PHOTO: GOBONNIES.COM
BY NATHAN SOLOMON, SPORTS EDITOR
St. Bonaventure faced another halftime deficit after Loyola (Md.) shot 56% in the first half, but a 27-14 run over the final 13 minutes of the game propelled the Bonnies to their third consecutive victory, winning 84-71.
“Offensively, we did OK,” St. Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt said. “It’s our defense. We’ve got to get better. We’re not as connected as we need to be, [and] as tough as we need to be.”
In their second game without Kyle Lofton, the Bonnies (8-1) fell behind 12-6 to Loyola (5-5) after five minutes. A 9-0 St. Bonaventure run off two 3-pointers from Dominick Welch pushed the home team ahead by three just minutes later, however, Loyola stayed ahead by a possession for most of the half. The Bonnies trailed, 41-38, after 20 minutes.
“These guys have done a good job without [Kyle Lofton] in there,” Schmidt said. “We’re a long way from a finished product.”
St. Bonaventure scored the first two baskets of the second half to regain a one-point lead, but 3-pointers from Milos llic and Kenneth Jones pushed the Greyhounds back ahead. With 13:12 left, Jaren Holmes made a trio of free throws after drawing a foul on a 3-point attempt to give the Bonnies a lead, and they never surrendered it.
“We played harder [in the second half],” Schmidt said. “We played some zone. I thought the zone was effective at times…. we were more active in the second half.”
Fresh off his buzzer-beater to defeat Buffalo on Saturday, Jalen Adaway scored 22 points and recorded five rebounds against Loyola. He made both of his 3-point attempts, but the bulk of his points came from the high post.
“My teammates just gave me the ball in the right position,” Adaway said. “I just try and do what I can to contribute to the team’s success.”
After shooting just 3-of-17 in Saturday’s win, Holmes bounced back with a 22-point, nine-assist performance Wednesday. Under the circumstances of Lofton’s injury, Holmes has taken over as primary ballhandler for the Bonnies.
“You have to try and get into the middle and unlock them,” Holmes said of the Loyola defense. “We were working on mid-range shots, seeing passes [and] anything to get to the middle so we can move the defense down and open up space for all our guys to create.”
Welch scored 16 points off four 3-pointers, and redshirt sophomore Quadry Adams scored 12 points and missed from the field just once in place of Lofton.
“[Quadry] got some steals, got some putbacks [and] shot 6-of-7,” Schmidt said. “I thought he did a really good job.”
The Bonnies shot 72% from the field in the second half and 60% on the game. Loyola connected on half its shots, 27-of-54, and was outrebounded by four.
Jaylin Andrews led the visitors with 20 points. llic and Cam Spencer each scored 13 for the Greyhounds.
Next up, the Bonnies travel to Newark, New Jersey, and the Prudential Center for the Never Forget Tribute Classic against Connecticut. The Huskies lost to West Virginia on Wednesday.
“We got to play a 40-minute game as we go forward,” Schmidt said. “There’s no more easy ones. They’re all going to be difficult, starting with UConn on Saturday.”
solomonj20@bonaventure.edu
