Photo courtesy of Rhode Island Athletics
BY: ANDREW HALE, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
After leading for more than 36 minutes, the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team fell 68-64 to Rhode Island on a game-winning shot with two seconds left.
As it has all season, the injury bug continued to bite the Bonnies (17-9, 5-8 A-10) as second-leading scorer and the team’s leading rebounder senior guard Chance Moore was ruled out with a foot injury prior to the game.
In Moore’s absence, Bonnies head coach Mark Schmidt added freshman guard Noah Bolanga to the starting lineup. Bolanga, who came off a career-high 14-point game in the team’s loss against George Washington last Sunday, played 40 minutes against Rhode Island and shot 1-6 from the field.
However, even without Moore, the Bonnies went up 20-10 early and would carry a double-digit lead going into halftime.
“Being short Chance [Moore], I thought Noah [Bolanga] went in there, didn’t shoot the ball great but, had some rebounds,” Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt said. “But injuries are part of the game, and you just have the next man up.”
The Bonnies’ defense shined in the first half, holding Rhode Island’s (16-8, 5-7 A-10) leading scorer and senior guard, Sebastian Thomas, scoreless. Bonaventure also forced 10 Rams turnovers while only picking up two total fouls in the opening half.
“We played well in the first half,” Schmidt said. “At times, we played well in the second half, but we had some breakdowns.”
Bonaventure kept its foot on the gas to begin the second half, taking its biggest lead 41-28 three minutes in.
However, an 8-0 run from the Rams put them within striking distance. Rhode Island completed its comeback after a Thomas 3-pointer tied the game at 53 with six minutes left.
A 3-pointer from Rams senior forward David Green with three minutes left gave Rhode Island its first lead since they went up 2-0 to open the game.
Five consecutive points from Bonnies senior guard Melvin Council Jr. put Bonaventure back in front, 64-63, with a minute left.
But, following a wide-open Bonaventure miss with 16 seconds, the Rams raced up the floor and junior guard Jamarques Lawrence’s 3-point shot while being fouled put Rhode Island up 67-64 with two seconds left.
The Bonnies couldn’t convert a pair of half-court heaves, and Rhode Island handed Bonaventure its third consecutive loss.
Redshirt sophomore Jonah Hinton led the way for the Bonnies, scoring a career high 18 points and shooting 4-11 from three.
“[Hinton] made some big shots,” Schmidt said. “And that’s what we need him to do. So, from an offensive standpoint, he did a good job for us.”
Thomas scored 15 points in the second half and Lawrence scored 20 on 7-11 shooting, leading the Rams to their 16th victory of the season.
“[Thomas] is really good,” Schmidt said. “He started taking the ball off the bounce, and we tried to play the ball screen hard, and he split us a couple times. [Lawrence] made some shots. So it was a competitive game, and we just came up a little bit short.”
Rhode Island held Bonaventure to 9-25 from the field and 3-12 from three in the second half, while the Rams shot 51% and 42%, respectively.
“We played hard,” Schmidt said. “We had some breakdowns, but I thought our guys really competed, but you can’t allow [Rhode Island] to shoot 51% in the second half. That was really the key. But proud of the effort; we just have to close games better.”
The Bonnies continue their New England road trip Saturday as the team battles UMass at noon. The game will air live on ESPN+, with a radio broadcast streaming on the Bonnies Online Network.
halea22@bonaventure.edu
