Photo courtesy of gobonnies.com
BY: SEAN WALLACE; SPORTS ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
The St. Bonaventure University women’s basketball team (16-14, 7-11 A-10) will skip round one of the Atlantic 10 Tournament after a 77-69 win over Fordham University (10-19, 2-16 A-10) on Saturday at the Reilly Center.
It marks the program’s first winning season since 2015-16, when the Bonnies finished 24-8 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The team honored redshirt junior forward Mya Davidson, senior forward Gabby Robinson and graduate guards Aaliyah Parker and Laycee Drake in a Senior Day ceremony.
Both teams traded baskets in the first half, but Bonaventure closed on a 12-0 run to take a 33-23 lead at halftime.
The Bonnies led by as many as 14 in the third quarter, but Fordham’s six 3-pointers helped trim the deficit to four. Bonaventure held a 49-45 lead at the end of the quarter.
Bonaventure pulled away in the fourth quarter, and Fordham did not regain the lead after the second quarter.
Drake led the Bonnies with 26 points and eight rebounds. Parker chipped in with 23 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Mackenzie Pettinelli set a new career high with 18 points.
Senior guard Alexis Black led the Rams with 18 points.
Bonaventure faces Loyola University Chicago (13-16, 9-9 A-10) in the second round of the A-10 Tournament on Thursday, March 5, at the Henrico Sports & Events Center in Glen Allen, Virginia. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m., and the game will air on ESPN+.
