By SPENCER BATES
CHICAGO, IL — Tied with just over 4.5 minutes left, the St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team had eyes on putting an end to its four-game losing skid.
After having scored just six points in the second quarter, Bona responded emphatically with a 21-point third quarter, putting itself in contention in the final frame.
But Loyola Chicago, currently one of the hottest teams in the Atlantic 10, had other plans.
Ultimately, the game came down to just a handful of possessions and it was the hosts that did more with those opportunities, handing Bona a 60-52 loss.
The Bonnies, with the finish line in sight, stumbled. Over the course of the game’s final minutes, they saw just one of their last eight shots fall, capping a fourth quarter in which they shot just 25% from the floor (4-for-16). Meanwhile, the Ramblers closed out the remaining minutes with makes on four of their final six attempts from the floor, as they shot 46.67% in the final frame (7-for-15).
Timely baskets were truly the deciding factor in the affair as, statistics-wise, there was almost nothing to split the sides.
Bona shot 20-for-50 from the field, Loyola shot 23-for-49. The Bonnies won the battle of the boards 30-28, fast break points 8-5 and points off turnovers — which was one of Bona head coach Jim Crowley’s keys to the game — 18-10. The Ramblers won the paint points category 28-22 and bench points by a 22-19 margin.
“I’m really proud of our effort,” Crowley said. “We gave ourselves a great chance against a very hot team on the road. And to (Loyola Chicago’s) credit, they made some plays late in the game. We’re right there. We’re just a few plays away from getting this thing going, and obviously we’ll keep working on it.”
Laycee Drake led the Bonnies with a team-high 12 points to go along with seven assists, five rebounds and three steals. Aaliyah Parker backed her up with a 10-point, five-rebound outing as well.
Olivia DiFranco continued her positive run as a spark off the bench, scoring nine points and grabbing four rebounds.
For the Ramblers, freshman sensation Alex-Anne Bessette led the way with 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting. She was the only member of her team to finish with double figures in the score column, but behind her Kira Chivers, Alexus Mobley, Brooklyn Vaughn and Kendall Hendrix contributed seven points apiece.
St. Bonaventure wrapped up its midwest road trip with the Loyola Chicago fixture and will return home in hopes of snapping its five game losing streak against Davidson on Feb. 4 at 6 p.m.
