Coming off a disappointing loss at LaSalle on Saturday, St. Bonaventure built a 15 point halftime lead putting together a strong effort in defeating Saint Joseph’s 89-73 at the Reilly Center. Wednesday’s senior night meeting improved the Bonnies to 19-11 (11-6 A10). Saint Joseph’s fell to 6-24 (2-15).
Possessions: 64
Offensive Efficiency: St. Bona 139, Saint Joseph’s 114- both numbers very impressive which begs the question-was it efficient offense or poor defense?
Taking the half full approach credit it to efficiency. Both teams took excellent care of the ball. Billy Lange’s Hawks committed 7 turnovers (11 per cent TO rate) while the Bonnies had 8 for a 13 per cent rate.
The difference. Bonnies found their shooting touch. They went 34 of 61 (56 per cent) from the floor. Included, a lights out 8 for 14 (57 per cent) from downtown. Sophomore Dominick Welch led the way from beyond the arc with a 4 of 6 night.
Bonnies also held an impressive 41-22 advantage in offensive rebounding percentage.
Cameron Brown of Saint Joseph’s led all with 21 points. Teammate Ryan Daly added 20 and the ‘Kenpom MVP’. Daly was 6 of 12 from the field with 5 assists, 3 steals and just a single turnover in 34 minutes.
Balance. Bonnies placed five in double digits with Welch and Justin Winston (7-9 from the field, 5-5 at the charity stripe) leading the way with 20 points each. Sophomore swingman Jaren English added a game high 10 rebounds to compliment his 12 points. Kyle Lofton logged 39 minutes at the point, scoring 15 points with 5 assists against 1 turnover.
What’s next? For Saint Joseph’s, the last game of the regular season, a home date Saturday with conference and Big Five opponent LaSalle. For Mark Schmidt’s Bonnies, a trip to Saint Louis. Saturday’s game with the Bills is a rematch of last March’s A10 championship game. Saturday’s meeting will also have crucial seeding implications for the conference get together at Barclays Center next week.
