NEW: Brown, Johnson lead Bonnies past Duquesne

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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 2^nd 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.

Bona splits pair of road games at George Mason, GW

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By Dustyn Green

WASHINGTON, DC — The St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team  put together a three-game win streak last week, but had it put to rest on Sunday against George Washington.

After beating Davidson in back-to-back home games last week, the Bonnies and head coach Jesse Fleming took care of business against George Mason on Friday, winning 72-62, but face-planted in a slow offensive effort on Sunday. The Bonnies were the victims of a 56-39 George Washington win.

Bona junior guard Tori Harris led the Bonnies in Friday’s contest with 16 points and 10 rebounds, her third double-double of the year. Junior guard Deja Francis followed her with 12 points and assisted on six occasions. Junior guard Asianae Johnson and senior Emily Calabrese chipped in with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Bonnies led for 35 minutes, out-scoring the Patriots by no more than four points in a single quarter. Patriots star Rachel Balzer would threaten with 6:36 remaining by making two shots from the charity stripe that cut the SBU lead to eight points, but Francis and Harris made crucial plays. Francis hit one from the charity stripe, and Harris followed down low with a layup.

George Mason forward Dajjah Jefferson had a game-high 25 points to go with 10 rebounds.

After winning by double digits on Friday, the team was slowed down on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore guard Olivia Brown attempted to find a pathway to victory. Brown, who led the way in scoring with 13 points, also tallied four steals on the afternoon.

Despite the 13 points from Brown, the Bonnies could not secure a win. Sophomore guard I’yanna Lops chipped in 12 points, but first-half shooting woes proved too much to overcome for the Bonnies. The team shot a lackluster 26.9% in the first half. The Bonnies found themselves down 25-15 heading into the locker room.

To start the second half, things looked a little different for St. Bonaventure. Brown came out firing on all cylinders to start the third frame. She hit two big 3-pointers to lead the Bonnies on an 8-0 run, but GW had an answer.

The Colonials went on a 6-0 run to finish the third quarter, and held on the rest of the way. Ali Brigham had 15 points on the day and led both teams in scoring.

The Bonnies were out-rebounded in both games, as the Patriots held a 39-24 advantage on the boards, while GW out-rebounded Bona, 30-18.

SBU returns home this coming Saturday, when it hosts Rhode Island at the Reilly Center.

Bona women drop pair of games at Fordham, Rhode Island

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By Nic Gelyon and Dustyn Green

The St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team played back-to-back road games this weekend, and it wasn’t handed any favors.

The team, led by head coach Jesse Fleming, played two conference matchups in a span of 24 hours, the first on Friday against then 4-2 Fordham, and the other Saturday against 4-2 Rhode Island. Both games ended in disappointing fashion for the Bonnies, a team that was looking to build on its momentum from a home victory over La Salle on Jan. 15. Instead, SBU lost by 19 points to Fordham and by 14 points to Rhode Island.

The Bonnies led just over two minutes combined between the two weekend games, both by an early 2-0 score.

Despite double-digit scoring efforts from senior Emily Calabrese, who had 11 points against Fordham, and sophomore I’yonna Lops, who tallied 14 points in Kingston. Bona continued to struggle behind the three-point line, shooting under 25% from there in both games.

The Bonnies did not lack in toughness or physicality in either game, and they were successful in forcing and creating success off Fordham’s mistakes, including six steals and 12 turnovers. Throughout the game, the Bonnies were not able to keep up with Fordham’s attack on the inside giving up 21 second chance points to the Rams. However, Bona scored 22 points in the paint and nine more points off turnovers.

The Bonnies also were unable to shut Fordham down from three-point range, allowing the Rams to go 13-for-30, but Bona hurt itself by not being able to hit from long range, going 2-for-10 from deep on offense.

The Fordham halftime lead was only 12 points, despite being able to knock down seven three-pointers in the first half. The Bonnies could only answer one of those, which allowed the Rams to expand their lead.

Both teams scored the ball at about the same clip, but it was clear that Fordham’s ball-sharing opened up its opportunities from deep, as they paired their three-point shooting numbers with 18 assists, compared to St. Bonaventure’s seven. The Bonnies were out-rebounded by the Rams, 26-20.

