Bona defense stifles Bulls
Steals, turnovers key to 77-58 win
Defense was the emphasis for the St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team this season.
It was no surprise, then, that in the second half of their second game, the Bonnies got down to business.
Getting hands in passing lanes and closing off the low post, Bona capitalized on second half steals and turnovers in a 77-58 win over the University at Buffalo in front of 541 in Alumni Arena Sunday afternoon.
The Bonnies turned 15 turnovers into 22 points and held the Bulls to 39.6 percent shooting from the field.
The buckle down came with around 15 minutes to go in the game, when Bona aggressively started doubling in the low post and pressuring the guards on the perimeter to keep the Bulls off kilter.
“We stepped it up and started playing better,” Bona junior forward Dana Mitchell said of her team’s defense. “We started playing more aggressive and started playing the gaps. We didn’t want to let them drive and we wanted to protect the paint.”
Both teams shot just 33.3 percent in the first half but a better effort from the three-point line and the free-throw line gave the Bonnies a 30-25 advantage at halftime.
The Bulls came out strong in the second half, hitting their first five shots to pull within 38-36 with 15:59 left. But that’s when the Bonnies picked up their defensive intensity and started moving the ball on offense.
“My staff pointed some things out to me and we made some adjustments,” Bona coach Jim Crowley said. “We got active in the passing lanes and we won some loose balls. If the ball is loose, we want to win it. We hadn’t really done that all year, even in practice, so hopefully we’ll be able to keep after it.”
Moving the ball well and penetrating, the Bonnies were able to shift Buffalo’s defense and draw shooting fouls.
Bona hit 66.7 percent from the field in the second half (14 of 21) while knocking down 16 of 21 free throw attempts.
“We fouled too much in the second half and every time we fouled them it was a shooting foul,” UB coach Linda Hill-Mac- Donald said. “Every time they drove, we seemed to send them to the line.”
“We had a lack of focus at the end of the game,” UB sophomore forward Jessica Fortman said. “On defense, we weren’t all on the same page and we didn’t help or have each others’ backs. We’ll learn from this game and improve.”
Mitchell led the Bonnies with 20 points while Kateyln Murray added 19.
For all the talk about the Bonnies being a veteran team with all five starters back, their freshmen are proving solid contributors already.
Jessica Jenkins had 11 points while red-shirt freshman Armelia Horton had eight points and five rebounds.
“Everything with us is a team effort,” Murray said. “Whether it’s practice or a game, everyone is contributing. It’s not just scoring, but a lot of little things on defense and going after loose balls.”
Fortman finished with 18 points and eight rebounds — including five on the offensive end.
Rebounding has been the bright spot for the Bulls (0-2) who held a 34-32 advantage on the boards and scored 16 second-chance points.
Kourtney Brown scored 13 points, but was most effective in the first half before the Bona double-teams came, and added seven rebounds.
St. Bonaventure (2-0) will continue its Big 4 tour by hosting Canisius (1-0) at 7 p. m. Wednesday in the Reilly Center.
UB will play at Youngstown State on Wednesday and return home Saturday to host Delaware.
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