By Nick Konotopskyj
Sports Assignment Editor
“Every game is meaningful.”
It is a phrase that is often used by head coaches all across the country to show how they won’t let up against any team. However, some games and some opponents just bring more emotion and more significance. For the Bonnies, that opponent is the Syracuse Orange.
It was an old rivalry from the 1980s-90s that saw Syracuse take 23 of the 26 total meetings. Tuesday night was the 27th meeting as the two met for the first time in six seasons and only the sixth time in the last 14 years.
It was a game of two halves as the Bonnies jumped out to a 35-29 lead at halftime before surrendering 50 points in the second half and losing by a final score of 79-66. St. Bonaventure is now 0-10 overall inside the Carrier Dome.
The Bonnies leapt to a quick 19-8 lead in the first six minutes before the Orange cut the lead to six at half. After expanding the lead to double figures early in the second, the Orange went on a 20-7 run to take the lead with under 10 minutes to go. That was the last lead the Bonnies had.
Even though they weren’t able to hang on for the upset, freshman guard Nelson Kaputo said he believes there is a lot he and his teammates can take away from the defeat. This game should assure the team they can win moving forward, according to Kaputo.
“I think this game gave us the confidence that we can beat anyone,” Kaputo said. “We have to understand time and score better and be more patient down the stretch in games. I think we were trying to make too many ‘home run’ plays instead of making the easy one.”
In his first career road game, Kaputo had a productive night off the bench hitting two threes along with three assists in 24 minutes. The Bonnies were led by sophomore point guard Jaylen Adams with 16 points on 5-12 shooting and senior forward Dion Wright with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Kaputo said he believes the team is riding with a lot of confidence, which should help with the rest of its non-conference schedule.
“Approaching the game, we had an ‘us against the world’ mentality,” Kaputo said. “We really believe in one another, and I believe that’s what helped us stay poised and comfortable for the majority of the game.”
Coach Mark Schmidt said he was pleased with how his team came out and played on the road, but he understands they missed a great opportunity to pull out a win.
“We had some opportunities to push the lead out a bit more, but I thought our effort for the most part was what we wanted,” Schmidt said. “If we continue to have that kind of effort, we have a chance to be pretty good.”
St. Bonaventure is now 1-1 on the season, and up next for the Bonnies is a home game in the Reilly Center Saturday against Loyola (Md.) at 7 p.m. After that, they take a trip to Canisius to face the Golden Griffins Tuesday at 7 p.m.
