By Zach Waltz
Sports Editor
The men’s basketball team improved to 5-1 on Wednesday after beating the Buffalo Bulls, 72-63.
Head Coach Mark Schmidt said the Bonnies executed their defensive game plan perfectly in the first half, allowing the team to get a 16 point lead going into the half.
“I thought we took a step in the right direction again today,” Schmidt said. “Especially in the first half, we couldn’t have played better defensively. We took care of the ball with only five turnovers in the first half. We came out in the second half and got in a little bit of foul trouble. We had seven fouls before I blinked.”
Junior forward Dion Wright led Bonaventure with 19 points and added eight rebounds to his stat line. Senior center Youssou Ndoye notched his sixth career double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds. He also had four blocks and snagged a steal.
Acknowledging the exceptional play of his big men, Schmidt said Wright and Ndoye stepped up to meet the physical demands that playing Buffalo required.
“We told them before the game it was going to be a physical game, and we needed to be the more physical team,” Schmidt said. “It starts inside. Dion and Youssou played like men, and that’s what you need to beat a team like Buffalo.”
Schmidt said the plan from the beginning was to execute defensively in order to combat Buffalo’s high-powered offense.
“This was the first big test, and they stepped up to the plate,” Schmidt said. “I’m not sure they hit a homerun, but they hit at least a double. You need to respond from a defensive stand point. That’s where you beat good teams. You’re not going to beat them offensively, you’re going to beat them defensively.”
In particular, the Bonnies were focused on stopping junior forward Justin Moss, who is averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds per game so far this season. Ndoye said his plan was to get Moss out of his rhythm to interrupt his scoring.
“I was just trying to make sure I didn’t let him catch the ball easy and go into his routine,” Ndoye said. “Every time I got a chance to take away touches from him, I would try to take it away.”
Between Ndoye and Wright covering Moss, he was held to eight points and 14 rebounds. Schmidt again acknowledged that the play of his big men had a big part in holding Moss to those statistics.
“I thought he was one of the most improved players in the country,” Schmidt said. “Youssou and Dion did a good job getting him off the block and away from the basket.”
Wright attributed the team’s defensive success to effective communication between everyone on the court.
“In practice and before the game, we said we didn’t care about what happened on offense,” Wright said. “We have to trust in our defense. Tonight, everybody was talking, and we got the job done.”
Ndoye said his four blocks came as a result of good help defense, which is something that he and his teammates have been trying to implement into games.
“I’m just trying to be a big presence and help my teammates,” Ndoye said. “When they get beat, I have to step up and take the charge or try to block the shot because this is a team game. We’re just trying to help each other out.”
In addition to the rest of his contributions to the win, Ndoye also took two crucial charges from freshman guard Lamonte Bearden. Ndoye claims this to be his new defensive strategy in order to make himself something more than just a shot blocker.
“Coach always emphasizes that we have to take charges, and he tells me that great shot blockers take charges too,” Ndoye said. “That way, the offensive player doesn’t know if you’re trying to block the shot or trying to take a charge. I just try to mix it up and not get in foul trouble.”
Of course, it was not a two man show for the Bonnies. Junior guard Marcus Posley added 12 points, and senior guard Andell Cumberbatch contributed 10 points, going 2-3 from three-point range. Junior guard Iakeem Alston provided quality minutes for the team, notching five points, two rebounds, three steals and a team-high four assists in only 13 minutes.
Schmidt said having goof play off the bench will be crucial for the team when it comes time for conference play.
“I thought Iakeem really influenced the game,” Schmidt said. “He came off the bench, got a couple steals and made a couple tremendous passes. We need that. We need guys coming off the bench that are going to make us better, and he did that. He came off and really jump-started us again.”
Schmidt gave the Bonnies credit for executing the game plan and pulling out the win, holding Bearden and junior guard Jarryn Skeete to five and six points, respectively. However, sophomore guard Shannon Evans scored 21 points for the Bulls, shooting an abysmal 8-23 from the field.
“The key to the game going in was to contain the guards and own the paint,” Schmidt said. “I thought our length gave them trouble. We did a good job guarding on the ball, and we had tremendous positioning. For the most part, our guys followed the game plan and did a good job.”
With the win, Bonaventure swept the Big 4 rivalry games against Canisius, Niagara and Buffalo. It’s the second time in school history that a Bonaventure team has accomplished that feat, the first time coming in the 2011-2012 season. Schmidt said it’s something that the team looks forward to during the year.
“It’s a challenge,” Schmidt said. “It’s something that people take pride in. People make a big thing of the Big 4, and we take it seriously. We want to win.”
