The only thing colder than the weather in Buffalo Wednesday night was the ice water in Marcus Posley’s veins.
The senior guard sank a game-winning jumper with eight seconds of play remaining to lead the Bonnies over the University at Buffalo (UB) Bulls 60-58 Wednesday night.
Dion Wright’s 26 points staked the Bonnies to a nine-point lead before the Bulls tied the game with less than a minute to play. Posley once again showed his ability to close out games, netting his basketball after a Bonaventure timeout. The win puts the Bonnies at 4-2 on the season, and provides momentum as they return to the Reilly Center this weekend.
Here’s what to watch for in Saturday’s matchup against Ohio.
Points from Posley: Going into Wednesday night’s game, Posley had scored 86 points in his last three games. Against Loyola, he led the Bonnies in scoring with 35 points. Then, against Canisius, he again led the team, dropping 26 points on the Griffins and followed that performance up with another 22 points in the loss to Hofstra. Against UB, Posley managed only 13 points, but he scored the two most important points of the night for either team. For the Bonnies to succeed, Posley has to score, and he has to score when it matters. With the team’s small lineup, the guards control the game, and the offense runs through them. Expect Posley to continue leading the charge for the Bonnies on the offensive end of the court.
The evolution of Jaylen Adams: Last season, the guard averaged 10 points per contest while shooting 38.6 percent from the field. This year, he averages 13 points per game. Just as his scoring output has risen, so too have his assists per game and his rebounds per game. After a finger injury kept him out of last year’s conference tournament, Adams said he worked hard in the offseason, motivated by seeing his team fall just short of the conference semi-finals. So far this season, that work is paying off as the sophomore has assumed a larger role in Coach Mark Schmidt’s offense while displaying a more efficient, well-rounded game. Look for Adams to continue his
confident play against Ohio.
Freshman Phenom: Just as the Bonnies’ offense flows through their guards, so too does Ohio’s. Freshman guard Jordan Dartis, the Bobcats’ top recruit, has shown flashes of his potential through Ohio’s first five games. The six-foot-three native of Newark, Ohio, averages 11 points per game, but his play has been inconsistent. In the team’s Nov. 21 win over Norfolk State, Dartis managed only two points, but followed that performance up with a 24-point outburst two days later against Florida State. A week later, his scoring dipped back to single digits as he netted 9 points against Marshall on Dec. 1. Expect Dartis to be matched up with Jaylen Adams for the Bonnies, in what promises to be an exciting battle between two young, talented guards.
