(Photo Credit: GoBonnies.com)
By Katie Faulkner @kfaulkner20
After falling at VCU last week, the St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team got back on track with a 80-59 win over Saint Louis on Wednesday evening in the Reilly Center. The Bonnies improved to 20-4 overall and 9-2 in Atlantic 10 play. Saint Louis dropped to 18-6 on the season.
A two-game hiatus did not seem to affect Miranda Drummond’s shot, as the sophomore went 4-of-4 from beyond the arc in the first half and 6-of-8 overall for 19 points. Senior Nyla Rueter also knocked down four treys in the first half on 4-of-5 shooting. She finished with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
The game remained scoreless until the Billkens made it 2-0 at the 7:38 mark, but the Bonnies would go on a 15-2 run and grasp a 23-8 first quarter lead.
Despite a cold shooting night that resulted in a loss at VCU last week, the Bonnies came out hot and tallied 47 points in the first half on 17-of-29 shooting. They shot a season-best 55.3 percent overall from the floor.
“We passed the ball really well,” Bona coach Jim Crowley said. “We threw a bunch of really good skip passes in that first half, on the money and in the shooter’s pocket.”
The Bonnies scored 24 points in the paint with help from senior Katie Healy, who tallied 12 points and seven rebounds. She was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line. Junior Imani Outlaw contributed solid minutes off the bench, with seven points in 10 minutes of action. Sophomore point guard Mariah Ruff registered nine points to go along with her four assists.
“I’m very pleased with our offensive effort,” Crowley said. “We shot the ball really well and had a good pace early.”
Known for their high offensive production, the Billikens were held to 29.7 percent shooting (19-of-64) from the floor. Sophomore Jackie Kemph scored a game-high 28 points on 9-of-19 shooting. She handed out two assists on the night compared to her average of 6.8 per game.
“I thought we did a good job on her and she dropped 28,” said Crowley. “She earned a lot, she’s a special, special player and I hate that we have two more years with her.”
Neither team was shy from beyond the arc tonight as they combined for 18 total three-pointers. The brown and white dished out 18 total assists to the Billiken’s nine, including five from Healy. Despite struggling on the boards over their last few games, the Bonnies won the rebounding battle 39-32.
The Bonnies return to action on Saturday when they visit UMass for an afternoon matchup at 2 p.m.
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