By Skye Tulio
Sports Assignment Editor
The women’s basketball team (2-0) hosts the Colgate Red Raiders (1-1) tonight at 7 after consecutive victories to begin the season.
The team beat the Red Raiders 68-49 last season. It was the first time the Bonnies had five players (Armelia Horton, Chelsea Bowker, Jessica Jenkins, Alaina Walker and CeCe Dixon) score double-figures since Jan. 2, 2009 against Bryant.
On Monday night, the Bonnies traveled to Niagara for their first away game of the season, defeating the Purple Eagles, 51-49. The Brown and White shot 30.8 percent (16-52) from the field, but also held their Little Three rival to 36.7 percent (18-49).
After the Bonnies shot just 24 percent in the first half (6-25), the Purple Eagles led by five. Junior forward Doris Ortega led the offense in the first, scoring six and grabbing five boards.
“I’m really proud of our group,” Coach Jim Crowley said in a post-game interview. “That’s a very tough Niagara team who played very well on a day when we were missing some shots we normally make. We stuck with our defense, we with stuck with taking care of the ball and at the end of the day those things were enough to help us get the victory.”
The women went on a 12-0 second half run to snag the lead from the Purple Eagles.
Junior forward Doris Ortega said the Bonnies revamped their defense in the second half after applying corrections from the coaching staff.
“I think we did a really good job of taking those suggestions and correcting them on the court and it helped us especially in the end,” Ortega said.
Ortega scored the winning basket for the Bonnies, giving them a 51-45 lead and achieving her third career double-double. The Purple Eagles would score four more points before the clock ran out. Senior Alaina Walker captured three of her season and team high-tying 10 rebounds and freshman Katie Healy scored six of her 12 points for the Bonnies in the second half.
Prior to the start of their season opener against Binghamton last Saturday, the Bonnies unveiled the 2012 Atlantic 10 Regular Season Champions (14-0) banner in the Reilly Center arena.
The Brown and White followed the unveiling with a 61-34 victory over the Binghamton Bearcats thanks to substantial contributions from the team’s freshmen class.
Leading the newcomers, Healy nabbed 12 points and a game-high seven rebounds in just 19 minutes. Guard Nyla Rueter scored two points for the Bonnies with three assists and two caroms.
Guard Emily Michael scored six points with three rebounds and three assists while forward Hannah Little contributed four points, three steals and two rebounds. While not scoring for the Bonnies, guard Kelcie Rombach grabbed two rebounds.
Usual offensive leaders, Walker and Ortega combined for only two points on 1-10 shooting from the field.
Crowley said despite the Bonnies’ start he was pleased with his team’s performance.
“We didn’t start well, we were settling for jump shots,” Crowley said. “I thought Emily (Michael) and Tatiana (Wilson) really gave us a boost with ball pressure and attacking the rim. Then Jordan (McGee) came in and really kept that energy going and Katie (Healy) gave us a presence inside. Once we settled in to attacking the basket and getting the ball in the paint, we got some pretty good shots.”
The victory also served as a showcase for career-highs throughout the team. Dixon attempted a career high six three-pointers, connecting on two and scoring 10 points. Senior guard Jordan McGee recorded a career high six rebounds and Wilson scored a career best five points, connecting on her first three-pointer.
Crowley said the Bonnies hurried the offense a little too much in the second half but said the purpose of the season opener is to help identify the team’s strengths and weaknesses.
“We made a lot of mistakes defensively,” Crowley said. “We’re fortunate they missed some easy shots, but that’s what first games are for. There are certainly some things we know we need to get better at but also some things that were very positive to see.”
