Junior Shaunna Ambrose scored a game-high 18 points in the St. Bonaventure loss.

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – A 17-5 run over the final four minutes helped the St. Bonaventure women’s basketball team pull off a 70-64 come-from-behind win over Niagara University (1-5) Tuesday night at the Reilly Center.

Trailing 59-53 with 4:07 left in the game, the Bonnies got seven points from Audrey Latendresse, six points from Stefanie Collins and four three-pointers to run their record to 5-0.

Niagara, which had not trailed in the game, clung to a one-point lead, 59-58, with 3:25 remaining, but St. Bonaventure took its first lead of the game on a three-pointer by Katelyn Murray at the 2:09 mark. The Purple Eagles turned the ball over on the next possession and Collins sank a three-pointer to push the lead to five points.

Junior Toni Smalley (Thornville, Ohio) made it a two-point game, 64-62, on the next possession with a three-pointer with 1:03 left, but Latendresse sank St. Bonaventure’s 12th trey of the night to put the Bonnies up 67-62 with 35 second remaining.

Niagara missed a three-point attempt with 27 second left and was then forced to foul. St. Bonaventure made three of four from the line to secure the win.

"We just don’t have the leadership and that’s the bottom line," Niagara head coach Bill Agronin said. "I thought for 30 minutes we did a pretty good job. The last 10 minutes we lost our poise, we lost our leadership. We needed somebody to take control of the team, make the right plays, calm things down and we just didn’t get it."

After leading by one at the half, 32-31, Niagara opened the second period with an 11-1 run to take an 11-point lead, 43-32. Junior Jessi Tomasin (Hamilton, Ont.) scored five of her season-high 15 points during the run.

St. Bonaventure slowly whittled away at the lead, getting as close as four points at 49-45 and 53-49, but the Purple Eagles kept coming back until the final Bonnies’ run.

Junior Shaunna Ambrose (McKees Rock, Pa.) scored a game-high 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and going 4 for 4 from the free-throw line. Smalley finished with 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Niagara shot a season-best 48.9 percent from the field and a season-high 10 steals.

The Purple Eagles open their 17th season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference when they travel to Bridgeport, Conn., to play Fairfield University at 6:30 p.m. Friday.