Against Rhode Island, the Bonnies dug themselves a hole early, as SBU unsuccessfully tried to create offense from the perimeter. The first quarter didn’t see either team shoot particularly well, but by the time the clock hit zero, the Rams had hit 11 three-point baskets.

A 12-3 run early in the second quarter allowed the Bonnies to cut the Rams’ lead to four points, with Olivia Brown on the court for the entirety of the run. The Bonnies played physical, disrupting Rhode Island at seemingly every turn, including a block by Tori Harris and a forced turnover that led to a Harris three-pointer. Once again, however, the well ran dry for St. Bonaventure, and the half ended with the Rams up by eight points.

The Bonnies were able to keep their deficit manageable, until the missed shots and 11 turnovers became too much to overcome. Despite giving up 34 points in the paint and 11 points off of turnovers the Rams never let up the reins, as the teams traded baskets down the stretch, but the Bonnies found the deficit to large and fell against the Rams 76-60.

The Bonnies will now return home for three games, starting with a Friday night slate against Saint Louis on Friday. You can catch the game next Friday at 6 p.m., on ESPN+

Bona women close out La Salle for first A-10 win

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By Nic Gelyon

ST. BONAVENTURE, NY — “Hopefully, this breaks the dam and we’re on to a really good run here.”

That’s what St. Bonaventure women’s basketball head coach Jesse Fleming had to say following his team’s 65-60 win against La Salle at the Reilly Center on Friday.

Fleming’s hope is warranted, as his team managed to exercise some of its demons against the Explorers. The Bonnies won their first game since Dec. 16, a home victory against Binghamton. They won their first conference game, finally getting themselves out of the Atlantic 10’s basement. SBU hadn’t beaten La Salle in nearly seven years.

The Bonnies’ veterans continued to contribute in notable ways. Asianae Johnson had 15 points, four rebounds and four assists, leading the Bonnies in scoring and icing the game by knocking down 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch.

Senior forward Emily Calabrese finished with five rebounds and three assists to go along with four points.

For the Explorers, junior Kayla Spruill led the way shooting, going 4-for-5 from the field for 16 points while hitting a perfect 6-of-6 shots from the foul line. Sophomore Claire Jacobs made an impact on the glass for La Salle, notching a team-high nine rebounds with 11 points and four assists.

But it was up-and-comers like Olivia Brown, Kaitlyn Parker, Maddie Dziezgowski, and I’yanna Lops who glued the game together for the Bonnies. All played key roles at different points in the game, particularly in scoring and rebounding, as the Bonnies continued to not rely solely on the veterans to do the heavy lifting.

Fleming knows it was the team’s balance that made this game different.

“I thought that everybody who came in really did something positive,” he said after the game. “I love the 19 assists number, really shared the basketball; the shooters came out shot ready, good shots.”

Right out of the gate, the Bonnies dominated their way to a 22-4 lead, playing fast and taking advantage of some fantastic looks gifted to them by La Salle. Brown, a sophomore, led the first-quarter charge. One of the Bonnies’ more reliable shooters this season, she scored 11 points in the first quarter, aided by three wide-open looks from beyond the arc.

But even as the Bonnies shot over 60% from the floor in the first half, their defense is what allowed them to build an 18-point lead. Limiting La Salle to just eight points in the first quarter, the Explorers couldn’t find a way to penetrate the Bonnies’ zone. Forcing them into long-range shots, the Bonnies played to La Salle’s weakness as a team, shooting just under 30% from three.

Fleming spoke about the Bonnies’ defensive stand in the first half.

“Love the defensive energy,” he said. “[La Salle] played down in Drexel on Wednesday, and then they came up here… we came out and said, if you guys aren’t going to have the energy, we’re going to have twice the energy.”

The Explorers found some energy of their own in the second half. The Bonnies’ 18-point lead was cut to single digits by a dagger three from Deja King to bookend the first half. But, fresh out of halftime, Brown answered back with a three of her own. She’d finish the game with 14 points and five rebounds.

Rebounding was also a team effort for SBU on Friday. Six Bonnies had four or more rebounds in the game, as St. Bonaventure outrebounded La Salle, 37-25, with a dominating plus-six advantage in offensive boards. It was a different look for a team that had ‘t dominated the glass this season.

