Photo courtesy of gobonnies.com
BY: AIDAN SHINNERS; SPORTS ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — The St. Bonaventure University women’s basketball team improved to 2-0 on the season in a 73-64 win over Mercyhurst University (1-3).
Three Bonnies reached new career highs in scoring in the contest; sophomore guard Elyse MacDonaugh scored 18 and senior Brillana Boyd scored 16. Kyla Hayes scored a career high 16 points in the contest, but filled the rest of the stat sheet too, tallying five rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.
The forward tandem of Boyd and Hayes led Bonaventure to 46 points in the paint shooting a combined 72.2% from the field.
Former Bonnie, junior guard Lena Walz played 38 minutes and led the game in scoring with 19 points in her first game at the Reilly Center since transferring to the Lakers following the 2024-25 season.
Mercyhurst came out the gates hot, taking an early 12-4 lead, but a 9-point first quarter from MacDonough and a buzzer-beating layup from sophomore guard Ivona Dijankovic gave Bonaventure a 17-16 lead going into the second quarter. The game was tied at 29 at the half.
The Bonnies began to pull away in the third, with nine points and a steal from Hayes. Bonaventure led 54-42 after the third and didn’t look back, winning the game by 9.
MacDonough and junior guard Mackenzie Pettinelli closed out the game, making two consecutive free throws each to close out the contest. Pettinelli scored seven points, four in the fourth quarter.
After scoring 33 bench points on Nov. 4 against D’Youville University, the Bonnies only managed eight but still pulled out a victory.
Bonaventure utilized 11 players in the game, with nine of them scoring. As a team, the Bonnies made 56.5% of their shots.
The Bonnies finish off their three-game homestand on Nov. 14 when Binghamton University (2-2) travel to the Reilly Center on a two-game win streak. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30p.m. with coverage available on ESPN+ and the Bonnies Online Network.
