Tag: Duquesne women’s basketball

NEW: Brown, Johnson lead Bonnies past Duquesne

photo courtesy of gobonnies.sbu.edu

By Dustyn Green

ST. BONAVENTURE, NY — The St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team and head coach Jesse Fleming needed a bounce-back game on Monday night. They did just that by beating Duquesne, 72-55, at the Reilly Center. 

The Bonnies came out fast to start the game.  Scoring came from all over for SBU. Senior forward Emily Calabrese had seven points in the first half, including a nice and-on3 from the rim. 

“The ball movement was really good; I thought the ball moved really well tonight,” Fleming said of the hot start. “I am proud of the girls.”

The Bonnies took exactly what the doctor ordered. Sophomore guard Olivia Brown went 5-for-7 from 3-point range on her way to a 17-point performance.

“My teammates got looks for me which was amazing,” Brown said. “Everyone was getting shots.” 

Redshirt junior guard Tori Harris and junior guard Asianae Johnson combined for 15 points in the first half. The duo’s explosion came in the midst of 63% shooting for the Bonnies in the opening frames.  

The Bonnies took an 8-for-8 combination from the field for Calabrese and Brown to the locker room, and they led 46-21. 

The Bonnies only saw six points fall before the third quarter media timeout fell. Upon the return, Deja Francis was called for an offensive foul, but Asianae Johnson scored two from the inside before picking up her third foul.  

The Bonnies finished with only 12 points in the third quarter. 

“Duquesne really knocked us out of our mojo coming out (in the 2nd half with a press)” Brown said. 

The woes continued in the fourth quarter, Brown had to get on the ground to corale the basketball. Duquesne went on a 6-0 run before Asianae Johnson who had 9 assists played hero again. 

“(Johnson did a nice job at the end of the press creating the layup,” Fleming said. 

Ny Langley finished with a game-high 17 points for the Dukes. Fleming praised the junior college transfer as “very physical.” 

Brown and Calabrese finished with 17 and 11 points respectively. Their teammate, Johnson finished one digit shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine assists. 

The Bonnies will round out the season in Philladelphia with contests against St. Joseph’s and Lasalle. Both games can be found on ESPN+. 

“We just have to finish our fight now,” Fleming said. 

PREVIEW: Bona women open season with Friday slate at Duquesne

photo courtesy of gobonnies.sbu.edu

By Dustyn Green

PITTSBURGH, PA — It has been over nine months since the St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team and head coach Jesse Fleming have played an official game. However, that will change on Friday afternoon when the Duquesne Dukes and head coach Dan Burt play host to the Bonnies.

The Dukes have an immediate advantage, as they have played two games already this season, facing Ohio State and St. Francis (PA). The Dukes fell to the then-20th ranked Buckeyes, 82-47, before edging St. Francis, 69-67. This will be the team’s “home” opener, as the game will be played at La Roche University.

In each of the first two matchups, at least three players tallied 15 or more minutes off the bench for Duquesne. Tanaya Beacham had 23 minutes against the Buckeyes, and Jada Dupaa clocked in for 20 against St. Francis. Despite seeing a significant amount of action in those games, the bench only scored a total of 42 points.

Amanda Kailin has averaged 13.5 points per game to lead the team over its first two games, while Laia Sole has been a double-double threat, averaging 7.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

The Dukes have seen a total of 116 points on their side of the scoreboard. Of those 116 points, 96 of them have come from either in the paint or on the free-throw line. The Dukes have made 81.8% of their shots from the charity stripe.

If they’re going to find success, the Bonnies need to take the paint away from Duquesne and exhaust the Dukes on defense to force them into tough situations.

The game commences at 2 p.m. on Friday, and will be broadcasted on ESPN+.