They say ‘Hawk will never die’ but the two game win streak for the Bonnies did. On Wednesday host Saint Joseph’s defeated Saint Bonaventure 75-64. The game at Hagan Arena saw seven ties and five lead changes. The Bonnies are now 19-10 (7-9) while Saint Joseph’s improved to 18-10 (9-6). Numbers and notes…
Possessions: 67
Offensive Efficiency: St. Joe’s 112, St. Bona 96
Four Factors:
eFG Pct.- St. Joe’s 55, Bona 43
FT Rate: St. Joe’s 26, St. Bona 14
OREB Pct.- St. Joe’s 31, St. Bona 19
TO Rate- St. Bona 8, St. Joe’s 13
Good start gone cold. The Bonnies came out hitting 10 of their first 15 tries for an eight point lead. The lead was still eight, late in the half before Bona finished the first half hitting one of seven. On the other side the host Hawks seized the advantage, closing strong to forge a 35-all deadlock at intermission.
“We got off to a good start,” Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt told gobonnies.com. “Our offense was going…Noel (Brown) was getting some stuff. We were up early but then they made a run.”
The Bonnies shot 53% the first half, 30% following the break for a 42% mark on the night.
Second half. Saint Joseph’s went on a pair of 10-2 runs en route to a 12 point lead with just under a minute to play. The Bonnies got the deficit to seven with just over two minutes to play. They could get no closer. While the Bonnies struggled, from the field, the Hawks turned up the heat. They shot 52% the final twenty minutes en route to a 48% mark for the night.
Adding to the Bonnies shooting woes, the Hawks owned a 41-31 advantage on the glass, including 11-7 on the offensive end.
Beyond the arc. Bona hit just 2 of 12 from beyond the arc for a 17% showing. The two three pointers also represented a season-low for the Brown and white. Saint Joseph’s converted 9 of 30 (30%) from long distance. Xzayvier Brown led the way for the Hawks with a 3 of 5 showing from deep. Bona enjoyed a 42-36 advantage in points in the paint. That was offset by the Hawks long range shooting proficiency.
“We got outscored by 21 from beyond the arc,” Schmidt said, “and that makes it extremely difficult to win anywhere, but especially on the road.”
Kenpom.com MVP– Xzayvier Brown. The Saint Joseph’s sophomore posted game-highs in points 22 and rebounds 10.
Rasheer Fleming added 19 along with six rebounds and three blocks for the Hawks and Derek Simpson scored 11. The Bonnies had three players in double figures. Melvin Council led the way with 18 points, Lajae Jones scored 14 and Noel Brown 13.
Notes. In the series, the Bonnies had won the 10 previous meetings dating back to 2018.
The Bonnies were led in the rebounding department by Noel Brown and Melvin Council with eight each. Council also led the Bonnies with four assists.
Erik Reynolds shot 3 of 13 for eight points. The Saint Joseph’s senior guard made his presence known, leading the way with a game-high six assists.
Both teams were commendable in caring for the ball. Saint Joseph’s had nine turnovers compared to only five by the Bonnies, who enjoyed a 14-3 edge in points off turnovers.
Not in a foul mood: In the meeting between the two A10 teams with the least fouls- Saint Joseph’s committed seven personals (all in the second half). Bona was whistled for 15 on the night.
Billy Lange’s Hawks, winners of three straight and five of their last six, travel to Fordham on Saturday.
The Bonnies are hosting Umass, on Wednesday, in their final home game. Two weeks ago, Bona defeated the Minutemen 73-59 in Amherst. UMass was 6-9 in A10 play, heading into Saturday’s meeting with Rhode Island at the Mullins Center. UMass was also on a four game slide heading into the matchup with Rhode Island.
“You can’t fight on your heels. They got us on our heels. They were going downhill and gave us a hard time.” – Mark Schmidt
