Following the debacle in Dayton, St. Bonaventure enjoyed a good bounce back game. Bonnies defeated Duquesne 64-56 at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on Friday evening. Bona moves to 3-1 in Atlantic Ten play while the host Dukes fell to 1-3. The numbers of note:
Possessions: 58- more of a deliberate pace. No advantage for either team as both average 65 possessions per game in A10 play.
Offensive Efficiency: St. Bona 110, Duquesne 97. The numbers show better than average on both the offensive and defensive end for Bona.
Offensive Rebounding Percentage: Both teams hit the offensive glass hard. Bona checked in at 50% while Duquesne was not far behind at 45%. In raw numbers Duquesne actually led 19-18 on the offensive glass. Overall, Bonnies outrebounded their opposition 41-37.
Turnover Percentage: St. Bona 16%, Duquesne 19%. Not high figures but damage was done early. Keith Dambrot’s Dukes committed five of their game total of eleven in the early minutes allowing Bona to build a double digit lead.
Bonnies got out to a 16 point lead with just over seven minutes remaining in the first half. Duquesne made a late run to close to eleven at intermission. The hosts came out strong the second half scoring the first five points and despite closing to within three with a dozen minutes remaining, were never able to draw even. Each time Duquesne made a run the Bonnies answered. Not easy to accomplish on the road. Chalk it up to senior leadership.
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Bona offense was in sync, especially early. Good ball and player movement , entries into the post and attacking the basket. There were looks from three but none went down the first half (0 for 6). On the game Bona shot 25% from downtown while hitting 50% inside the arc. Duquesne shot 23% from three and 43% from two. In total Bona outshot the Dukes 45 to 35%.
Mark Schmidt’s Bonnies attempted only twelve shots (going 3 of 12) from beyond the arc- not a surprise given their proficiency in the paint.
Kenpom.com MVP. If it was anyone else there would need to be an investigation. Osun Osunniyi with a 21 points 17 rebounds and six blocks all game highs. ‘Shun’ was a force in the paint, especially the first twenty minutes. Bona paced the game with a 44-24 edge in points in the paint, largely due to ‘Shun’s’ outstanding effort.
For the Bonnies Jalen Adaway and Jaren Holmes added 16 each. Duquesne was led by freshman guard Amir Spears with 18 points and six assists. Tre Williams, a 6’7” sophomore, had a strong inside performance with Duquesne scoring 15 while grabbing 11 boards.
Duquesne was hit hard by the transfer portal. Dambrot did bring in Williams the same route and in Spears and classmate Jackie Johnson, has a good freshman backcourt. That’s a strong nucleus to build on.
Bonnies have won 11 of the last 12 against Duquesne. The number is deceptive though, as half of those games have been decided by six points or less. Friday’s margin was eight, yet far from a cakewalk for Bona. In the final analysis it was a road win and a good turnaround following what transpired mid-week in Dayton.
Next up for the Bonnies is a trip to George Mason on Wednesday. Duquesne will visit Saint Joseph’s on the same date.
