By Jonathan Sawyer
Sports Assignment Editor
The St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team lost its fourth game Wednesday night to Virginia Commonwealth University, 52-47.
Although the Bonnies lost Wednesday night, the team is off to one of its best starts in school history. The Bonnies are 19-4 overall and 8-2 in conference play, and a lot of that has to do with the total team play. On average, the team plays 10 to 11 players per game.
Senior guard Nyla Rueter said the team members vibe well with one another.
“We’ve spent a lot of time together,” Rueter said. “I think we [do] well because of the different personalities each one of us has. Our personalities don’t clash, but rather they complement each other. We really enjoy hanging out with each other, and that translates on the court.”
Senior and veteran leadership has played a big role in the team’s success, according to Rueter.
“All of the seniors have been playing and starting games since we were freshmen. It’s given us a lot of experience,” Rueter said. “We’ve been working a lot with the underclassmen so they understand the work ethic that needs to be put in to be successful since we’ve seen highs and lows. Katie (Healy) has really been leading the way; I try to lead mostly by example and through communication.”
Head Coach Jim Crowley also said the success comes from the leaders on the team.
“A lot of that has come from our seniors and time they have spent together. As a group, they first got together in July,” Crowley said. “We mix things up in practice. Everybody sees everybody. If you were to ask any of the upperclassmen, ‘Hey did that surprise you that Keely (Fresh) got thrown in?’ they would (say) ‘no, she practiced well. She deserved it.’ They have that understanding.”
They are second in the A10. Healy said staying humble and not letting egos get in the way has helped a lot.
“We know that if we get too big-headed that we can easily forget how hard we worked to get the results we have,” senior forward Katie Healy said. “We like to be the team that stays humble and works hard every minute we play, simply because we understand that at this level we cannot take any breaks.”
Even though sophomore guard Mariah Ruff is only in her second season with the Bonnies, she doesn’t feel any pressure when the team needs her to make a big play.
“I have settled in and know what to expect,” Ruff said. “I know my teammates will always have my back. If I mess up they will be there to pick me up.”
Along with success comes goals, and the team’s goals are still the same from the summer, according to Healy.
“We’ve known since even the beginning of last year that we had the potential to be the best in the league and give ourselves a good shot at getting to a postseason,” Healy said. “This year we’ve been able to really focus on our goal and work towards it everyday. Nothing has changed at all, but the demeanor we have is different.”
The Bonnies will have just under a week to prepare to play the Saint Louis University Billikens on Wednesday in the Reilly Center. Tip off is at 7 p.m.
sawyerjp15@bonaventure.edu
