Bonnies slide past Saint Louis, 75-63

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St. Bonaventure opens with a win in conference play

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – Seniors Dana Mitchell and Andrea Doneth combined to score 34 points to lead St. Bonaventure women’s basketball past Saint Louis, 75-63, at the Reilly Center in the Atlantic 10 opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon.

St. Bonaventure moves to 13-3 on the season and wins back-to-back conference openers after defeating La Salle 62-57 last season. The Bonnies have now won 20 out of their last 23 home games.

Mitchell led the Bonnies with 22 points going 8-of-13 from the floor and 6-for-8 from the line. Doneth pitched in a season-high 12 points only missing one basket (5-for-6) and two at the line and also dished out a team-high four assists. The classmates grabbed six rebounds apiece.

Redshirt sophomore Armelia Horton also hit double figures for the Bonnies adding a career-high 18 points off just 3-of-4 from the field but hitting a career-high 12 free throws off 15 attempts. Horton pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.

The Bonnies finished the game shooting 55 percent from the field (23-42). The difference maker was the Bonnies' advantage from the free-throw line, as the A-10's leading foul-shooting team was 28-of-35 to the Billikens' 16-of-21. The Billikens shot 35 percent from the field.

After trading baskets for the opening seven minutes, Saint Louis’ Kathryn Hester came off the bench scoring six of nine points of a 9-0 run to lead 20-17 at the 10:14 mark forcing a Bonaventure timeout.

The Brown and White found their rhythm in a 16-5 tear including four points from Doneth as Saint Louis came up empty on five straight possessions. Mitchell contributed a traditional three-point play followed by another basket. Freshman Alaina Walker, who finished with six points and rebounds, capped the run on a short-range jumper to give the Bonnies their biggest lead of the half (8), 33-25 with 4:30 remaining.

Saint Louis’ Amanda Kemezys turned an offensive rebound into a three-point play to make it a 33-28 game. The teams traded two points from the line while Mitchell added a charity point and even with a Lauren Woods jumper, the Bonnies took a 36-32 advantage into the locker room.

Saint Louis quickly pulled even as Kemezys and Woods hit the opening two baskets, but the Bonnies scored five of the next six points before Saint Louis hit a layup to pull within two, 41-39.

St. Bonaventure scored on its next three possessions to take a 47-41 advantage. The Bonnies continued to lead from the four- to-eight-point range for more than six minutes before two Walker free throws gave the Bonnies a 59-50 lead.

The Billikens chipped away at the lead, making it a two-possession game with 1:17 remaining. The Bonnies however shut out Saint Louis on its last five attempts, and Horton made six consecutive free throws to secure the win.

The Bonnies shot a season-best 63.6 percent from the field in the first half where Doneth put up 10 of her total 12 points.

Kemeyzs led Saint Louis with 15 points and nine rebounds. Three other Billikens scored in double figures – Katie Paganelli (12), Woods (10) and Hester (10). Saint Louis earned 22 points off of 17 offensive boards compared to the Bonnies’ nine points off seven rebounds.

The Bonnies continue conference play at the Reilly Center on Wednesday against Duquesne. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.