BY NATHAN SOLOMON, SPORTS EDITOR
Coming off a disappointing 6-15 season, the St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team is looking to turn the page. In five seasons under the helm of coach Jesse Fleming, the Bonnies have won no more than nine games and are looking to change that in 2021-22.
Albeit a 13th place selection in the preseason Atlantic 10 poll, the Bonnies hope to turn some heads with an experienced group this season.
“We return our core,” Fleming said on A-10 Women’s Basketball Media Day. “It’s all about the mix now. It’s really finding who’s going to work together, who’s going to pick it up the quickest and what lineups work the best for us”.
St. Bonaventure returns four starters from last season, including third-team all-conference guard Asianae Johnson and Tori Harris. The senior duo combined for over 24 points per game with Johnson’s slashing and Harris’s 3-point shooting.
“Our guard play is really going to have to lead us with Asianae,” Fleming said. “We’re going to try and get the ball in Asianae’s hands a lot. I feel like she’s a player who can make long twos at the highest level of anyone in our league, and that’s such a premium shot if you can shoot it at a high level”.
“We’re going to swing [Harris] from the four to the three to give a little bit more size at our wing position,” Fleming said. “Tori was our second leading scorer last year. [She] didn’t shoot it great, and we think she has the ability to, and she can go off the bounce and rebound really well for that spot”.
The Bonnies also have 3-point sniper Maddie Dziezgowski returning for her sophomore season, as well as forward I’yanna Lops for her rebounding and paint presence.
Additionally, a large group of newcomers join the Bonnies this season. Graduate forward Nikki Oppenheimer comes to St. Bonaventure from James Madison and redshirt sophomore guard Mackenzie Smith transfers from Old Dominion. Ene Adams, a Wichita State transfer, gives the Bonnies some much-needed size and rebounding down low, while freshmen Lexie Sinclair, Taylor Napper and Kacee Baumhower add depth.
“Oppenheimer was a player we thought could come in and help us from the 3-point line,” Fleming said. “Having Ene Adams and I’yanna Lops playing together is going to have teams commit inside a little more which might create 3-point opportunities”.
“Ene Adams will be a monster on the boards,” Harris said. “Teams are going to have to worry about how to get her off the glass at all times. We’re on the same and we can’t even figure it out”.
While the Bonnies have a bolstered roster, the team has many areas of improvement to succeed and take a step forward as a program.
“We’re increasing on our rebounding percentages in practice,” Johnson said. “[We need to be able to] play consistent offense and defense for 40 minutes straight”.
Although the Bonnies won’t face any power conference foes in the regular season, the team has an interesting slate of games in non-conference play. St. Bonaventure hosts Siena, Canisius, Kent State and Marshall as part of 17 total games in the Reilly Center. Road games include Cleveland State, Niagara, Colgate and East Tennessee State. As usual, the Bonnies will partake in the 18 game A-10 slate, noted by two games against Duquesne, a nationally televised game at George Mason and trips to conference favorites Dayton and Rhode Island.
The Bonnies open the 2021-22 season On Tuesday, Nov. 9 at home against Robert Morris. ESPN+ will broadcast the game schedule for 11:30 a.m. ET.
solomonj20@bonaventure.edu
