With 23 seconds to play in the game, Megan Van Tatenhove spun into the lane and sunk a fade away jumper to seal a 56-55 victory for St. Bonaventure over Dayton on Saturday.
With the win, the Bonnies became the only team in Atlantic 10 basketball – men’s or women’s – that is ranked within the Top 25 in the nation. SBU is ranked 22nd and moved to 24-2 on the season, and extended its nation-best 12-0 record on the road after Saturday’s win.
Van Tatenhove led the Bonnies this weekend with 17 points, with the final two coming off of her clutch game-winning shot.
The win marks the 13th consecutive victory for a SBU squad that has no trouble playing away from home. Even with a poor performance from the Bonnies leading scorer Jessica Jenkins, who had just three points for the game, the team found a way to regroup and collectively contribute in comeback fashion,
Dayton snapped its six-game winning streak with the loss. The loss gives Dayton a 16-6 record and 8-2 mark in conference play, asserting itself as a team that will be a contender in the A-10 tournament.
Flyers forward Justine Raterman tallied up all of her 11 points in the second half as Dayton came up just short of pulling off the upset. Dayton was up by 15 points early in the first half but saw that lead diminish as the Bonnies ultimately prevailed.
Xavier tops Fordham in OT
On a career night, junior Amber Gray shot 6-for-8 from the field and had 17 points to help lead the Xavier Lady Musketeers to a 68-57 overtime victory over Fordham on Saturday. The win improves Xavier’s record to 6-17 as Fordham takes a hit, falling to 11-14 overall.
The other highlight of the night was the double-double performance by freshman Lakeisha Crouch, who had 13 points and 12 rebounds. Additional big-time contributions to the Lady Musketeer’s victory came from sophomore Shatyra Hawkes and senior Tyeasha Moss, with the former having an all-around productive game with 11 points, six assists and five rebounds. Moss threw in 12 points, tallied five boards and added three rejections to her stat line.
The key of the game was Xavier’s defense, as the Lady Musketeers held Fordham to just under 30 percent shooting from the field.
On the opposite end of the floor, Xavier shot a combined 42.6 percent from the field.
Late in the game, the Lady Musketeers took a 45-43 lead after an 11-0 scoring run. As Moss went to the line with Xavier clinging to a 45-44 lead she made 1-of-2 free throws, giving the Rams one last chance. With just six seconds remaining in the contest, Fordham’s Arielle Collins beat her defender and hit a clutch layup to even the score at 46 heading into the extra frame.
Overtime was all Xavier needed, as the team outscored Fordham 22-11 in the extra period. The Lady Musketeers return home tonight to face off against A-10 foe Richmond.
Richmond wins 8th straight at GWU
In a game that Richmond took control of from the start, the Spiders dominated George Washington on Saturday as the team won its eighth straight game moving it to 19-5 overall and 7-3 in the A-10.
The Spiders were on fire to begin the game, as the team converted on each of its first ten field goal attempts. When this streak ended, the Spiders held a 20-6 lead early in the first half.
The strong play continued as the game headed to the break with the Spiders taking a 39-26 advantage into the locker room.
Four of the Spiders scored double digits, as a collective effort secured the win in the second half. Rachael Bilney’s 15 points led the charge, also adding six rebounds and four assists. Becca Wann also found success in the contest, ending with 12 points, eight boards, three assists and three steals.
The bench had a great impact as well, headed by the duo of Abby Oliver and Genevieve Okoro who combined for 21 points. The team had a hot shooting night from downtown, shooting 7-for-13 from 3-point range, helping Richmond grab 21 total team assists on the night.
Chris Corso can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @MDC_Corso.
