OLEAN, N.Y. – I'yanna Lops scored a game-high 22 points, leading St. Bonaventure (3-8) to a 50-48 win over Binghamton (6-6) in a non-conference women's basketball game on Friday night at the Reilly Center. The game marked the Bearcats' fifth and final game over a 10-day stretch.
Lopps shot 10-for-15 from the field and made both of her free throw attempts. She also added four rebounds, two assists, a pair of blocks and two steals.
Senior guard
Denai Bowman once again filled up the stat sheet for the Bearcats. She turned in a 12-point, four-rebound, five-assist, two-block, two-steal performance. Her five assists came against just two turnovers.
With 993 career points, Bowman is now in 19th place all time in Binghamton program history. Against the Bonnies, she surpassed Sherae Swinson, who scored 985 points from 2011-15.
The Bearcats were down 29-22 at the half after managing just nine points during the second period. In the third period, however, they roared back to tie the game at 31-31 on a jumper by Bowman at the 7:26 mark.
St. Bonaventure regrouped in the fourth period, taking a 48-41 on a jumper by Lopp with 5:22 left in regulation. That would be, however, the Bonnies' final field goal of the night.
Freshman guard
Meghan Casey scored five straight points, pulling the Bearcats to within 48-46 with 1:35 left to go. The Bonnies went 1-for-2 from the free throw line on their ensuing possession but sophomore forward
Genevieve Coleman trimmed the deficit to 49-48 on a hook shot with 47 seconds left to go.
Over the next three defensive possessions, Binghamton came up with a block and a pair of steals. On the offensive end, however, the Bearcats were unable to sink the go-ahead shot. St. Bonaventure then added a free throw in the last second of the game.
"We battled hard tonight and had a chance to win even in the final second," head coach
Bethann Shapiro Ord said. "But the first half was really the key to the game. We were a little complacent with our shot selection and should have been attacking the basket better. We were settling for outside shots and we are more successful when we get in the paint."
Redshirt freshman guard
Ella Wanzer finished with nine points while Casey and graduate student forward
Shannon O'Connor each chipped in eight points. Coleman had a game-high three blocks to go along with six points, five rebounds and a pair of assists.
Kaitlyn Parker added 10 points for the Bonnies.
Binghamton struggled from the field, connecting on just 32 percent of its shots (19-of-59). Although the Bearcats out-rebounded St. Bonaventure 36-33, they were outscored in the paint by a 28-14 margin.
Binghamton is off until hosting Hartford on Dec. 20 for a 6:07 p.m. game.