BY ANDREW HALE, MANAGING EDITOR
The No. 7 St. Bonaventure men’s basketball defeated the No. 2 Loyola Chicago Ramblers 75-74 in a double overtime thriller to advance to the Atlantic 10 Semifinals.
Like the Bonaventure’s second-round matchup against La Salle, the Bonnies came out cold shooting 0-5 to begin the game.
Following a layup from Loyola Chicago freshman center Miles Rubin to begin the game, the Ramblers quickly went up 6-0.
Redshirt junior center Noel Brown opened the scoring for the Bonnies at the 15:55 mark.
Both teams went cold for the next five minutes as the teams shot a combined 4-21 from the field and 0-12 from three.
The first 3-pointer of the game came from Ramblers senior forward Philip Alston, giving Loyola Chicago an 11-4 lead.
Brown who finished with 11 points in the Bonnies win over La Salle, exited the game due to injury with nine minutes remaining in the first half. The Bonnies big man shot 2-2 with four points and one rebound prior to the injury.
“We wouldn’t have the record that we have without Noel’s presence,” said Bonnies head coach Mark Schmidt. “Noel’s been a godsend. He’s been terrific. He’s the best backup five-man that we’ve had since I’ve been here.”
Following Brown’s injury, the Ramblers started to pull away, going up 28-15 over the Bonnies.
Sophomore forward Assa Essamvous ended the Ramblers’ run, converting the Bonnies’ first 3-pointer of the game with three minutes left. Seconds later, Essamvous hit a mid-range jump shot, putting the Bonnies within eight.
A put-back layup from graduate student guard Charles Pride added to the Bonnies’ 7-0 run.
Brown returned for the final possession with Loyola Chicago up 28-22. An Alston three with five seconds left gave the Ramblers a 31-22 lead going into the half.
“I guess it hurt,” said Brown. “If we lose it’s our last game so I think honestly, I’d rather just hurt from on the court than off the court.”
Alston, Ramblers All-Conference Third Team honoree, finished the half with a game-high 11 points, shooting 2-2 from three.
Essamvous led the Bonnies in scoring with five points, shooting 100% from the field in the first half.
Both teams shot a combined 20-58 from the field going into the half, with Bonaventure shooting 1-8 from 3-point range.
Coming out of the half, graduate student forward Dame Adelekun extended the Ramblers’ lead to 11 following a layup.
The Bonnies clawed back. Another mid-range shot from Essamvous put the Bonnies behind 39-33.
However, the Ramblers once again went up 11 following a three from junior guard and All-Conference Second Team honoree Des Watson. But three straight Bonaventure field goals cut Loyola Chicago’s lead to 48-40.
Free throw makes from Essamvous and graduate student guard Mika Adams-Woods got the Bonnies within five points, trailing 51-46.
Loyola answered, drawing a foul and forcing turnover a turnover to go back up nine. Alston went 1-2 at the free throw line, adding to Loyola Chicago’s 58-47 lead.
This free throw would be the last point the Ramblers would see for the next 10 minutes.
Down 11 with 5:45 left, sophomore forward Barry Evans hit a 3-point shot to cut the Rambler’s lead to eight.
“I thought Barry Evans did a great job, coming in and spacing us out a little bit,” said Schmidt.
Redshirt senior Daryl Banks III started to heat up late in the second half, scoring the next five points.
Now down three, Banks III completed an acrobatic over-the-head pass to Brown for an open layup while drawing a foul. After a Brown free throw, the Bonnies tied the game.
“When I came off the down screen, I curled it,” said Banks III. “Noel always rolls with me, so I knew he was still there. Just a matter of placing it there for him and he converted it.”
With 43 seconds remaining on the clock, the Ramblers had a chance to win the game. After a flurry of misses from graduate students Braden Norris and Dame Adelekun, junior guard Des Watson and sophomore guard Jalen Quinn, the Ramblers failed to convert, and the game headed into overtime.
The Bonnies outscored the Ramblers 36-27 in the second half.
Loyola Chicago’s scoring drought carried into overtime as the Ramblers missed their first six shots of the period.
