By Jonathan Sawyer
Sports Assignment Editor
he St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team had an early exit in its first game of the A10 Tournament this past weekend in Richmond.
The Bonnies received the fourth seed, which allowed them to get the double bye in the tournament. They faced off against the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Rams. While the Bonnies were technically the home team, the Rams had the hometown advantage with their campus located less than a mile away from the Richmond Coliseum where the A10 Tournament was held.
The Bonnies finished the regular season at 23-7, and being eliminated in the first game could put them in trouble of making the NCAA Tournament, but they still have hope to play in a separate post-season tournament.
Senior guard Emily Michael said it was hard to take a loss in the A10 Tournament because of the work that the team put in all season.
“We gave it all we had and there isn’t another group of girls I would have wanted to go into the A10 tourney with,” Michael said. “It was bittersweet to see it end, but having a post season opportunity means another chance to compete together, and I am thankful for that.”
“I absolutely think that any postseason tournament we are a part of is well deserved,” Healy said. “We really worked hard this summer and preseason to get good results. We’ve been able to correct mistakes made in the past and come together as a team so anything we get into we are extremely proud of.”
Senior forward Katie Healy said the loss to VCU hurt, but they have to move on.
“We’ve never had the best of luck in the A10 tournament so this year of course was a let down to not win at least our first game,” Healy said. “It stung a little bit, but we’re just letting that go and looking forward to our next game in the postseason.”
According to Michael, the team’s hard work and focus propelled their improvement from last season to this one.
“It just all comes down to our work ethic and commitment,” Michael said. “We all bought in to working hard and wanted to compete for one another, and I am a big believer that good things come to those who work for it, and I think that this season is a testament to that.”
Senior guard Nyla Rueter said the team wasn’t pleased with how the tournament played out.
“We weren’t satisfied with how we played last year.,” Rueter said. “We worked really hard in the offseason to improve and not have the same fate we had last year, and I’m really proud of everyone.”
Here are some key notes about the Bonnies going into selection Monday; They have an overall record of 23-7, 12-4 in the A10 Conference, RPI of 37, three wins over the top 50 RPI, 2-1 against the top 25 Rating Percentage Index (RPI) and strength of schedule in the nation is 85.
The Bonnies will await their future for the season on Monday as it will be “Selection Monday” for the Women’s NCAA Tournament. From there they will find out if they are going dancing or headed to the WNIT’s.
sawyerjp15@bonaventure.edu
