-39.
Moments later, Dixon completed an old-fashioned three point play and the Bonnies never looked back.
Over the next four minutes the Brown and White would use a 11-2 run to take the lead and their 29-7 run over the last 12 minutes of the game put the game out of reach.
Ortega, Walker and Dixon finished with 15 points each for Bona.
Ashley Wilkes lead all scorers with 16 points in the game.
The Bonnies were 22 for 24 from the charity stripe during the game.
St. Bonaventure has now won 18 straight Big 4 match-ups. Bonas has not lost to a Big 4 school since 2006, when they fell to the University of Buffalo, 67-59.
The Bonnies host Kent State Tuesday night. Tip off is scheduled for 7 pm.
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