By Pat Tintle
Sports Editor
The men’s basketball team faced Rhode Island last Sunday in a battle of defense, but failed to seal a victory as the Bonnies fell to the Rams 53-48. The Bonnies are now 11-7 (4-3) and are sixth in the Atlantic 10.
The Bonnies’ two main offensive threats, junior guard Marcus Posley and senior center Youssou Ndoye, were held to just six points apiece against the best defense in the A-10.
Ndoye, who recorded 11 rebounds in the game, credited Rhode Island with living up to its defensive reputation.
“(Rhode Island) was playing a lot of pressure,” Ndoye said. “I got denied the first pass so it was really hard to get it in. They really guarded us well.”
Freshman guard Jaylen Adams stated that the lack of offense from both Ndoye and Posley was a big component in the loss.
“They’re probably the biggest parts of our team,” Adams said. “(Rhode Island) put a lot of pressure on those two guys and forced others to be more aggressive and take the ball out of their hands.”
Adams also gave a nod to the Rams for being the most competitive opponent the Bonnies have faced this year.
“At the end of the day we lost,” Adams said. “But, I think that we played hard; we held them to 53 points, so that’s our defense. I think it’s one of the hardest games we’ve played this year.”
Rhode Island’s defense may have impaired the talents of Ndoye and Posley, but junior forward Dion Wright had a breakout performance, according to Ndoye. Wright produced his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 22 points (tied with his career high) to go with his ten rebounds.
“That was really good for him,” Ndoye said. “Especially after what happened at the Duquesne game. He got off to a good start and this was a good game for him to get going.”
Another spark for the Bonnies comes from Adams. The first-year player was announced as the Atlantic 10 Conference’s Rookie of the Week for the third time this season. Averaging 12.5 assists and 9.5 rebounds in that span, Adams preferred to give his team due respect rather than focusing on his individual performance.
“It’s a credit to my teammates, it’s as simple as that,” Adams said. “They put me in the spots and they made plays.”
Now that the Bonnies have completed their two-game road trip, the team will be returning to Wolfpack central tomorrow as it hosts A-10 rival La Salle (11-9, 3-4) in the Reilly Center. Coming off a 53-48 victory of their own, the Explorers look to be a competitive foe, according to Adams.
“It’s going to be another dogfight,” Adams said. “They’re probably going to pressure the same way Rhode Island did and play through their bigs, so we’re going to have to defend, rebound and take care of business.”
