By SPENCER BATES
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the second meeting of the season between the St. Bonaventure and George Washington women’s basketball teams, it was the latter getting revenge for the loss it suffered back on New Year’s Eve.
Bona was able to ring in the new year on the back of a thrilling win over the Revolutionaries back on Dec. 31 after Mackenzie Pettinelli nailed the game-winning basket with two seconds left, saving a near-botched offensive set.
But that game was nearly two months ago, both teams have grown significantly since the first meeting and in round two, the Revs were determined to show that their change has been for the better as they handed the Bonnies a 61-47 loss.
The Revolutionaries entered the game having lost four of their last five games, but that one win coming in overtime over Richmond, stood out as a symbol of their capabilities. And early against Bona, they flexed those muscles.
The Bonnies were put in a significant hole in the first half, having been out-scored by 13 through the first two quarters. They were able to put together a solid few minutes after halftime where they shaved their deficit to just five points, but were unable to fully close the gap.
GW came up with a response to the early Bona blitz and pushed the score further out of reach, going into the final frame up 53-35. The visitors won the fourth quarter by a 12-8 margin, but all it did was slightly shrink the margin of defeat it suffered.
“We just dug ourselves too big a hole early,” Bona women’s basketball head coach Jim Crowley said. “We made a decent little run in the third quarter, but credit to George Washington, they came out and really executed their stuff and really played very physical and did a great job on the boards. We got to move on past this one, and have to go get Saturday.”
In the scoring department, Bona was led by Aaliyah Parker, who netted 12 points along with seven rebounds. Elyse MacDonough was the only other member of the team to hit double figures, tallying 10 points on the night. Laycee Drake had just her fourth Atlantic 10 game in which she finished with single digits in the score column, finishing with seven points on 3-for-12 shooting.
For George Washington, Gabby Reynolds led the scoring with 12 points. Sara Lewis and Emma Theodorsson netted 11 and 10 points, respectively, and each grabbed nine boards in support of Reynolds.
St. Bonaventure has just one game left on its regular season schedule, a home fixture against Fordham. It will be the second meeting of the season between the sides, with the Rams getting the better of the Bonnies down the stretch in game one back on Jan. 18.
If Bona pulls out the win against Fordham, it will secure itself a bye in the first round of the A10 women’s basketball tournament, set to begin on March 4 in Henrico, Virginia.
St. Bonaventure will tip-off its final game of the regular season at 1 p.m. on Feb. 28 in the Reilly Center.