Banks III put the Bonnies on the board in overtime after converting two free throws. Banks III proceeded to get a steal after the Ramblers inbounded the ball, leading to a wide-open layup.
With their biggest lead of the game at four, the Bonnies tasted victory, but the Ramblers wouldn’t go down without a fight.
A Watson free throw gave Loyola Chicago its first points in ten minutes. With six minutes left down by three, Alston came up big for the Ramblers with back-to-back dunks, giving the lead back to Loyola Chicago at 63-62.
Banks III answered, hitting a contested 3-pointer and retaking the lead.
“He embodies what we’re all about,” said Schmidt. “He represents us in the best way possible.”
With 16 seconds left, the Bonnies fouled Alston, giving Loyola Chicago’s big man a chance to tie. After missing the first attempt, Bonaventure brought in redshirt junior forward Chad Venning to secure a rebound in case of a second miss.
However, Bonaventure’s plan turned into a disaster as Alston followed his shot after missing his second free throw. Alston grabbed the rebound and laid it in to tie the game at 65 with 16 seconds left.
Graduate student guard Mika Adams-Woods missed a contested 3-pointer at the buzzer and the game headed into its second overtime period.
“A lot of times, when you have the ball at the end of overtime, to win the game and you don’t, sometimes it’s hard to come back from that,” said Schmidt.
Free throws from Adams-Woods and Brown gave the Bonnies a 69-66 lead to begin the second overtime.
Two possessions later, Brown fouled out after contesting a Norris layup.
Brown finished with 13 points, shooting 4-5 from the field and 4-5 from the line. Brown also played 20 minutes, the most among Bonaventure’s big men.
“I’m thankful for this opportunity and what’s happening, but it’s not necessarily just me out there,” said Brown. “I’m representing everyone who pours into me. I’m blessed right now.”
With 2:17 left, Banks III came up big yet again for Bonaventure, hitting a 3-pointer and putting the Bonnies up 72-68.
The Ramblers quickly responded with back-to-back layups from Rubin and Adelekun to tie the game at 72.
Following an Adams-Woods turnover and a Venning foul, Adelekun gave the Ramblers a two-point lead after making two free throws.
Adelekun finished with 12 points shooting 4-4 from the line.
“I feel like we’re constantly placed in high-pressure situations our whole time through [practice],” said Adelekun. “I try to reflect on those moments to keep me grounded and just make me lock in.”
Now down 74-72 with 32 seconds on the clock, the Bonnies season hung in the hands of Banks III. After calling for a Venning screen, Banks III noticed he had a mismatch.
“When Chad [Venning] set the screen, they switched the big,” said Banks III. “I knew that he was going to jump at whatever I did, so I got a little bit of space with a move. I really just jumped into him. I knew he was going to jump.”
With 12 seconds left, Banks III pump faked and jumped into the airborne defender, drawing a 3-point foul.
After calmly stepping to the line, Banks III drained all three shots, giving the Bonnies a one-point lead.
“It was sweet,” said Banks III. “I work on my free throws, so it felt good to see all three of them go in.”
On the inbound, and after nearly getting called for a five-second violation, the Ramblers raced up the floor and called a timeout with nine seconds left.
With a trip to the A-10 Semifinals on the line, the Ramblers inbounded the ball to their star player Watson. The Bonaventure defense forced Watson to shoot a long-contested 3-pointer which resulted in an airball at the buzzer.
Once down 15, the Bonnies completed the comeback and held on to win 75-74 and advance to the A-10 Semifinals.
“Great college game,” said Schmidt. “I thought we showed great toughness. We’re not a pretty team, as you saw tonight, but we have some gritty guys, and they produce.”
Banks III finished with 22 points including shooting 12-12 from the free throw line.
“This is really special,” said Banks III. “My career didn’t come to an end tonight, so that’s always special. I love moments like this… I’ve got a great group of guys who’s mentally and physically tough, and we just came out with the win.”
Bonaventure faces Duquesne at 3:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS Sports Network with a trip to the A-10 Championship on the line.
halea22@bonaventure.edu