What kept La Salle in the game was their knack for getting to the free-throw line, hitting 17 of 19 on the day. But as La Salle began to capitalize on some of the Bonnies’ errors, and as they eventually cut their deficit to two points, the Bonnies exercised one of their more evil demons: their inability to close out games.

This season, the Bonnies have blown a late lead against St. John’s on the heels of a Brown technical foul. They’ve failed to maintain their momentum during comeback efforts against Dayton and Richmond.

And the Bonnies could have faltered amid a wave of Explorers after an Asianae Johnson turnover midway through the fourth with La Salle threatening to take the lead. Instead, they gathered themselves. They returned to what had worked the entire game, setting up their offense, working inside the paint, and asserting themselves on the glass.

Resilient, the Bonnies successfully stood their ground on Friday, conquering the demon that has haunted them all season.

“We could be licking our wounds after a couple tough losses,” Fleming said. “People were ready to step up… and we needed that.”

Deja Francis, who had 11 points, four rebounds and six assists on Friday, agreed with her coach that this win could be the start of change for her team.

“It feels really good… just to finish this one out,” Francis said said. “We’re really close. It feels really good to just take that next step and get the win.”

After a Sunday slate against Saint Joseph’s was canceled due to COVID-19 concern within the Hawks’ program, SBU will begin a two-game road trip that begins by visiting Fordham on Jan. 22.

Lack of shooting dooms Bona women in loss to St. John’s

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By Justin Myers

The St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team’s lack luster shooting performance from three hurt it in its season opener Tuesday night.

The team went 1-12, shooting 8 percent for the game in its 68-56 loss to St. John’s.

Even though they struggled to shoot, sophomore Asianae Johnson was a bright spot for the Bonnies. She finished with 18 points and four rebounds.

Junior Emily Calabrese contributed with 12 points and seven rebounds, and sophmore Deja Francis had nine points in the game.

Even with the contributions from those three, head coach Jesse Fleming emphasized fixing up the offense.

“I thought we did a decent job of clogging the lane and forcing difficult shots,” he said. “We are starting to get better at taking care of the ball and hopefully the offense will come along. Asianae, Deja and Emily displayed some good things tonight.

“I’ve got to figure out a way to unclog the offense,” he continued. “We’ve got to find some ways to get some better flow, and go from one action to the next action.

As a team, the Bonnies shot 45.5 percent from the floor on 25-of-55 shooting.

St. John’s outscored the Bonnies in bench points, 22-5, and in fast-break points, 21-2.

The Bonnies have a quick turnaround, as they face Little Three rival Niagara in the Reilly Center on Thursday.

Calabrese enters third year with high expectations

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By Jeff Uveino

Emily Calabrese is no stranger to Atlantic 10 basketball.

Over her first two seasons with the St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team, Calabrese appeared in 60 games and made 49 starts.

Entering her junior season, the 6’ forward from Wyckoff, New Jersey is looking to take the next step forward in her career.

“I’m going to be playing at a higher level this year,” Calabrese said. “I’ve taken all of the experience I’ve gained over the last two years and worked to build on it this season.”

Calabrese averaged 6.6 points per game last season, up from 6.0 ppg her freshman year. She shot 44.5 percent from the field last year, an improvement from 41 percent two seasons ago.

She said that defense has been the priority of her work this offseason, as well as rebounding.

“I’ve worked to get quicker and stronger, and also develop my game around the basket,” Calabrese said. “I want to rebound well, especially offensively. You don’t need skill for that, it’s more energy and working really hard.”

Calabrese also said that getting as many offensive rebounds as possible is a goal of hers this season.

She averaged 5.1 rebounds per game in her sophomore season, and 5.6 rpg in her freshman year.

In her third year with the program, Calabrese is the longest-tenured Bonnie on this year’s roster.

“It’s like a whole new team this year,” Calabrese said. “There’s a lot of different pieces that we haven’t had in previous seasons, and it’s pretty cool to have all these new teammates.”

The 2019-20 Bonnies feature seven new players, including four freshmen and three transfers.

“Being one of the most experienced players on our team, I want to become a leader this year,” Calabrese said. “I’m looking forward to all of our games, especially our Christmas tournament in Florida.”

St. Bonaventure opens its regular season on Nov. 5 when it hosts St. John’s University, following an Oct. 30 exhibition against SUNY Cortland at the Reilly Center.

