They earned their first postseason win in a decade. And it was a thriller. St. Bonaventure women scored a 69-67 overtime win over Drexel in the first round of the WNIT. Thursday’s game at the Reilly Center saw the Bonnies improve to 17-15 while Drexel ended their season at 21-11.
Possessions: 70
Offensive Efficiency: St. Bona 99, Drexel 96
Four Factors:
| St. Bona | Drexel | |
| eFG Pct. | 44 | 58 |
| FT Rate | 19 | 6 |
| OREB Pct. | 28 | 23 |
| TO Rate | 11 | 21 |
Points of Emphasis:
Dexel attempted 24 of their 64 (38%) field goal attempts from beyond the arc. The Bonnies only attempted 26% (18) of their shots (70) from long range. 18 of 70. That should explain a lot regarding Bona’s higher free throw rate. Bonnies were 12 of 13 (92%) while Drexel was 2 of 4 (50%). In simple terms if you rely more on the perimeter, it is more difficult to draw fouls.
The numbers showed Drexel had a 40-20 advantage on points in the paint. While the Bonnies tied their season low with just seven turnovers, they took a toll as Drexel converted them into 11 points. The numbers didn’t measure heart.
Coach Amy Mallon’s Dragons played with heart, no doubt about it. For the Bonnies, it was just a little more with some resilience added. Twice the Bonnies trailed by ten points. The latest a 59-49 Drexel advantage with 5:20 remaining. The Bonnies closed it out on a 10-0 run to force overtime. In the extra session Drexel struck first scoring the first three points. The respective teams would trade leads until 9 seconds remained and Bona’s Aaliyah Parker drove and converted in the paint. A last second Drexel attempt was off the mark.
Drexel (13-5) finished tied with Campbell as runner up in the Coastal Athletic Association behind Charleston (16-2). In the conference tournament Drexel suffered a 53-49 overtime loss to Hofstra in the semifinals.
“Drexel is one of the most consistent mid-major programs in the country,” Bona coach Jim Crowley told gobonnies.com. “I’ve got so much respect for how they do things.”
Drexel featured three point shooters as Laine McGuirk, a torrid 5 of 11 from beyond the arc. They also ran a lot of motion with weak side screens that opened that created back door opportunities for their cutters. “We knew they were going to run their stuff and put a lot of pressure on us,” Crowley said, “but we hung around.”
Sixth man. The crowd does not score points or get on the final stats, except for attendance. Make no mistake, the Bona faithfull’s presence made a difference.
I think when Aaliyah hit that three (when the Bonnies made their late run in regulation) it was probably as loud as I heard this place in a decade,” Crowley said. “Our kids fed off that. Just so appreciative of our team’s effort and commitment to each other, but also to the support of the community and to know that this program means a lot to a lot of people, the kids respect that.”
Notes. Laycee Drake of Bona led all scorers with 24 points. Laine McGuirk paced Drexel with 19. Aaliyah Parker added 10 for the Bonnies. Freshman Elyse MacDonough had nine for Bona including two crucial three pointers in the extra session. Bonnies shot 34% from the field, 50% 99 of 18) from deep. Drexel checked in at 45%, 29% 97 of 24) from long range. The teams were tied at 40 in the rebounding department. Parker led all with 10 rebounds to complete her double-double.
Next. Bonnies will travel to Murfreesboro (Tenn.) to face Middle Tennessee on Monday. Another strong mid-major, the Blue Raiders are coached by Rick Insell, who is retiring after 21 seasons and a 505-win career. To date Middle Tennessee, of Conference USA is 16-15.