BY WILL POLADIAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Redshirt junior center Noel Brown came up limping after a defensive position early in the first half needing assistance on the bench after being substituted for redshirt junior forward Chad Venning.
The trainers on the bench worked on taping his left ankle and foot and used the bicycle next to the bench to test out his mobility. Soon after he reentered the game with :23 seconds left in the half.
“If we lose, it’s our last game,” said Brown. “Honestly, I’d rather just hurt on the court than hurt off the court.”
After the break he reentered the game with 16:42 left in the second half, providing rest and help for a struggling Venning.
He made an immediate impact as he grabbed a board and hit an and-1. After a turnover on the next possession he subbed out, not returning until 8:41 where two minutes after his entry he knocked down a free throw.
After a defensive rebound, he received a pass underneath the basket from redshirt senior guard Daryl Banks III resulting in another and-1, tying the game up at 58 points with 1:06 left.
With :32 seconds, Ramblers’ graduate forward Dame Adelekun drove to the basket, only to be blocked by Brown and keeping the game tied, helping to force overtime.
In the first overtime period he grabbed a crucial offensive rebound with :30 seconds left after graduate guards Mika Adams-Woods and Charles Pride missed shots, allowing Banks III to nail a 3-pointer, giving Bonaventure a two-point lead, 65-63.
“It was like football,” said Brown. “They crashed into the paint with their bodies and tried to get a handle on the ball.”
But after a sophomore forward Assa Essamvous, Loyola Chicago’s senior forward Philip Alston grabbed his own rebound after missing both of his free throws and made a putback dunk, forcing double overtime.
“We weren’t we’re getting good likes in my opinion,” said Adelekun. “Nobody was making shots, so crashing the glass is one of the main ways you can stay in and create a good offense.”
Brown won the tip for Bonaventure starting double overtime, leading to Adams-Woods making two free throws and giving the Bonnies a two-point advantage.
After he made two free throws of his own, extending the Bonaventure lead to three.
The next possession proved to be his last as he gained his fifth and final foul with 2:44 left, but the Bonnies outlasted the Ramblers in the end 75-74 after three free throws from Banks III.
Brown finished his night with 13 points shooting 4-for-5 from the field while knocking down 5-of-6 from the free throw line. He also grabbed five rebounds and blocked two shots.
The Bonnies play Duquesne on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The game can be seen on CBS Sports Network.
“Noelle has been a godsend,” said Schmidt. “He’s been everything. He’s the best backup five that we’ve had since I’ve been here. He plays his role the way we need and we wouldn’t have won the last few games but also we wouldn’t have won a lot of games this year without his productivity.”
poladiwj20@bonaventure.edu
