The St. Bonaventure Bonnies have so far made the most of their first NCAA Women's Tournament appearance in school history, winning two straight to advance to the Sweet 16. Tuesday night, they took out the Marist Red Foxes 66-63, but not before yet another tight finish.
The Bonnies led by as many as 10 points in the first half, but the Red Foxes pulled even and eventually took a 43-42 lead on a Brandy Gang 3-pointer with 15 minutes to go in the game. The lead changed hands three times over the next 5:30 before the Bonnies took the lead for good at 52-49 on a Chelsea Bowker 3-pointer.
Marist had a chance to tie the game with 1:25 to go in regulation. Kelsey Beynnon was fouled on a made layup, but missed the free throw that would have tied the game at 64-64. The Bonnies then ran nearly a minute off the clock on a single possession, securing two offensive rebounds to force Marist to foul out of desperation. Cece Dixon made both of her free throws to put the Bonnies up 66-63 with 23 seconds to go.
Jessica Jenkins led all scorers with 22 points on 7-for-17 shooting. She had made 45 straight free throws when she was fouled with 10 seconds to go in the game. She missed off the back of the rim, however, giving Marist one last chance to tie the game with a 3-pointer. The shot was just off to the right at the buzzer, giving St. Bonaventure the win.
Doris Ortega chipped in 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win for the game's only double-double. Gang led the Red Foxes with 19 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the floor, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. St. Bonaventure will play the No. 1 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Sweet 16 on Sunday.
For more on the 2012 Women's NCAA Tournament, stay tuned to SB Nation New York's NCAA Women's Tournament StoryStream. Read here for a complete bracket and list of matchups.