By: Nicholas Gallo
Despite Mariah Ruff’s career game, St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team would be defeated by the St. Joe’s Hawks 70 to 64 at the Reilly Center.
The Bonnies are winless in their first two conference games and stand at 5-10.
The Hawks would outrebound the Bonnies 52 to 34 and would pound points in the paint with 36.
After the first two quarters, it seemed like the Bonnies would be in for a low scoring game as they’ve were shooting 18% from the field and their leading scorer only had six points. Ruff, who had scored three points in the first half, would start heating up in the third quarter.
With the Bonnies down 36-19 entering the third quarter, Ruff would give the Bonnies life by outscoring the Hawks herself by six. As a team. the Bonnies would continue their third quarter uproar scoring 31 points in the third compared to the Hawk’s 14.
By the end of the third quarter, both teams were deadlocked 50-50.
At the start of the fourth quarter, both teams would trade buckets with each other making it a tight game near the end.
With 2:02 left in the game, the Bonnies were up 60 to 59. The Hawks would stand their ground and shutdown the Bonnies offense in the final minutes of the game.
They would finish the game on a 8-0 run to close out the game. The Hawks would have four players in double-figures in scoring and would have two players to have double figures in rebounds.
Hawks forwards Amanda Fioravanti and Chelsea Woods would accumulate double-doubles in points and rebounds to lead St. Joe’s to their second win in conference play and their seventh win overall.
Ruff would make eight three pointers in the game and seven in the second half to move her in seventh place in school history for made three-pointers.
Her 31 points would be a career high and her eight threes would be the most ever in a Bonnies uniform.
The Bonnies will continue conference play as they host the University of Massachusetts on Saturday Jan. 6, at 11 a.m. in the Reilly Center
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