by Mikael DeSanto
Sports Editor
The St. Bonaventure University club basketball team’s undefeated stretch ended today when they were swept in a three-game series by the Syracuse University club team.
After dropping the first game 51-36, the Bonnies came out swinging in the second game. Through the first ten minutes of play the teams combined for 17 points, trading baskets as they game progressed. The game stayed deadlocked until the 6:20 mark of the first half, when junior guard Jymeek Jenkins knocked down a deep three to put Syracuse up 18-15. This started a 10-0 run for Syracuse, finally broken up by graduate center/guard Jackson Drapp, who picked up a basket and foul with 50 seconds left.
Following a break at the half, the Bonnies continued to make attempts to cut deep into the lead, but Syracuse refused to give an inch. They were able to get the deficit down to seven late with a three by sophomore guard Patrick Coyne, but those would be the Bonnies final points of the game. Syracuse would add another three points to take the win 57-47.
“I think we showed fight at times. I think our energy needed to be better. [We] kind of had a hard time getting into our plays,” Bonnies head coach Ben Marcus said. “Defensively, we weren’t at our best. Usually, that is our strong suit, but it wasn’t today. I think we have some things to work on, but we’ll bounce back. We just have to be more efficient getting into our plays, in the flow of the offense, make things happen not just look at the first option, but the second and third too.”
Drapp led the Bonnies in scoring for game two with 13. Sophomore guard Raymond LaForte topped Syracuse with eight points.
“It was a competitive game, so we were trying to keep it close,” Drapp said. “Getting the second win would have been huge for us, but we couldn’t get it.”
The Bonnies began the third and final game strong, opening with a quick three from senior guard/forward Danny Pierce. They stretched the early lead to 4-1, but senior guard Sam Linabury ended that run with a game-tying three. Another back-and-forth session between the teams saw the Bonnies take a 12-11 lead. But Syracuse did not sit on their hands long, going on a 13-0 run to take a lead, which they maintained going into halftime, 29-17.
Syracuse did not let up going into the final half of the day, but neither did the Bonnies. They were able to get it back to within seven, but could get no farther, as Syracuse maintained their lead at around 10 for the remainder of the game, with late intentional fouls allowing Syracuse to extend the lead to the final, 52-38.
“I thought we did really well executing,” Syracuse head coach Ben Horwitz. “Obviously when you don’t know your opponent, you have to adapt on the fly. I think once we got here we realized we might have a little bit of a size advantage. I thought we did a good job of taking advantage of that situation. Our guards did great at getting in the paint and getting them touches, [and] because of that the floor really opened up for the rest of our shooters.”
Jenkins and Linabury tied for the Syracuse scoring lead in game three with six points. Senior guard Pat McMahon was the Bonnies scoring leader, also with six points.
“Today, we did a great job, everybody, working the ball, not one person really took over; we all worked our minutes, we all worked the ball around,” Linabury said. “That’s what we preach in practice. I’ve worked with this team for four years now and I’ve worked hard ever since I was in high school with my shot.”
The Bonnies (6-3) now trail Syracuse (6-0) b three games in the North Atlantic-North division. The Bonnies next play against Binghamton in two weeks.
desantmj13@bonaventure.edu
