by Mikael DeSanto
Sports Assignment Editor
It came down to the wire, but the Delaware Blue Hens defeated the St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team 43-40 Saturday night. The Bonnies brought it to within one point with an 8-0 run over the two minutes, but fell short in the closing seconds of the game.
The first half was a tale of struggling offenses. The Bonnies and Blue Hens combined for 24 total points in the first half, with Delaware holding a 14-10 lead.
The teams opened the first quarter slowly, being locked a four points apiece midway through. Both had seen their own shooting struggles, with the Bonnies two baskets being separated by four minutes of play and the Blue Hens shooting one for its first 10 to open the game.
The Blue Hens would have a flurry in the last three minutes of the quarter, scoring eight points to gain the lead. The Bonnies were only able to muster a free throw in that span and the quarter ended with a 12-5 lead, with all five of the Bonnies points coming from junior guard Mariah Ruff.
The struggles continued in the second quarter, with the teams combining for seven points. The first basket of the quarter was scored by freshman guard Abby Gonzales at the 6:34 mark in the quarter.
But the Bonnies would cut into the lead with a layup from sophomore guard Mckenna Maycock and a three-pointer from freshman guard Sarah Hart.
As the missed shots for both sides came, both gathered in their fair share of rebounds. The Bonnies finished the half with 22 team rebounds and the Blue Hens finished with 27.
Ruff led the scoring for the Bonnies at the half with five points. Redshirt junior forward Sade Chatman and sophomore forward Nicole Enabosi both had four points to lead the Blue Hens in first half scoring.
The teams were able to find their form in the third quarter. After two minutes of further lulls in scoring, the Blues Hens broke were able to score. But the Bonnies would respond a minute later, scoring six points in one minute to tie the game at 16.
As the quarter continued the teams traded points, with neither team taking more than a four point lead. After combining for 30 points in the third, the quarter ended with the Blue Hens holding a 28-26 lead.
The Blue Hens started the scoring in the fourth quarter by going on 10-2 run starting at the 8:10 mark. But the Bonnies began working to cut the lead, as junior forward Matea Britvar was able to put home three layups in under two minutes while the defense held the Blue Hens to three points.
This helped set up the opportunity for Ruff to hit a pair of three-pointers in the closing minutes to cut the lead to one. However, the Bonnies would miss the opportunity to take the lead and, after the Blue Hens hit two free throws, the game was over.
Ruff led the team with 11 points, four rebounds and four assists, while Enabosi led the Blue Hens with 11 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double.
The Bonnies will next take the court at the UCF Thanksgiving Classic in Orlando, FL, where they will play Austin Peay on Nov. 26 at noon and Rider on Nov. 27 at noon.
desantmj13@bonaventure.edu