Coach Fleming and crew take on rival Niagara in first test

By Isaiah Blakely

St. Bonaventure women’s basketball opens the season by playing host against Niagara University as the Bonnies look to bounce back from its 9-20 campaign last year.

Niagara, coached by Jada Pierce, finished 8-22 last season. In the last meeting however, Niagara came out victorious at home 65-43 for the first time since 2006 leaving Bonaventure with a 36-24 series lead.

Second-year coach Jesse Fleming has four new players along with five returners lead by Atlantic 10 preseason All-Conference second team selection Mariah Ruff. Ruff averaged 13.9 points, 4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game last season.

Also headlining the offense is fellow captain Mckenna Maycock, who only started six games last season but was second on the team in minutes. Maycock averaged 7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.

Sophomore point guard Jalisha Terry will look for a larger impact this season after she led Bonaventure with 18 points in their scrimmage against Edinboro. Terry averaged 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2 assists last season.

Junior college transfer forwards Arielle Harvey and Bree Paulson are about to play their first official game for Bonaventure, while freshman Emily Calabrese looks to get action immediately after starting against Edinboro in an exhibition last Saturday.

With these new players Fleming mentioned the need “to speed up the chemistry curve.” “He was hoping that in the non-conference to have some games that really test us.” Fleming also wanted to “have games that we have a chance to win and we can just grow and learn”.

“These games are a learning experience,” Fleming said. “We need to use these so we’re hitting on all cylinders once A-10 play starts”.

Niagara is the first test and the Purple Eagles are returning three of their top scorers and nine players overall from last season led by redshirt-senior forward Victoria Rampado who lead the MAAC conference in points and was fourth in rebounds averaged 16.8 points and 7.9 rebounds. Rampado finished All-MAAC Second Team last season. Rampado lead the Purple Eagles to the victory over Bonaventure last season scoring 17 points. The 2017 MAAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll ranked the Purple Eagles to finish ninth in the conference.

St. Bonaventure was selected 12^thin the Atlantic 10 preseason coaches poll.

St. Bonaventure is 25-4 against Niagara at home and will look to keep up that impressive record on Friday, at 5 p.m. at Reilly Center.

With confidence soaring, Calabrese looking to make an impact this season

By Jeremy Castro

Emily Calabrese, one of five new additions to the St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team, is one of the two freshmen on the squad alongside Abigail Johnson.

Calabrese hails from Wyckoff, New Jersey (about thirty miles outside of New York City) and has played a big impact in how she has developed.

“I really love where I am from,” Calabrese said.

“They really focus on recreational sports and the travel teams are great. This is how I got involved in basketball and has really helped me grow my play and become a really good player.”

Growing up, Calabrese played numerous sports. However, basketball eventually came out on top.

“I was the kid that played all the sports,” Calabrese said.

“Originally, my main sport was soccer. Eventually, my dad asked me if I wanted to start playing basketball and I said I would try it out. It ended up being my favorite sport and I knew(basketball) was the sport I wanted to pursue and play in college.”

Calabrese went to Ramapo High School in Ramapo, New Jersey, where she averaged a double-double for her career, recording 17.6 Points and 12.6 rebounds per game during her four years. She was named to multiple selective teams, such as First Team All-North Jersey and Second Team All-State. She is also the only player to record both over 1000 points and 1000 rebounds in the history of Ramapo High School.

When Calabrese came to visit the little school in Olean, New York, she knew right away she belonged.

“The atmosphere, the community, the coaches, everyone was great,” she said. “I knew this is where I wanted to be.”

A lot of this success can be attributed to the confidence that Calabrese has in herself.

“Over time, my confidence (has grown),” Calabrese said.

“I tried out for my AAU team. I didn’t think I was going to make it at first, but I did. That really grew my confidence. I started going to a trainer to help grow my game more. I like being a leader on and off the court.”

Being a freshman, this will be Calabrese’s first taste of Bonnies basketball and she is very much looking forward to it.

“I have an opportunity to really make an impact this year,” Calabrese said.

“Hopefully I can be very positive and play really well to help my team. (Also) to have a successful season in and out of conference. Maybe even make it to the (NCAA) tournament.”

Right before our time together ended, and with both of us New Jersey natives, there was one question that stood above the rest and needed to be answered.

Pork Roll or Taylor Ham?

“Taylor Ham,” Calabrese said.