St. Bonaventurevs. SouthFlorida / Breaking down the WNIT quarterfinal
Game analysis: South Florida shot 50 percent from the field with five players in double figures despite Bona playing good defense at times. The Bonnies simply couldn’t keep up the scoring pace against a deep, talented, fast, and big South Florida lineup. The Bulls also controlled the boards for second-chance points.
How the Bonnies lost: They were very much in the game when Dana Mitchell hit a traditional three-point play with about 5:30 left but the Bonnies ran out of gas. They missed shots and turned the ball over and couldn’t get over the five-to-seven point hump. Free throws over the final 1:30 of the game turned a seven-point loss into a double-figure deficit.
Turning point: Jazmine Sepulveda hit a fast-break jumper off a Bona turnover to give the Bulls a 71-62 lead with 3:58 to play. That finally broke the Bonnies’ back.
Player of the Game: Jessica Lawson scored 14 points with 14 rebounds for the Bulls while Shantia Grace was 13 of 13 from the line and finished with 20 points.
Player of the Game II: Bona freshman Megan Van Tatenhove had 12 points in 24 minutes off the bench. She is one of the reasons why expectations will be high again for St. Bonaventure next year.
Stat of the Game: 4,133 fans were at the Reilly Center—the largest crowd for a women’s basketball game in Big 4 history. While South Florida, a member of the Big East, plays in some big arenas in front of big crowds, coach Jose Fernandez was impressed with this atmosphere. “This is as tough an environment as I’ve seen,“ he said. “We couldn’t hear ourselves think on the bench. If they can continue to get this type of crowd in the Atlantic 10, this will be one of the toughest places to play in the country.”
What the loss means: St. Bonaventure reflects on a record-setting 23-11 season and prepares for next year.
—Amy Moritz
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