By SPENCER BATES
ST. BONAVENTURE — Ahead of its final “Big 4” matchup of the season against Niagara, the St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team is looking for consistency after showing moments of strength in previous fixtures.
Despite having suffered a 64-48 loss to UAlbany on Dec. 14, the Bonnies won the second half, outscoring the Great Danes by a 32-25 margin in that time.
Within those final two quarters, coach Jim Crowley saw the level of ability contained within his side. Now, it is just a matter of bringing that out and playing with that standard on a regular basis.
“Consistency is a continuing issue,” Crowley said. “We’re seeing more flashes of playing better, so certainly that’s an area we want to continue to grow. Our ability to score if teams are focused on Dani (Haskell), I thought we made some good headway with that in the second half on Saturday. And then just our ability on the glass and not to get hurt by it, not to give up scores there. Obviously tomorrow is going to be a big test to that.”
Crowley noted that the big second-half performance against UAlbany came down to his team’s ability to take the critiques, on both sides of the floor, and run with them. In the final half against the Great Danes, he saw those adjustments lead to a bit more comfort from those on the floor which brought about a better understanding of how they were to score.
Barring any injuries or setbacks, Crowley will be looking towards those specific rotations moving forward.
“Obviously, we didn’t play well in the first half or the first quarter, specifically, against Albany,” Crowley said. “In the second half, we took care of the ball, we handled the defensive adjustments as well as the offensive adjustments to get some looks. So, seeing some of that, seeing people are starting to understand the shots they are going to get, and being ready for those, I thought a couple people did that very well in the second half (against) Albany, as well as in the game against Cornell. Hopefully, through injuries and different things, (we will be) able to settle in on a little more of a consistent rotation so people understand where their roles are.”
Isabellah Middleton was one such player that made an extraordinary impact in the second half against UAlbany. Her intensity on the defensive end led to a number of steals and, in turn, fast-break points. This caught the eye of Crowley, who will look for her to continue to show that level of dedication in hopes that it will transfer to everyone else on the court in a Bona uniform.
“Her ball pressure really impacted things in the second half of that (UAlbany) game,” Crowley said. “She really started things … and gave us a really big boost in that role, coming off the bench, which we want to hopefully continue. … In the second half, we played at the defensive level of intensity … that we needed to all game. That’s something we’ve talked about. We’ve got to make sure we practice here today and carry it over to tomorrow. It’ll be a different game, it will be very choppy with (Niagara’s) press and the amount of fouls and different things. But (we) still need to be able to force Niagara in the half-court more often, have that ball pressure, that off-ball intensity, and finish with the rebounding.”
Another player that Crowley credited for her strong impact in the game against UAlbany was Caitlin Frost, who recorded a team-high 16 points for the Bonnies.
“Obviously the scoring has been a plus, and something we certainly think will be consistent, but her defense has been really solid as well,” Crowley said. “I mean, her ability the last few games to give us a pretty solid defensive effort against some pretty good players has been really important. Obviously, we need her not only to score tomorrow, but also to be able to rebound and just to have length. … Her versatility is going to keep growing and her (comfort) with the people she plays with is going to keep growing.”
That defense will be important against a Purple Eagles team that has four players currently averaging double-digit points. Marlie Dickerson leads all scorers with just under 12 points per game. Talia Dial and Safiatu Kolliegbo average 10.7 and 10.1 points respectively with Amelia Strong averaging 11.3 but through just four games.
“We’ve had three games where I didn’t think we did that to the level where we should,” Crowley said. “I mentioned Buffalo, Bowling Green, and I would throw Loyola (Maryland) in those games that we didn’t show the resiliency that I know we’re capable of. So, to me at the half (of the UAlbany game), it was kind of a moment to see if we did it again and I thought we really fought back. That’s got to be the standard, and that’s got to be the expectation. Now, how do we put that together at the start (and keep it going) throughout the 40 minutes? That’s not just when you show up on game day, that’s how you got to prepare. … How long do we dwell on the mistakes and what do we do on the next play? That is vital to having some success tomorrow.”
Bona is scheduled to tip-off against Niagara at the Reilly Center at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 17.
