OLEAN — After the final buzzer ended Syracuse’s 58-48 win over St. Bonaventure last night, SU head coach Marianna Freeman exchanged high fives with her players and told them, ‘way to fight through.’

That was a succinct message. The game appeared very much like a fight — gritty, physical and ugly. And, in what should have been a knockout, SU allowed the Bonnies to throw punches until the final bell.

‘I don’t think we played as well as we could play,’ Freeman said. ‘Tonight’s game was a gut check for us.’

Although SU never trailed, the contest was forgettable. Neither team looked sharp — they combined for 39 turnovers, 34 fouls and shot a combined 33.6 percent.

‘It was sloppy,’ St. Bonaventure coach Jim Crowley said. ‘We knew it would be tough to get this game into the 60s.’

Syracuse jumped to a 20-9 first-half lead but then allowed the Bonnies to stay within single digits for the rest of the game. Instead of putting away St. Bonaventure — which lost its last game to Pacific, 61-42 — sloppy offensive play and porous post defense prevented SU from closing the game.

‘We just didn’t play smart,’ point guard Julie McBride said.

‘We didn’t make good decisions with the basketball,’ Freeman said. ‘We’re not coming to the ball hard.’

After their quick start, the Orangewomen showed the malaise resulting from their recent California road trip. Every time they had a chance to send St. Bonaventure to the canvas for good, the Bonnies crept back with consistent jabs. After SU center Awa Diop connected on a nifty turnaround jump shot to give the Orangewomen a 27-17 lead with 3:07 left in the first half, the Bonnies chipped away with a Courtney Mattingly three-pointer and two post baskets to make it 29-24 at the break.

St. Bonaventure held its momentum with an opening 7-3 run to start the second half, cutting SU’s lead to one. A frustrated Freeman called two timeouts in the first three minutes. During each break, she implored her team to increase its intensity.

They couldn’t, and St. Bonaventure made a final charge that nearly topped SU. A three-point play by the Bonnies’ Emma Haywood made it 46-45. Syracuse was on the ropes, but strong defense saved the Orangewomen. St. Bonaventure scored just three points in the final six minutes.

While SU couldn’t connect with a roundhouse to topple St. Bonaventure, it had a weapon that kept the Bonnies staggered all game — Shannon Perry. She registering her fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 14 rebounds.

While the lackluster effort was disappointing, the Orangewomen didn’t care how they achieved the win.

‘I’m not disappointed at all,’ McBride said. ‘It’s a win, and I’m gonna take it.’

Published on December 5, 2002 at 12:00 pm