Five straight overall and two in a row against the MAAC, a conference that had been problematic as of late. On Wednesday, following a slow start in the early minutes, St. Bonaventure caught fire and took a 45-20 lead into the break. Bona went on to a resounding 94-60 over Niagara. The 64 possession contest at Niagara’s Gallagher Center saw the Bonnies shoot 67% from the floor en route to a 147-94 advantage in offensive efficiency.
On Saturday the Bonnies returned home to post another impressive victory, 89-56 over Siena. The win at Reilly Center saw the Bonnies improve to 7-2 while Siena is now 2-9. Bona also captured the Br. Ed Coughlin, OFM Franciscan Cup. Since the Franciscan Cup series began in 2010, Bona holds an 8-5 edge. The numbers:
Possessions: 65
Offensive efficiency: St. Bona 137, Siena 86
A little perspective on the outstanding efficiency of the last two games- Alabama leads the nation with a 123 mark per Kenpom.com. Bona is 66th with a 111 norm.
| St. Bona | Siena | |
| eFG Pct. | 64 | 44 |
| FT Rate | 35 | 27 |
| OREB Pct. | 28 | 30 |
| TO Rate | 9 | 21 |
Another excellent mark in eFG percentage. For the Game, Bona shot 55% from the floor and 42% beyond the arc. Siena was 38% from the floor (29%) from three. Mark Schmidt’s club also led 40-18 in points in the paint. Once again, the Bonnies were running on all cylinders.
Turnover rate was very impressive. In raw numbers the Bonnies committed only six turnovers with Siena scoring only two points off turnovers.
Schmidt was concerned about Siena’s offensive rebounding. Carmen Maciariello’s Saints are 48th in the country with a 35% OREB percentage. Siena held a slight OREB advantage but it was lower than their season average. In raw numbers they had an 11-9 advantage. In retrospect the Bona mentor was pleased with the effort on the boards.
First half. Similar to the Niagara game, Bona went on a significant run building a sizable 46-25 lead at intermission. The final twenty minutes, they were unchallenged and never looked back.
Defense. As impressive as the offense is of late, the Bonnies are defending at a high level. The opposing offensive efficiency bears this out- 94 for Niagara and Siena at 86. Nationally, Houston leads with an 85. The Bona average on the young campaign is 102 (122nd nationally). Lately, the defense has been excellent as Auburn (113) is the most recent opponent to hit the century mark in offensive efficiency against Bona.
“Right now, we’re in the hot time of the season where we’re shooting the ball really well,” Schmidt told gobonnies.com. “That’s not going to last. What lasts what’s the constant is our defense. That will be the stape and in the last three games it has been.”
For the third straight game Mika Adams-Woods was Kenpom.com MVP. The Bona senior guard scored a game high 25 points, going a perfect 4 of 4 from downtown. Adams-Woods has hit ten consecutive tries from beyond the arc dating back to the Buffalo game last Saturday. The last two games he’s shot 19 of 20 (95%) from the floor.
Chad Venning (20), Moses Flowers (12) and Daryl Banks III (11) were Bona’s other double figure scorers. Noel Brown had nine points in 14 minutes. Assa Essamvous led all rebounders with 12. Kyrell Luc returned from an ankle injury scoring five points and grabbing four rebounds in 15 minutes. Charles Pride is still out with an ankle injury.
Siena did not have a player in double figures. Mason Courtney and Michael Evbagharu shared scoring honors with nine points each.
Next. Exams, then Bona faces a huge test on the court. They face Florida Atlantic in Springfield on Saturday. A big game on all fronts especially with A10 play coming up. “The Atlantic 10 Conference games are the most important games,” Schmidt said. “We’re trying to get ourselves prepared for those games. Every game in the Atlantic 10 is going to be a dogfight.”
“It’s beautiful to watch, we have so many weapons and it makes it easier for everybody having so many weapons. It makes it hard for other teams to key on anybody.” – Daryl Banks III
