By Tom Seipp, Managing Editor
I t was one of the most intriguing matchups in the Round of 64 in the 2021 NCAA Tournament: a strong defensive team in St. Bonaventure and a highly powered offense in LSU.
In the end, the Tigers offense was too strong for the Bonnies, as they scored 76 points in a 15-point victory and advanced to the Round of 32 with a 76-61 win.
“We needed to play our A game against LSU, and we didn’t,” head coach Mark Schmidt said after the loss. “The key going into the game was that we needed to control the tempo. If you look at the score, we held them below their season average.”
The opening eight minutes felt like a chess match, with the game knotted at four at the U-12 timeout.
The Bonnies had an opportunity to take advantage of LSU’s offensive struggles but were unable to. It caught up to them, as they fell to be down nine at the end of the first half.
“I thought we were getting some good looks in the first half,” Schmidt said. “We got some open looks that we didn’t make and I thought that was a huge key of the game. We needed to get off to a good start.”
In the second half, it was all Tigers. LSU freshman Cameron Thomas got hot, scoring 20 points in the final half. The Bonnies brought the game within single digits, but were never able to cut the deficit below nine.
Bonaventure struggled offensively, especially Atlantic 10 First-Team member Kyle Lofton, who shot 3-for-18 from the field and 0-for-4 from deep; he finished with 10 points. Dominick Welch also struggled, shooting all 10 of his attempts from the floor from beyond the arch; he had six points.
“No excuses. Like I said, LSU, they beat us, but Dom wasn’t. Dom wasn’t Dom,” Schmidt said. “Early on that little loose ball, he got twisted up, and he fought through it, and give Dom credit, he didn’t go to the bench, he didn’t make excuses, he just tried to fight through it, and that’s a part of the game. That’s a part of the game.”
Saturday was the Bonnies worst outing offensively this season, shooting just 33.3% from the field and 15% from threepoint range. Jaren Holmes led the team with 18 points; Osun Osunniyi had 15; Jalen Adaway had 11.
“Shots didn’t fall for us, but, that’s life. That’s basketball. Sometimes it just doesn’t fall,” Holmes said. “Every shot that we wanted, it just went in and out or we missed it. But ultimately those are shots we practice and those are shots that we work hard at and that we trust in each other to make.”
The Bonnies will return all five starters next year, in addition to Eddie Creal, who Chuckie Maggio announced that he was returning via Twitter.
The A-10 Champions will have high-expectations next season, and the end goal is another opportunity in the NCAA Tournament.
seipptw19@bonaventure.edu
