By Joe Ceraulo
Men’s Basketball Beat Writer
St. Bonaventure beat Richmond in front of a sold-out Homecoming Weekend crowd at the Reilly Center today, 97-88.
The Bonnies were led by senior guards Jaylen Adams and Matt Mobley, who each scored 24 points in the win but received double-figure scoring from all five starters.
“There’s not much you can do. When you have a great player versus a great scheme, a great player’s going to win,” said Richmond coach Chris Mooney regarding Adams, who also finished with seven assists.
Adams single-handedly went on a 10-0 run in the second half, after a brief 61-59 Richmond lead, making him the highest scoring guard in school history in his 100th game as a Bonnie.
After scoring just four against St. Louis Wednesday night, Mobley had 11 by the first media timeout of the game, going 3-4 from three.
Courtney Stockard padded his own stat sheet early as well. He had six assists, the number he’d finish with, by that media timeout and ended the day with 12 points and 11 rebounds as well.
Amidst all the scoring from St. Bonaventure’s guards, a battle in the paint is arguably where the game was won.
Redshirt freshman Grant Golden had a great game for the Spiders. The six-foot 10-inch Virginia native tallied his eighth 20-point game of the year, recording 24 to go with six rebounds in the loss.
The biggest surprise in the paint came from St. Bonaventure’s center, sophomore Amadi Ikpeze. In just his second start of the season, Ikpeze scored 12 while grabbing a season-high eight boards.
“The crowd definitely played a big role,” said Ikpeze. “I do feed off the energy. I remember a couple years ago I was watching this [college basketball] on television, and to finally be out there on the court, the energy keeps me going.”
Ikpeze’s emphatic dunk with 1:35 remaining gave the Bonnies an 86-77 lead, all but sealing the deal and bringing the crowd to their feet.
With big men LaDarien Griffin (foot) and Josh Ayeni (suspended) out, Ikpeze stepping up was huge for the Brown and White.
“He broke a team rule, and he has to suffer the consequences,” said head coach Mark Schmidt regarding Ayeni’s indefinite suspension.
St. Bonaventure’s next game is Tuesday ,Feb. 13 at La Salle at 7 p.m., a team Schmidt assured his squad will not overlook with a rematch against Rhode Island on ESPN2 at the Reilly Center looming next Friday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m.
cerauljg16@bonaventure.edu
