#BonniesDance

#BonniesDance St. Bonaventure Women's Basketball 2016 NCAA Tournament

The St. Bonaventure women's basketball team started its trip to the 2016 NCAA Tournament with a travel day on Wednesday, March 16. The Bonnies received a send off from campus and were greeted by fans both on campus and through town as well as in Franklinville. Then, it was wheels up to Oregon.

The Bonnies earned the No. 10 seed in the Dallas Region after a regular season that saw them go 23-7 including a 12-4 record in the Atlantic 10. Both their 23 overall wins and 12 A-10 victories are second-most during the regular season in program history. With a national RPI of 34, the Brown and White makes its second appearance in the NCAA Tournament after reaching the Sweet 16 in 2012.

The team made a short stop for fuel in North Dakota before finishing the second leg of the trip to Eugene, Ore. Finally after arriving in the Pacific Northwest, Bona had a chance to practice at Williamette University in Salem, Ore. to finish a busy first day.

This year's Bonnies team continues a run of great success for the Brown and White as Bona makes its sixth postseason appearance in the last eight years.

“It’s an honor to get this opportunity."

This year's senior class started their Bonnies careers on the heels of SBU's magical Sweet 16 run in 2012. For those four players - Katie Healy, Emily Michael, Nyla Rueter and Kelcie Rombach - this year's NCAA Tournament bid brings their careers full circle. "Watching that team go to the tournament was exciting and motivating. We’re really appreciative that we’ve been able to get to this position in our senior year.”

Thursday brought a day of practice as the Bonnies hit the court at Gill Coliseum on the campus of Oregon State for the first time.

Earlier in the day, the Bonnies met a new fan - St. Bonaventure Class of 1962 graduate Tom Gaffney, who now resides in Oregon.

Members of the Bonnies also met with the ESPN TV crew covering the Corvallis games, including Olympian and WNBA star Sue Bird.

"This is for all the people who have supported us the whole way." - Head Coach Jim Crowley

"There's genuine excitement from everyone on the team to get the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament."

On game day morning, the Bonnies returned to Williamette University for breakfast and shootaround.

Before shootaround, the team watched a season highlight video put together by assistant coach Jessica Jenkins.

GAME DAY: ST. BONAVENTURE 65, OKLAHOMA STATE 54

The Bonnies moved to 3-1 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with a 65-54 victory over Oklahoma State in the first round. OK State led 11-3 early, but the Bonnies answered with a 12-1 run and never trailed again, leading for over 33 minutes of game time.

Underdogs? Bonnies just didn't buy it

Nyla Rueter scored 15 points, adding six rebounds and a pair of huge threes down the stretch.

Katie Healy scored a Bonnies NCAA Tournament record 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor.

"Our kids know there is so much passion for basketball at St. Bonaventure and they are proud to represent that."

The Bonnies returned to Gill Coliseum on Saturday in preparation for their second round game against host and second-seeded Oregon State.

The day ended with a bit of fun as the Bonnies hit the pool at their hotel for relaxation before another game day.

The Bonnies' NCAA run came to an end in the second round, falling to No. 6/6 Oregon State on the Beavers' home floor in front of over 6,000 fans. St. Bonaventure trailed by just 10 at halftime, but a tough third quarter led to a 69-40 setback to end the season.

The Bonnies ended their season at 24-8 overall, and left their NCAA Tournament trip with a number of memories to last a lifetime.

"It's definitely been a great ride," senior Katie Healy said after the game. "I feel very special to be a part of this program. We knew we were going to do great things from the beginning."

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