St. Bonaventure ousts Drexel from WNIT with 69-67 win in OT
The Bonnies erased a 10-point Drexel lead in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
Drexel was eliminated in the first round of the WNIT Tournament with a 69-67 overtime loss to St. Bonaventure on Thursday in Allegany, N.Y.
The loss marks the second consecutive game the Dragons (21-11) were eliminated in extra time. In the Coastal Athletic Association conference tournament, Drexel unraveled late against Hofstra before losing in overtime.
Drexel leading scorer Amaris Baker scored just seven points, but the Dragons led for the majority of Thursday’s game and were up by 10 with 8 minutes, 42 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
The Bonnies (17-15) started chipping away behind the late-game heroics of fifth-year guard Laycee Drake, who scored a game-high 24 points. Trailing Drexel 50-42 going into the fourth, St. Bonaventure outscored the Dragons 17-9 in the final period to force overtime.
In the fourth quarter and overtime, the Dragons shot a combined 35% while the Bonnies mounted their comeback.
With 29 seconds to go in overtime St. Bonaventure freshman guard Elyse MacDonough hit a three-pointer to take a 67-64 lead. Drexel responded quickly with junior guard Laine McGurk making a three to tie the game at 67 with 13 seconds left.
Fifth-year Bonnies guard Aliyah Parker muscled her way into the paint to convert the game-winning lay-up with nine seconds remaining. A corner three-point attempt by Baker with two seconds left fell short for Drexel.
With Baker struggling, it was McGurk and junior guard Julia Garcia Roig who ran the show for Drexel. McGurk made 5 of 11 from three-point range en route to 19 points. Roig had 14 points, 10 assists, and no turnovers off the bench.
Drake scored the Bonnies’ first 12 points of the game on her way to 24 on the night, along with eight rebounds and three assists. The Dragons held Parker to 4-of-18 shooting, but she still scored 13 points with 10 rebounds.