Bonnies snapped a five game losing streak with an 89-76 victory over Saint Joseph’s on Sunday. The game at Reilly Center saw the Bonnies improve to 14-16 (8-9). Saint Joseph’s, now in a four game slide, is now 13-16 (7-10). Numbers and notes…
Possessions: 69. Faster paced tempo. Saint Joseph’s looked to push the ball, Bonnies ran off forced turnovers.
Offensive efficiency: St. Bona 129, SJU 110. Bonnies are 12th in conference efficiency at 101. Obviously, this was a breakout game on the offensive end.
Four Factors:
eFG Pct: St. Bona 66, SJU 54
FT Rate: St. Bona 59, SJU 52
OREB PCT: St. Bona 36, SJU 24
TO Rate: St. Bona 19 SJU 20
Complete victory. Bona enjoyed a 48-38 lead at intermission. In the final twenty minutes the Hawks had the deficit in single digits but never really threatened. Bona had its best offensive performance of the season. They swept the Four Factors in resounding fashion.
Bona shot 55% the first half, 60% the final stanza for a 57% mark for the game. Saint Joseph’s converted on 44% of their attempts on the afternoon.
Rebounding. Bonnies enjoyed a 31-23 edge on the boards. That number is almost as significant as the shooting. Bona has struggled in the rebounding department. During the losing streak they have been beaten on the boards in four of those five losses. Winning the battle under the glass is essential as allowing offensive rebounds can lead to foul trouble. It can also result in kick outs to the perimeter with open shooters salivating at a great look.
Chad Venning was Bona’s leading rebounder with six, four on the offensive end. Lynn Greer III of Saint Joseph’s pulled down a game-high seven boards.
Kenpom.com MVP: Daryl Banks III. The Bona redshirt junior scored a career high 36 points. Banks III shot 10 of 18 from the field, 4 of 9 from beyond the arc.
“It’s always good to see the ball go in right away,” Banks III told gobonnies.com. “When Daryl is hitting shots like that it makes our offense look much better,” Bona coach Mark Schmidt noted. “He’s been in a shooting slump but he’s got a pure stroke and he’s always in the gym.”
Chad Venning and Yann Farell added 13 each and Moses Flowers 12 for the Bonnies.
Erik Reynolds II scored 33 for the Hawks, hitting 6 of 11 from long distance. Lynn Greer III was the other double-figure scorer for Billy Lange’s Hawks with 21.
Notes and Next. Farell played a career high 39 minutes, earning his 14th double-figure outing of the season. Kyrell Luc was hit with foul trouble, getting his fourth just a few minutes into the final stanza. Luc scored four points in 15 minutes for the afternoon. In his absence Brett Rumpel did a nice job logging 25 minutes, scoring five points and handing out three assists.
Buffalo Bills legendary Pro Football Hall of Fame member Thrurman Thomas was on hand at the Reilly Center.
They say ‘the Hawk will never die’. It has been a rough go lately though, as Bona has won nine straight and 15 in the last 16 in the series.
Bonnies close out the regular season at UMass on Saturday. The Minutemen are not the team they were winning the Myrtle Beach Classic back in November. Injuries have severely hit Frank Martin’s group in Amherst. First Noah Fernandes, an excellent guard, went down in January. Then 6’7” Matt Cross, who had been playing well, was hurt in a game against Loyola on February 14. Both are still out of the lineup. UMass has dropped six of their last seven. Their lone win was a surprisingly easy one at Rhode Island on February 18th. The Minutemen will visit Duquesne on Wednesday prior to hosting the Bonnies. The road has not been easy for Bona this season. Regardless, this one is crucial as it will factor in the final conference standings and getting it would establish momentum heading into Brooklyn.
“It was a must win. We needed this completely to start some momentum for the (A10) tournament” – Daryl Banks III
“He (Banks III) got some open looks today, which he hasn’t been getting. He loves to play, he works hard and is a great shooter” – Mark Schmidt
