ST. BONAVENTURE (2/6/04) -- It never matters the season, the team's record, or the amount of snow that accumulated in Western New York - St. Bonaventure always plays the Hawks tough at the Reilly Center. After narrowly missing upsets in the past three meetings at SBU, the Bonnies knocked off Saint Joseph's, 70-68, for the first time in 19 meetings. The last St. Bonaventure win was a 62-61 victory at the Fieldhouse on February 3, 1994. Senior Stephanie Graff matched a career-high with 25 points and added 11 rebounds but SJU dropped to 12-7 and 7-2 in the Atlantic 10 East.
A frantic final four minutes saw four ties and six lead changes. After a Graff layup gave the Hawks their final lead at 68-67 with 56 seconds to go, Bonnies sharpshooter Stefanie Collins was fouled and made both ends of the 1-and-1. Now trailing by one, SJU (12-7, 7-2 A-10) got a wild layup attempt with 10 seconds to go, but the shot was off the mark and St. Joe's was forced to foul. SBU's (7-13, 3-6) Audrey Latendresse converted on one of two foul shots to seal the victory.
The contest was tooth and nail for the entire 40 minutes of play with neither team taking more than a six-point lead. St. Bonaventure, which placed five players in double-figures, played arguably its best game of the season. Collins led the way with 18 points, including 7 in the final three minutes.
Despite falling short in the end, Saint Joseph's did convert on four straight possessions down the stretch, all which gave SJU short-lived leads. Graff continued her tear of late, setting career highs in shooting (11-for-17) and recording her second straight double-double. She moved into 16th place on the all-time scoring list 1,029 points.
Senior Amra Mehmedic came off the bench to score a season high 12 points, while classmate Irina Krasnoshiok pitched in with 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Hawks will have to rebound quickly, as they travel to Fordham on Sunday for a noon tip-off. The game will be broadcast on A-10 TV and can be seen locally on Comcast SportsNet.