By Skye Tulio
Sports Assignment Editor
The women’s basketball team (5-5) defeated the Buffalo Bulls (1-8) Wednesday evening, 64-55. The Bonnies will hit the road to play West Virginia (5-2) tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m.
Last season, the Bonnies were victorious against West Virginia, defeating the Mountaineers on their home court, 56-48. During the game, then senior Jessica Jenkins scored the 1,000th point of her Bonaventure career.
In Wednesday’s game against the Bulls, junior guard Ashley Zahn led the offense with 19 points in the second half.
The Canandaigua, N.Y. native scored double digits four times prior to this game and three in a row against North Texas, Delaware and Southern University.
Junior guard CeCe Dixon traveled with the team to UB but did not play due to internal reasons. Freshman guard Emily Michael started her second game of the season in Dixon’s place after her first career start Dec. 2.
The Bulls gained an early 5-0 lead that increased to 17-9 with 11:39 left in the first half. With 9:03 left in the half, the Bulls led the Brown and White 20-11 in what would be their largest lead of the night.
Coach Jim Crowley said the Bulls came out with a good tone and the Bonnes weren’t where they needed to be.
“We got our legs under us and people understood some of the things we had to make sure we were taking away,” Crowley said during a press conference streamed on GoBonnies.com.
We still didn’t rebound at the level that I thought we were capable., but they weren’t getting as many easy shots.”
All 11 Bonaventure points were scored by freshmen to that point. Michael added three while guard Nyla Rueter and forward Hannah Little scored four a piece.
Crowley said he’s impressed with the freshman class thus far.
“They’re a good group,” Crowley said. “The learning curve had been difficult for them, they’re roles have kind of accelerated. As long as they continue to want to improve as we get in to January and Februrary they’re going to be really important for us.
The Bonnies used a 10-3 run to chip away at the Bulls’ lead, ending the half trailing by just one, 22-21. Seventeen of those 21 points were also scored by freshmen. Rueter led the Bonnies with six, followed by Little and Reuter’s four and forward Katie Healy added four for the freshmen foursome’s scoring output in the first. Little recorded five boards.
Michael went 1-2 from three-point range while also grabbing four rebounds. Ortega, the only upperclassman to score, recorded four points in the first half for the Brown and White.
The women came out gunning in the second, gaining a 29-24 lead on an 8-2 run after an Ortega jumper. Healy made it a 10-2 run with a jumper as well.
With seven minutes left, the Bulls capitalized with an 11-1 run to build a 41-36 lead. Zahn tied the score at 43 with six minutes left on a jumper. She recorded her game-high 19 points in the last six minutes of the game . Zahn’s relentless effort pushed the Bonnie’s to victory after hitting three triples and going 8-8 from the line.
Zahn’s 19 points were her second-highest career total behind her 21 points against North Texas Nov. 24th. Her eight free throws on eight attempts were also career bests.
Ortega scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds after returning to the starting lineup. Micheal added six while Rueter and Healy each scored eight.
Buffalo’s leading scorer, freshman Rachael Gregory, scored eight points with five rebounds.
It was the 24th meeting between the teams and the fifth straight win in the series for Bonaventure. It was also the ninth time in ten games multiple Bonnies players recorded double figures against the Bulls.
The team has won 17 consecutive games against their Big 4 Rivals (Niagara, Canisius and UB). The streak serves as the longest in Big Four women’s basketball history.
The Bonnies have held their ground since November of 2006, when they fell to the Bulls in the St. Bonaventure Shootout, 67-59.
Crowley stressed the importance of trust on the court for the Brown and White.
“They have to trust each other, but they have to trust themselves first, and that’s a growing process,” Crowley said. ”
