Back in the friendly confines of Reilly Center there was optimism that the Bonnies could embark on a new winning streak., following the loss at Saint Louis. Hopes were dashed on a last second three pointer. La Salle edged the Bonnies 83-82 in overtime. Saturday’s game saw the Explorers improve to 9-7 (1-2) while Bona is now 14-3 (2-2). Numbers and notes…
Possessions: 70
Offensive efficiency: La Salle 119, St. Bona 117
Four Factors:
eFG Pct.- St. Bona 58, La Salle 53
FT Rate- St. Bona 43, La Salle 24
OREB Pct.- La Salle 31, St. Bona 30
TO Rate- La Salle 9, St. Bona 20
Three key Points of Emphasis:
Turnovers. The season turnover rate for Mark Schmidt’s group is a very commendable 14.8 in conference play, good for third. On the afternoon the TO rate was an unacceptable 20%. In raw figures Bona committed 15 to six by Fran Dunphy’s Explorers. The most severe damage was in points off turnovers where the visitors enjoyed a 27-6 advantage.
“Everyone will talk about the last shot but it shouldn’t have come down to that,” Bona coach Mark Schmidt told gobonnies.com. “It’s attention to details. When you give up 27 points off turnovers it’s amazing that the game was that close.”
Second shots. Rebounding and winning the points in the paint are among Schmidt’s priorities. Bonnies won the rebounding battle 36-33. La Salle however, had the edge in offensive boards 12-9 translating into a 15-13 advantage in second chance points. La Salle also led 28-26 on points in the paint. It was the first time all season the Bonnies were outscored in that category.
Three pointers. Deuce Jones hit the game winner from downtown with .3 to play in overtime. The three pointer was the Bonnies’ Achilles heel, not just the last second but the entire contest. The Bonnies buried 11 shots from beyond the arc. The problem was La Salle hitting 13.
“We’re having a hard time keeping guards in front of us,” Schmidt said. “Every time we made a mistake they made us pay.”
Kenpom.com MVP- Lajae Jones. The Bona junior scored a game and career-high 24 points while tying for rebounding honors with eight. Jones shot eight of nine from the floor.
La Salle had three double-figure scorers. Deuce Jones and Demetrius Lilley both had 16. Daeshon Shepherd added 14. The Bonnies placed four in the double digit categories. Beside Lajae Jones, Noel Brown had 17 while Melvin Council and Jonah Hinton added 16 and 12 respectively.
Notes: Game had 14 ties and 13 lead changes. Bonnies led by nine in the early part of the second half but could not get further separation. La Salle’s largest lead was three points with just under a minute left in the second half.
Noel Brown hit a last second top of the key three pointer to give the Bonnies a four point lead at intermission. It was the first three pointer in Brown’s career.
Bona shot 47% from the floor and 52% (11-21) from long distance. Explorers checked in at 43% overall and 38% (13-34) from three.
Demetrius Lilley and Daeshon Shepherd shared rebounding honors for La Salle with eight each. Lajae Jones, Noel Brown and Chanced Moore had eight rebounds apiece for the Bonnies.
The last overtime game for the Bonnies was in last year’s Atlantic Ten quarterfinal. Bonnies defeated Loyola Chicago 75-74 in that one.
Members of the 1967-68 undefeated Bonaventure team were welcomed back. That team went 22-0 in the regular season and is one of 20 teams all-time to enter the NCAA Tournament with an unblemished record. Bonnies eventually finished 23-2.
La Salle entertains Davidson on Wednesday. Bonnies host Richmond on Wednesday. It’s the second of a crucial four game stretch that features three games at the Reilly Center. Unfortunately for the Bonnies, that stretch did not get off to a favorable start with the home loss to La Salle.
“We played hard, we just didn’t play smart…We need to go back to the drawing board and make sure we’re doing what we’re supposed to do, especially on the defensive end.” – Mark Schmidt
