By SPENCER BATES
CLEVELAND, OH — Prior to his team’s first game at the CSU Invitational, St. Bonaventure women’s basketball coach Jim Crowley noted that there’s a reason he and his staff schedule tough non-conference opposition.
It’s so they can more easily figure out their own team’s weaknesses and sharpen themselves against high-quality programs.
So, although the Bonnies fell 75-71 to tournament hosts Cleveland State on Nov. 26, the biggest takeaway was not the tally in the loss column, it was how they responded and did not shrink against a quality team on the road.
Both Bona and CSU entered its matchup on the back of its first losses of the season, against UAlbany and Northwestern, respectively. And it was clear that all that was on the minds of the two squads was getting right back to winning ways.
Over the course of the 40 minutes of action, the score was knotted up 12 separate times and the lead changed hands nine times. The Bonnies and Vikings exchanged blows all the way until the start of the fourth quarter.
With just under nine minutes remaining, Cleveland State took the lead for what would be the final time, doing just enough over the remainder of the affair to resist a possible result-altering Bona surge.
The Bonnies scored just four points less than Big 10 member Northwestern managed against the Vikings and on that front, they were led by none other than Laycee Drake. For the fourth time in just seven games with the Bona program Drake managed to set a new career-high in points. She finished with 23 points, which was a joint-game-high with CSU’s Colbi Maples, and did so on 9-for-16 shooting from the floor.
Drake was also a threat on the defensive end, racking up six steals.
Behind Drake, Aaliyah Parker and Mackenzie Pettinelli each finished with 12 points and, having her best game in a Bona uniform, Brianna Barr-Buday finished with 10 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting.
Maples was the most obvious offensive threat the Vikings possessed. Having been a Horizon League Player of the Year in the past and being named the conference Preseason Player of the Year ahead of this season, she was the big target for the Bonnies. But just like Crowley wanted, his team made her work for her points.
However, while she scored it was not her that dealt the most damage, that would have to be the three other CSU players that found their way into double figures. Jada Leonard was a major difference-maker in the second half, getting a good number of impactful baskets in transition. She finished with 17 points to her name while Izabella Zingaro and Macey Fegan tallied 15 and 12 points, respectively. Zingaro also reeled in a game-high seven boards.
Now the Bonnies will not have long to stew in the loss as they are set to play Radford in the second game of the tournament on Nov. 28 at 4 p.m. and then their final game against Valparaiso less than 24 hours later on Nov. 29 at 1 p.m.
This will ultimately contribute to the learning process for Crowley’s team. In playing so many games in such a short span, he will be able to tell a lot about the squad’s level of maturity based on how they respond to this defeat.
“I think its a lot about our maturity right now,” Crowley said. “That’s a really good (Cleveland State) team on their home floor. It took a lot of emotion. So, I’m glad we have tomorrow to regroup, but that’s why we do it. How do we follow a gameplan that is a quick turnaround. We’ve got to do a good job as coaches, keeping them focused, where they need to be and we need our leaders to really make sure to know why we are here. One was tough, but we’ve got two more to go.”
