Sunday, December 18, 2011

Bowker Stings Marist Again, Bonaventure Moves To 10-1

St. Bonaventure University Athletic News
December 18, 2011

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Highlights & Press Conference Coming Soon

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. –
After scoring a game-high 17 points in a victory against Marist last year, junior Chelsea Bowker nearly duplicated the feat with a game-best 19 points Sunday afternoon to pace St. Bonaventure (10-1) to a 67-56 win over Marist (4-4) in a mid-major clash at the Reilly Center.

Bowker knocked down a 3-pointer to kick off the game's scoring as part of an 11-0 Bonaventure run to open the contest. The Ohio native didn't score again until she started the second half in the exact same fashion she did the first – by hitting a 3 to commence the half's scoring.

That was the first 3 of a 4-for-4 effort from beyond the 3-point line in the second half for Bowker, who tied a career high by knocking down five triples on the day.

Senior Jessica Jenkins scored 12 of her 16 points in the first half for the Bonnies, while classmate Megan Van Tatenhove tallied 10 for the game in her first action back since suffering a head injury Dec. 10 against Buffalo.

With the game tied 48-48 with eight minutes left, Van Tatenhove demonstrated why she landed on the Preseason Atlantic10 First Team this year. The Wisconsin product knocked down a pair of free throws to break the deadlock, followed that up with a putback and-1 finish and then found an open Alaina Walker underneath to cap a 7-0 run in 1:30 which gave the Bonnies a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

The win is the 10th in the non-conference docket for the Bonnies, who have now had six consecutive seasons of double-digit non-league wins. The 1992-93 season was the only other year a Bonaventure team has had 10+ non-conference victories.

St. Bonaventure held Marist off the scoreboard until the 11:50 mark of the half when Brandy Gang hit the first two points of her team-high 18 on the afternoon. The Red Foxes were then able to chip into that double-figure deficit to eventually tie the game at 17-17 – once again on a Gang bucket.

Jenkins kept the Brown and White in the game in the first as she knocked down four of SBU's five 3-pointers in the half. Gang accounted for 52 percent (14 of 27) of Marist's points in the first half, while Jenkins scored 46 percent (12 of 26) of Bonaventure's.

The Bonnies will be back in action on Thursday, Dec. 22, when they travel to Hamilton, N.Y. to face Colgate University for the first time since the 2007-08 season. Tipoff against the Raiders is set for 2 p.m. from Cotterell Court.

GAME NOTES: Walker finished with six points, seven rebounds and a team-best three assists … redshirt senior Armelia Horton did not score, but pulled down a season-high eight rebounds … after trailing the rebounding edge at the half, 21-17, the Bonnies dominated the glass in the second to finish with a 36-30 advantage … SBU recorded a season-high five blocks … Marist went 31-3 last year, with one of those losses coming by a 45-40 margin against St. Bonaventure.

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