Defense has been a staple and strong point for St. Bonaventure this season. On Friday evening the Bonnies got ‘offensive’ dominating George Washington 88-47 at Reilly Center. It was the Bonnies largest ever margin of victory over an Atlantic Ten opponent. Bona improved to 13-3 (11-3 in A10). George Washington is now 4-11 (3-5). Numbers:
Possessions: 61 – Much to the Bonnies liking, a grind it out tempo.
Offensive Efficiency: (points per possession) St. Bona 144, GW 67
No misprint on the Bona efficiency. Posting about a point and a half average per possession is off the charts. A superlative effort. On defense holding GW 30 below their 97 average efficiency in A10 play was no small feat as well.
Prepared. Bona coach Mark Schmidt knew the Colonials brought a dangerous team to Reilly Center. Bonnies have a big game on Monday hosting Dayton. True to their ‘game at a time’ mantra, Bona focused on coach Jamion Christian’s Colonials. The result was evidence of that focus.
No let up. Following a fairly even start, Bona went on a 16-2 first half run to take a 42-21 lead into intermission. Rather than getting complacent and starting to coast, Bonnies never allowed the Colonials to make a run during the final twenty minutes to close out the contest.
MVP. Showing the balance, talent and outstanding chemistry of this group, six different Bonnies have earned Kenpom game accolades this season. Friday’s choice was Bona’s Alejandro Vasquez. The 6-3 soph from Queens shot 5 of 8 from three en route to tying teammate Jaren Holmes with a game high 18 points. Bonnies placed five in double digits. Once again Kyle Lofton had a notable 12 point, 10 assist, zero turnover effort.
George Washington placed one player in double figures, Jamison Battle with 10 points. James Bishop, GW’s leading scorer at 19 ppg, struggled scoring just 6 points.
Hot shooting. Bona continued their hot streak from long range. Bonnies shot 15 of 29 for 52%. Beside Vasquez, Bona’s Dominick Welch was impressive with a 4 of 6 performance from deep. On the defensive side the Colonials were limited to a 2 of 13 (15%) performance.
Boards. Bona won the rebounding battle 35-23. Osun Osunniyi grabbed a game high 8 rebounds to complement his 8 points scoring.
Next. Bona closes out the regular season hosting Dayton on Monday. George Washington’s regular season is finished. Next up for the Colonials is A10 conference play next week in Richmond.
“We played a complete game. We did a really good job in the ball screens with Bishop and really crowding Battle. GW was a scary game. They have three players that can play for any team in this league, but our guys really responded.” – Bona coach Mark Schmidt per gobonnies.com
