Paulson playing after last season’s injury layoff

Redshirt junior to return home with team for Thanksgiving tournament

The St. Bonaventure women’s basketball season is upon us, and that means comeback season for redshirt junior guard Bree Paulson. Paulson made her debut for the Bonnies last November against Niagara University, but was limited to only eight games on the season due to injury.
Paulson returns this winter back and better than ever after recovering from her injury. After surgery and a hard working summer, she is ready to make an impact for her team. For Paulson, summer rehab was a big part of getting her back into playing shape for this season.
“I spent an extra session here last summer getting back to 100 percent,” Paulson said. “I was getting my groove back.”
Paulson did not begin her collegiate basketball career at St. Bonaventure. She attended Western Nebraska Community College her freshman and sophomore year, averaging 9.7 points and 3.7 rebounds a game in 60 career games.
After making an impact on the court for WNCC, Paulson decided to bring her talents to St. Bonaventure in search of a bigger role at a higher program.
“I wanted something different and was not completely happy,” Paulson said. “I found a different intensity at St. Bonaventure.”
Despite the move from the big, open fields of Nebraska to the snowy winters of St. Bonaventure, Paulson never had any issue with the change and felt the two schools had the same small town feel to them.
“I wanted to do something different and Olean has a lot of small-town similarities,” Paulson said.
Paulson started all eight of the games she played in for the Bonnies in the 2017-18 season, averaging 7.4 points and 2.3 rebounds a game despite her limited action. She has since put that season in the rearview mirror and is focused on the 2018-19 season that lies ahead.
“We hope to be a lot better this year,” Paulson said. “The ultimate goal is being in the top half of the A10 and compete every day at practice.”
The team has the phrase, “get right or get left,” written on the players’ warm-up shirts to symbolize the attitude for this year, and Paulson found it to be important to the team’s success this season.
“It means to do everything every day and if you don’t, stay away from the team,” Paulson said. “The team hopes to keep this mantra prominent all season in order to keep up the intensity at practice and in game.”
The Bonnies travel to Denver, Colorado for the Denver Thanksgiving Classic on Friday, Nov. 23. Paulson, a Broomfield, Colorado native, will compete only 30 minutes from her hometown. She is very excited for the opportunity to play close to home this winter because of how far of trip to St. Bonaventure it is for her friends and family.
“I am really excited because it is tough for my family and friends to come see me play,” Paulson said.
The tournament gives her and the team a chance to improve before the Atlantic 10 games begin, and the season begins to hit its peak.
“The tournament is for learning about how to deal with adversity and get ready for A10 play to begin,” Paulson said in hopes of the team hitting its stride at the right time.
Paulson is poised to pick up right where she left off last season and continue to improve and grow her role from last season.
The Bonnies take on Hofstra University in the Reilly Center on Saturday, Nov. 17 before they head off to Denver to take on University of Ohio on Friday, Nov. 23.