Bona, Griffs raised bar for Big 4 women’s hoops
Welcome to the brave new world of Big 4 women’s basketball—one in which teams win 20 games, advance to championship games and earn postseason bids.
One in which teams that don’t achieve that level of success start to face some serious questions.
One in which 4,000 people turn out for a Women’s National Invitation Tournament game, setting attendance records.
While it’s too soon to say that collegiate women’s basketball has arrived on the Western New York scene, the 2008-09 season was historic for several reasons and a new level of expectations have been set.
It started with the success of Canisius and St. Bonaventure—both of which had their respective conference Coach of the Year winners and made the WNIT field. It was the first time in Big 4 history any team received a WNIT bid while Bona earned the first postseason win in the Division I era. In fact, the Bonnies advanced to the quarterfinals of the WNIT before losing to South Florida, and set the Big 4 women’s hoops attendance record with 4,133 at Sunday’s game in the Reilly Center.
But as Canisius and St. Bonaventure flourished, the University at Buffalo and Niagara struggled. The Bulls earned some respect with their run to the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament while the Purple Eagles were able to pick up a win in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament first round.
CANISIUS
Final record: 24-9. Season recap: The Golden Griffins set the school women’s record for most wins in the Division I era and landed their second-ever postseason tournament appearance in a first-round WNIT loss at Syracuse. The Griffs advanced to the championship game of the MAAC Tournament, losing to perennial conference power Marist and were second in the regular- season MAAC standings with a 14-4 mark while Terry Zeh earned MAAC Coach of the Year honors.
Fond farewell: Guard Amanda Cavo leaves Canisius as its all-time best distance shooter with 267 career three-pointers. In her only season at Canisius, forward Marie Warner had an impressive year, leading the Griffs in scoring (16.0 ppg) and rebounding (8.6 rpg). J. J. Williams, a senior, finishes a career hampered by injury but one that still saw her start 29 games and play an important leadership role on the team.
Returning: Junior point guard Brittane Russell averaged 10.7 points but her ability to defend has been key to the Griffs’ success. Sophomore Micayla Drysale also returns—a steady three-point threat—while sophomore Brianna Lucas is perhaps one of the must underrated defenders in the conference. Freshman forward Stephanie MacDonald averaged nearly 21 minutes a game and showed great promise and poise.
ST. BONAVENTURE Final record: 23-11.
Season recap: It was a record-setting season for the Bonnies, who posted their best win total ever while their 9-5 Atlantic 10 mark was their first-ever winning conference record. The team grabbed signature wins over Michigan State (which went to the NCAA Sweet 16) and on the road at Wisconsin in the third round of the WNIT. Jim Crowley earned A-10 Coach of the Year honors.
Fond farewell: This is a senior class that lifed Bona from single-digit wins into a WNIT quarterfinalist. Katelyn Murray was a consistent three-point threat who averaged 11.4 points a game. Erica Schiefen was a versatile post player who could score inside and step out to three-point range. Priscilla Edwards emerged as a solid point guard while Ashley Edwards brought a defensive intensity that the rest of the team fed off.
Returning: The cupboard is not bare. Junior Dana Mitchell led Bona in scoring with 15.5 points per game and had a knack for knocking down clutch shots while classmate Andrea Doneth brings an edge of aggressiveness to the floor. Sophomore Cara Gustafson improved her consistency and freshmen Jessica Jenkins and Megan Van Tatenhove each had impressive spurts during the season.
UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO
Final record: 8-23.
Season recap: The starkness of the final record is mitigated by the Bulls’ magical run in the conference tournament. UB won two games in the MAC tourney, over Northern Illinois and Kent State, before falling to Ball State in the semifinals. Hampered by a series of injuries, particularly at the guard position, the Bulls had difficulty sustaining any momentum— a frustration because at times they looked much better than their record. Overall, in fact, the Bulls lost by an average of only 5.5 points.
Fond farewell: The Bulls lose just two seniors. Forward Jamie Schiebner graduates after averaging 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds while guard Dortae Freeman started 21 games and ranked second on the team with 87 assists.
Returning: First and foremost, coach Linda Hill-MacDonald returns. She has the support of the athletic department entering the final year on her contract and that run to the MAC semis did well in securing a future for her at UB. On the court, redshirt sophomore center Kourtney Brown returns after setting the UB singleseason scoring record with 532 points. Sophomore Jessica Fortman, who proved a good complement to Brown, averaged 10.6 points and 6.8 rebounds.
NIAGARA Final record: 3-28.
Season recap: The Purple Eagles endured a 24-game losing streak that included two back-to-back one-point defeats: 64-63 at Loyola and a 66-65 double overtime loss at Fairfield. Niagara snapped the losing streak with a home win over Loyola in the second- last game of the regular season, then won its first-round MAAC Tournament game over Rider. Despite those close games and late season wins, the Purple Eagles still lost by an average of 18.9 points this season. Some wondered about the job security of second-year head coach Kendra Faustin, but Athletic Director Ed McLaughlin said they are committed to her and are patient with the building process.
Fond farewell: Niagara graduates three seniors. Guard Erika Harris averaged 7.8 points and 2.2 assists this season. Kristina Walton tied for the team lead in rebounds with 5.1 a game while Kayleigh Scannell averaged 11.5 minutes in 29 games.
Returning: Junior Jennifer McNamee, NU’s leading scorer, returns after missing a chunk of the season with a concussion. McNamee averaged 12.1 points in 22 games. Sophomore Liz Flooks, one of the best pure shooters on the team, averaged 10.4 points and 5.1 rebounds while freshman guard Ali Morris had baptism by fire, staring 27 games.
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Reader comments