By Zach Waltz
Sports Assignment Editor
After going 22-9 on the season, the women’s basketball team will go into the Atlantic 10 tournament in Richmond with a two seed.
The Bonnies were predicted to finish ninth in the A-10 this year. However, they defeated six out of the eight teams picked ahead of them on their way to an 11-5 conference record, only the second time the team has had 10 or more conference wins.
Their first game is today at 5 p.m. against the winner of a matchup between No. 7 La Salle and No. 10 St. Louis.
Head Coach Jim Crowley said both teams defeated the Bonnies in February, so it will be a tough matchup regardless of who they end up facing.
“Either way, we’re going to play a team who beat us,” Crowley said.
“All year, we’ve talked about it being about us, doing what we do and doing it the way we want. It’s not going to change now.”
Crowley said every team in the Atlantic 10 is capable of winning any game, so the Bonnies must prepare for a challenging game today.
“Obviously, we’ll prepare for whatever opponent we have and respect the heck out of them because it’s a great league. Anyone we play is going to be very good,” Crowley said.
Crowley said the Bonnies will be training all week with the mindset of doing all they can do to win.
“At the end of the day, we control us,” Crowley said. “We control our effort and execution. That’s what we’re going to focus on.”
On Tuesday, the Bonnies received five postseason awards for their outstanding regular-season play. Crowley was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year for leading the team to second place after a dismal 10-19 season last year.
Sophomore forward Katie Healy was named first-team All-Conference and also won Most Improved Player after averaging 16.3 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game.
Sophomore forward Hannah Little received Sixth Woman of the Year honors due to averaging 10.3 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game while coming off the bench.
Sophomore guard Nyla Rueter averaged 11 points per game and shot 41.9 percent from three-point land, earning her a spot on the All-Conference third team.
Crowley said the awards are all based on how well the team played as a whole this year, allowing individuals to stand out.
“I think it’s a great validation of what we preach in our program, which is we want to get better and work hard,” Crowley said.
“We have kids that maybe weren’t known as much their freshmen year but really put a lot of time in and then had teammates that helped them play to their strengths. Then they’re able to get individual success because of how well our team did.”
The Bonnies left for Richmond on Tuesday to spend the week gearing up for their game today.
While no team in the A-10 is an easy matchup, the Bonnies’ main competition will be No. 1 Dayton, who they would see in the championship game if they both win all their games.
Crowley said the team has been waiting all week for their chance to play today.
“Hopefully, they can get themselves settled and comfortable with the area and be able to see games on Thursday,” Crowley said. “Then hopefully be chomping at the bit to play when we get to the game.”
waltzzd12@bonaventure.edu
