By Mikael DeSanto
Sports Assignment Editor
Friday night saw the next installment of a Big 4 rivalry in Western New York, St. Bonaventure University against the Niagara University Purple Eagles.
The Bonnies (0-1) fell 65-43 to the Purple Eagles (1-0), as the offensive inconsistencies seen against Edinboro came back to bite them again.
The Bonnies opened the game going one for five from the field and quickly fell behind to the Purple Eagles 11-2.
“[I’m] very disappointed with us personally, with our fight,” Fleming said. “[We] got punched in the mouth early, they made some shots, and we just did not respond.”
But, they made up some of the deficit by shooting six for their next seven. They were able to cut the Purple Eagles lead to 25-22 with a balanced scoring attack that saw four players with four points and two with three points.
However, the defense struggled, as the Purple Eagles were able to take advantage of space behind the three point line, going five for 10 over in the first half.
“I was shocked. I looked at the Edinboro film, they aren’t Niagara, but I thought we were sharp there,” Fleming said. “Defense hadn’t been a problem yet, we had been keeping the ball out of the paint, we had been contesting shots pretty well, and I don’t know if we had just gotten lax there. We knew #24 (freshman guard Morgan Baughman) was a shooter and I don’t think we get the understanding of, that’s a shooter, they have got to put it on the floor.”
The score remained close at the half with the Purple Eagles holding a 30-24 lead. Baughman led Niagara with nine points at the half, while graduate forward Gabby Richmond led the Bonnies with six points.
The Bonnies started the second half roughly the way the opened the first, going two for nine, with the Purple Eagles stretching their lead out to 38-29. They would pull back into the game on a few occasions, but the Purple Eagles would respond each time, maintaining the lead for the rest of the game and securing the win.
The Purple Eagles were led by returning redshirt-junior forward Victoria Rampado, who scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds. The game was Rampado’s first since the third game of last season after suffering a shoulder injury which sidelined her for the remainder of the season.
“I’m really proud of her, because she has worked for this,” Niagara head coach Jaida Pierce said. “All summer long that was her goal, to come back better than she was before, so we are more than excited have her back and I feel bad for everybody else the rest of the year.”
Rampado said things have changed for her and her game now that she is back.
“I feel like I slowed down; the game slowed down for me,” Rampado said. “I’m taking it possession by possession, seeing what the defense is giving me, if they are giving me a lane to drive. It’s just responding to what the defense is giving me.”
A bright spot for the Bonnies was Richmond, who picked up a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes.
“I’m asking Gabby to guard Rampado, and then I’m asking her to get us a double-double,” Fleming said. “I thought she still could have, early on, finished around the basket and had a little bit of a better game, but she competed all the way through and that was great to see.”
The Purple Eagles finished the game with a 42.1 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three point range. The Bonnies finished 33.3 percent from the field and 20 percent from three.
The Bonnies will next play the Colgate Raiders on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the Reilly Center.
desantmj13@bonaventure.edu
