SEMIFINAL #2: #3 Fordham 73, #2 St. Bonaventure 32....

"I wish this wasn't real....I wish this game wasn't real...."

The words of Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, St. Bonaventure's Jim Crowley after his team's emotional time in Richmond came to a painful end with a 73-32 loss to Fordham in the Tournament Semifinals at the Richmond Coliseum.

As for the game, it was simply, at its root, a matter of making shots versus missing them. St. Bonaventure set the A-10 Tournament record for fewest points in a game (32), fewest field goals made (9), and the lowest field goal shooting percentage (16.7% on 9-of-54 from the field).

But more than that, the Bonnies had to deal with so much more than just five opponents on a basketball court, continuing to deal with the tragic loss of Assistant Sports Information Director Brian Moretti, who collapsed and passed away of cardiac arrest after arriving in Richmond on Wednesday night at only 25 years of age.

"Everyone grieves differently, but we do grieve as a family," Crowley noted with purpose, paying tribute to his team for their effort in the second half, where Fordham only had a 35-28 advantage. He said he didn't look ahead as to how to help the team forget this game and prepare them for a likely appearance in the WNIT, choosing to begin that process following the contest.

For Fordham, it, too, was a strange experience. They shot 57.7% from the floor, 13-of-22 from three-point range (their best performance beyond the arc this season). Subs who played liberally in the second half had hot hands. So, for head coach Stephanie Gaitley, it was also a unique halftime period.

"I told the kids, it's 0-0. I had to, because if I let up, they let up, and we've had some games this year where we had good leads at halftime and we did let up some," Gaitley explained.

Hannah Missry launched the Rams' offensive assault with four quick treys in the opening minutes as the lead built to 19-2 in just seven minutes. Many games begin like that, with the team behind launching a comeback of some sort. St. Bonaventure tried, but the shots simply wouldn't fall. With 4:08 left in the first half, they were shooting five percent (1-of-20) from the field. Two and a half minutes later, the score was 33-2.

Missry led the Rams with 18 points while Erin Rooney scored her 10 points in the first half. Katie Healy led St. Bonaventure with 12 points, 10 after intermission. The lead grew to as many as 49 at 67-18 with 4:30 to go before the Bonnies (23-10) finished on a 14-6 run.

The attention now turns to the Championship Game, where Fordham played a year ago, had the lead, but fell in heartbreaking fashion to St. Joseph's 47-46. This year they face Dayton, the #1 seed, a team Gaitley has never beaten in her time at Fordham.

"Abigail (Corning) told me last night after the game (quarterfinal win over Duquesne) that that was her first win over Duquesne. We were 1-7 against St. Bonaventure before today. So maybe the stars are aligned."

We'll find out Sunday at 11AM.