Photo: Scott Eddy
BY: ANDREW HALE, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team defeated Northern Iowa 68-56 Friday, placing third in the ESPN NIT Season Tip-Off tournament.
Similarly to Game 1 against Utah State, the Bonnies (7-1, 0-0 A-10) began the game cold from the field and quickly went down 7-2 against Northern Iowa.
However, Bonaventure redshirt sophomore Jonah Hinton and freshman center Xander Wedlow provided a spark off the bench, scoring consecutive points and helping the Bonnies cut the lead to four.
“Every game, there’s going to be peaks and valleys, and you got to be able to handle those valleys and the peaks,” Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt said. “I thought our bench came off and did a really good job.”
Wedlow played nine minutes, scoring two points and finishing with a +/- of four against the Panthers.
“[Wedlow’s] playing better in practice,” Schmidt said. “He did a really good job of ball screen defense. It was good to see. He’s only a freshman, but he’s got some size to him, and he’s got a decent feel. He’s still learning, but I thought he took a big step tonight.”
Northern Iowa (3-4, 0-0 MVC) prevented any momentum the Bonnies had as three straight 3-pointers put the Panthers up 26-17. UNI began the game 5-8 from three, while the Bonnies began 0-5 from beyond the arc and 7-20 overall from the field.
The Bonnies began to slowly chip away at UNI’s lead following Bonaventure’s first three, courtesy of senior guard Chance Moore.
A 15-4 run, fueled by six points from senior guard Melvin Council Jr., gave the Bonnies a 32-30 lead with two minutes left in the first half.
Back-to-back 3-pointers, including one at the buzzer, from Council Jr., put the Bonnies up six, 38-32, at the half.
Council Jr. finished the first half with a game-high 12 points, shooting 5-7 from the field and 2-2 from three.
Both teams were efficient from the field in the first half, each shooting over 50%. The Panthers, however, outshot the Bonnies from three, shooting 5-10 compared to Bonaventure’s 3-8.
The Bonnies stayed hot in the beginning of the second half, quickly going up 47-34 and making four of their first six shots.
“I say it all the time: the first five minutes of the second half, the first 10 possessions are critical,” Schmidt said. “I thought our guys did a good job. We got some stops, and then we got some scores and got some more stops. That’s how you win.”
The Panthers would put an end to the Bonnies’ run following a layup from redshirt junior Ben Schwieger, cutting the lead to 47-36.
However, UNI couldn’t muster up a comeback as the Bonnies controlled the remainder of the second half, leading by as many as 16.
Northern Iowa senior forward Tytan Anderson led the Panthers in points and rebounds with 14 and five, respectively.
Bonnies junior guard Dasonte Bowen finished with a game-high 17 points, shooting 4-6 from the field and 100% from the free throw line. Council Jr., along with Bowen, commanded the backcourt, finishing with 15 points, grabbing four rebounds and assisting three shots.
“[Bowen and Council Jr.] are still learning the system, and they still make their errors, but they’re playing hard,” Schmidt said. “They bring energy. You win with a backcourt. They’re playing pretty well right now, and we need them to play better.”
As a team, the Bonnies shot 50% from the field while holding the Panthers to 48%. Bonaventure won the rebound battle and outscored UNI in the paint.
“We played well,” Schmidt said. “We won this game playing defense. I thought we hit some big shots, but we had 12 steals. I thought as the game went along, we played better and better, and we came off of a game where we lost. We had some adversity, and I thought we bounced back.”
Bonaventure returns to the floor Wednesday on the road against Bucknell. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. and will air live on ESPN+. Radio listeners can tune into the game via the Bonnies Online Network.
halea22@bonaventure.edu
