By Zach Waltz
Sports Assignment Editor
After beating the defending Atlantic 10 champion St. Joseph’s Hawks 73-67 Wednesday, the women’s basketball team moves to third in the A-10 with a conference record of 7-2 (18-6 overall).
The Bonnies held a wire-to-wire lead against the Hawks and out-rebounded them 39-29. Sophomore forward Hannah Little tied a career-high with 18 rebounds and added 13 points. Senior forward Chelsea Bowker also tied a career-high in three-pointers with 6 and finished with 20 points.
Head Coach Jim Crowley said the team showed some weakness, but in the end, players stepped up and made big shots.
“It’s a really good team win,” Crowley said. “We showed a lot of grit. We’re playing pretty efficiently offensively. We have really good defensive balance, so we’re not giving a lot of transition scores or easy scores. We’re forcing people to play in the half court, which is where we’re comfortable.”
Little started for the Bonnies in the absence of freshman forward Gabby Richmond. Little, who made two crucial baskets in the final minutes of the game, said she wasn’t focused on the pressure. She was just trying to do what she does best.
“It was fun,” Little said. “I wasn’t really thinking about it. I was just trying to go as hard as I could for the team.”
Bowker was 4-5 from three-point range in the first half. After she made the first two, she called for the ball, and if she was open, she hit the shot. She said there was some strategy behind calling for the ball.
“Honestly if I call for the ball, I’m doing it to get the post open,” Bowker said. “If I’m calling for the ball and I’ve already hit two threes, their attention goes to me, which leaves the post open.”
With seven A-10 games left in the season, the Bonnies control their own destiny when it comes to staying high in the standings for the A-10 Tournament. Their next two games are both away against UMass tomorrow and St. Louis on Wednesday. UMass is 0-9 in A-10 play this year, while St. Louis is 3-6.
After that, the Bonnies must face Duquesne and VCU, with conference records of 8-2 and 5-5, respectively, before facing last place George Mason (0-10).
After finishing 14th in the A-10 last year, Crowley said this team grew over the offseason, which has translated to this year’s success.
“I think every time we play, it speaks to where we’ve gotten,” Crowley said. “You guys saw us play last year, and you saw us play before that. It’s an incredible compliment to these guys that we’ve gotten back so quickly. They really came together. We have seven conference games left, and who knows what could happen in any of them? These guys are going to play hard and tough and be who are they are. And we’ll see how that works out.”
Crowley said the team has been executing well by getting to the rim and drawing fouls.
“The last two games, in particular, we’ve attacked the basket really well and got ourselves to the foul line,” Crowley said. “And (we) put a lot of pressure on defenses because we stay pretty consistent getting to the rim.”
The Bonnies are on a six-game winning streak coming off Wednesday’s victory. However, Crowley said the Bonnies’ focus is always on the next game and what they can do to keep winning.
“I have to be honest, I haven’t even thought of that,” Crowley said. “We’re doing a pretty good job of focusing on the game ahead. Our kids are understanding that we can control us, and we have to make sure we do so. And so far, so good. We have to stay locked in to be the best team.”
