The Seattle University women's basketball team is thankful to have Joan Bonvicini as its coach, and the highly-credentialed bench maestro is just as grateful to have a new opportunity in her long and storied career.
Wednesday night at the Connolly Center, one could tell that Bonvicini's methods are paying off... even if desirable scoreboard outcomes are still lacking.
After facing tenacious defenses from the likes of Purdue and Dayton, the Redhawks were able to post their highest point total of the season on Thanksgiving Eve against Sacramento State. Yet, the visiting Hornets were able to escape Seattle with an 80-68 win that puts SU at 0-6 on the young season.
Call this result lamentable if you wish, but the game flow reveals unmistakable signs of progress. The Redhawks played with a lead for stretches of time, something they hadn't managed to do over the previous few weeks. Moreover, if SU had been able to shoot better than 9-of-19 from the foul line - a very correctable weakness as far as basketball diagnostics are concerned - the Bonvicini Bunch just might have won its first game of 2009.
Yes, the scoreboard still put frowns on faces at the Connolly Center, but don't let that fact obscure an even more important reality: Improvements are slowly but genuinely emerging for the women of Seattle University basketball.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
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