Photo: St. Bonaventure Athletics
BY ALLIE ELKINS, SPORTS EDITOR
Having not won a game since Dec. 30, the St. Bonaventure University women’s basketball team capped off a rough season with a 62-51 loss on March 6 to Dayton in the Atlantic 10 Championships.
This abrupt end to a 4-26 season served as a sad ending for the team. Throughout their struggles and difficulties overcoming competition, Jim Crowley and his players displayed heart and determination that made them likeable.
Crowley didn’t have a lot to work with going into this season. He had a 10-person team of another coach’s players, and a slew of injuries that made things even worse. Plus, the nagging injuries of senior guard Dani Haskell made things even more difficult. I believe that she was never given the time to fully recuperate from any of her “bumps and bruises.”
Depth remained a constant issue for this team. They had nobody on the bench to pick up the slack. 10 players is 10 players.
Not all this team’s moments were bad however, despite losing to George Mason, the Bonnies stayed with the Patriots the entire game. They keep the game close during crunch time, losing by only four points. Three players scored in double figures and the Bonnies kept a win within reach the entire time. This team is better than their records shows but losses are losses.
This game is drastically different from Bonaventure’s last game in the Reilly Center where they lost 61-46 to Richmond. Bonaventure lost the lead and didn’t make up the deficit. Their offensive struggles stemmed from not having enough players in the scoring column.
However, this game had its highlights as well. The Bonnies prevented the Spiders from shooting the three. The Spiders went 5-25 from the 3-point line, which is a far cry from their usual performance from the arc which typically lingers around 40%.
Instead of losing hope in this team, we should be asking “Where do we go from here?”
This team has glimmers of hope, but they are overshadowed by the repeated losses. Sometimes we as basketball fans forget to take a look at the stat column after a loss. Stars like redshirt junior guard Isabellah Middleton and Haskell are those glimmers of hope. They are two talented players who play their hearts out and do anything for their team. Plus they know how to score in crunch time.
With hardship comes learning, and with learning comes new beginnings. This team is at a point where they can rebuild themselves and become a completely different program. They have so much room for improvement but it can only go up from here.
elkinsae23@bonaventure.edu
