Women’s basketball overwhelmed St. Bonaventure on all sides of the ball Sunday at home.

The Colonials (9–17, 6–7 A-10) showcased a balanced offensive front in the 57–44 victory over the Bonnies (8–19, 5–9 A-10) on Senior Day aided by a defense that held the Bonnies to less than 30 percent shooting from the field.

Senior guard Mei-Lyn Bautista, an everyday presence in the lineup, was sidelined with a possible concussion, according to an athletic department spokesman. But senior guard Anna Savino and senior forward Kelsi Mahoney provided the bulk of the Colonials’ offense, combining for 22 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.

“I knew without Mei playing that we needed to step it up a little bit,” Savino said. “But she definitely gave me a lot of confidence before the game so I just came out onto the court and gave it my all.”

[gwh_image id=”1081165″ credit=”Eric Lee | Photographer” align=”none” size=”embedded-img”]Senior guard Anna Savino hugs fellow senior guard Mei-Lyn Bautista, who was unable to play due to injury.[/gwh_image]

Savino knocked in 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting while Mahoney chipped in 12 points, half of which came from the charity stripe.

The Colonials’ 46.2 field goal percentage on a 20-for-43 clip marked their most efficient shooting performance on the season. Every player on the court for GW scored at least one basket and a total of three players had double-digit point totals. Freshman guard Maddie Loder collected 10 points on the day.

“You want to know that regardless of foul trouble, regardless of somebody having an awesome night or somebody being tired, that it’s easy for you to turn around and say like, ‘it’s your turn,’” head coach Jennifer Rizzotti said. “That comfort has been getting greater for me as the second half of the season has gone on.”

The Bonnies shot just 29.0 percent from the floor on an 18-for-62 clip. St. Bonaventure was led by senior guard McKenna Maycock, who tallied 13 points and swiped four steals in the game.

Without Bautista on the court running the team’s offense, GW’s efforts were at times hampered by turnovers as different people took turns handling the ball. The Colonials turned the ball over 18 times, giving the Bonnies 16 extra points.

“We’ve been doing a decent job taking care of the ball but when you have your best assist and a turnover guy missing, as a coach you maybe anticipate a little bit of sloppiness,” Rizzotti said. “I just thought I was really impressed with how our team adjusted.”

Under the glass, the Colonials grabbed 38 rebounds to St. Bonaventure’s 32 boards on the day.

GW had one of its most productive first quarters in weeks, shooting at a 46.2 percent clip from the floor. GW went 6-for-13 from the floor and racked up 15 points while limiting St. Bonaventure to four points on 1-for-15 shooting.

“That intensity, it was great to see it carry over for almost the entire game,” Mahoney said. “We haven’t really seen that much this year so it’s really exciting to see it all fall into place today.”

Savino and freshman center Kayla Mokwuah powered GW’s offense in the first quarter, combining for 12 points and four rebounds.

The Colonials continued their offensive push in the second frame, at one point jumping out to a 24–9 advantage. While the Bonnies recovered from their slow start and outscored GW overall 14–13 in the second frame, the Colonials’ efficient 62.5 percent shooting allowed them to preserve their lead, heading to the locker rooms at halftime up 28–18.

The Bonnies found their footing on offense after the break.

St. Bonaventure scored 17 points and shot at a 50.0 percent clip in the third frame. A 10–1 run by the Bonnies sliced GW’s lead down to three points 31–28 with 6:37 left in the frame before a quick 7–0 spurred by a Mahoney three grew GW’s lead back to double-digits 38–28 with less than five minutes left in the quarter.

The Colonials entered the final 10 minutes of play up 43–35.

The Bonnies shrank GW’s lead down to five points 49–44 following a 9–3 run with 3:14 left in the frame, but St. Bonaventure’s offensive burst stalled just when it mattered most, condemning the Bonnies to a scoreless final three minutes and allowing GW a 7–0 run to end the contest and cap off the win.

The Colonials return to action against Duquesne Wednesday at 7 p.m.