Photo: GoBonnies
BY NATHAN SOLOMON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ALBANY, N.Y. — After consecutive losses to Iona and Florida Gulf Coast, St. Bonaventure need a strong offensive performance to get back on the right track.
Despite 52% shooting for the Bonnies, it wasn’t enough.
Behind a near-flawless 23-for-26 night from the free-throw line, Siena outscored Bonaventure 11-4 in the final two minutes to win 76-70 and take the Br. Ed Coughlin Franciscan Cup.
“We just couldn’t close. We couldn’t finish plays both offensively and defensively,” said Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt. “Our effort was there, we executed at times, we just didn’t get to the foul line enough and [Siena] made the foul shots at the end.”
Bonaventure (6-6) went to the line 13 times and made eight and broke out of its offensive funk. The Bonnies had scored 61 or fewer points in each of its last three games but well surpassed that behind a balanced scoring attack led by redshirt junior Moses Flowers.
Flowers, who has seen an expanded role since the start of the season, played 28 minutes and hit five of his six shots en route to 14 points. He also led the team in assists with three.
“I just stay in the gym, whether it’s a good day or a bad day, just getting shots up and working out,” said Flowers, a Hartford transfer. “I think I’m getting comfortable, getting accustomed to what we’re doing as a team and how it’s flowing.
“We played hard, but we didn’t come out with a dub.”
Four other Bonnies scored in double-figures. Yann Farell had 13 with three 3-pointers, Chad Venning had 12 before fouling out in the final minutes, Daryl Banks lll had 11 and Kyrell Luc had 10.
Luc scored the opening basket of the game before Siena went on a 10-0 run forcing an early timeout by Schmidt. Bonaventure slowly chipped away at the eight-point deficit, finally tying the game at 22 after Banks hit a deep two-pointer with six minutes left in the half.
North Carolina transfer Andrew Platek responded, hitting two 3-pointers in the closing minutes to put Siena up 38-31 at the break.
St. Bonaventure again pushed in the second half, finally taking its first lead with 10:45 remaining after four straight from Kyrell Luc and an Anquan Hill lay-in.
Bonaventure tried to tack on, scoring four more off a Luc layup and Banks jumper. But sandwiched around two Venning layups with less than seven minutes remaining, Siena’s Michael Eley knocked down a pair of triples to give the Saints back the lead.
The Bonnies took the lead back twice more off a 3-pointer from Farell and a contested corner jumper from Flowers, but an and-1 for Jackson Stormo with two minutes remaining would be the last time Bonaventure led. The Bonnies turned the ball over three times in the final two minutes, leading to eight Siena free-throws as the Saints put the finishing touches on its sixth victory of the season.
“We have to learn to finish, learn how to make those plays in those times that you have to make those plays,” Schmidt said. “We put ourselves in a position to win — we just couldn’t close it … Siena made foul shots.”
Javian McCollum had 24 points to lead Siena. Stormo had 14, Platek had 11 and Eley had 10.
“He’s a good player. He had 14 at halftime,” Schmidt said of McCollum.
Siena outrebounded Bonaventure 26-24 and connected on 50% (9-of-18) of its 3-pointers. The Bonnies made six of their 14 threes.
Bonaventure will have one last opportunity to clean things up Thursday against Northern Iowa before Atlantic 10 play begins. Last year, the then-ranked No. 16 Bonnies lost 90-80 to the Panthers behind 35 points from AJ Green.
But Green is now gone, and the Bonnies want to right the ship before UMass comes to town on Dec. 31.
“We got to get dirty [against Northern Iowa],” said Flowers. “Just grind, play hard and just outwork the opponent. It has to be a dirty game.
“We got to get this dub. It’s important to us.”
solomonj20@bonaventure.edu
