Photo: Joseph DeBell
BY: ANDREW HALE, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team won its first game over Duquesne in over two years, defeating the Dukes 70-63 Saturday afternoon.
Prior to the game’s start, the university honored senior guards Chance Moore and Melvin Council Jr., as well as graduate center Noel Brown in honor of Senior Day.
“It was an emotional game just because it’s Senior Day,” Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt said. “The game was for the seniors, and I thought our guys showed some character and played an aspiring game.”
The Bonnies (19-9, 7-8 A-10) and Dukes (11-16, 6-8 A-10) played an even first four minutes, both making three shots, going into the under-16 media timeout tied 8-8.
However, Bonaventure began to pull away following Brown’s second made 3-pointer of the season. Brown would also be a force in the paint, finishing the first half 3-6 from the field. The Bonnies, as a whole, outscored Duquesne 16-6 in the paint in the opening half.
“[For] Noel [Brown], that’s the last Senior Day that he’ll have,” Schmidt said. “It was a tough day for him before the game. He did a good job of keeping those emotions inside when he was playing.”
Bonaventure maintained its advantage throughout the half, taking a 39-30 lead going into halftime.
The Bonnies got offense from their defense, forcing eight turnovers and scoring 11 fastbreak points in the first half.
Junior guard Lajae Jones led the way for the Bonnies in the opening half, shooting 4-6 from the field and scoring 14 points.
“I thought Lajae [Jones] and Melvin [Council Jr.] carried us offensively,” Schmidt said.
Senior guard Tre Dinkins III led the Dukes in scoring in the first half with 10 points.
Jones picked up where he left off, scoring the Bonnies’ first seven points of the second half. Jones finished Saturday with a game-high 24 points, shooting 8-11 from the field, and racking up five steals.
“We just know we need to get hot because it’s the end stretch of the season,” Jones said. “[There are] still three more games to go. [We] just [need to] get better every day off the court, take care of our bodies and get to the gym and have great practices.”
However, after trailing by as many as 11, the Dukes began to storm back, cutting the lead to six following a 3-pointer from guard Cam Crawford with seven minutes left.
The redshirt junior would continue to put Duquesne on his back as his mid-range jumper cut the lead to 61-60. Crawford finished the game with 12 points.
Bonaventure responded with a contested layup by Moore and a 3-pointer from Council Jr., putting the Bonnies up 66-60 and forcing a Dukes timeout with two minutes left.
Bonnies turnovers allowed Duquesne to cut the lead to three, but two makes at the free throw line from redshirt sophomore guard Jonah Hinton put the Bonnies up 68-63, securing the win.
“I thought playing against [Duquesne] last game, they made 14 threes, and they dominated us physically,” Schmidt said. We needed to change that narrative. It was a good victory. Take care of home court. This is the end of the year, and we’re going to have to start playing better and try to get on a roll as we go into the Atlantic 10 tournament.”
Council Jr. finished with 20 points, shooting 8-14 from the field and grabbing five rebounds.
“We can fight with anyone,” Council Jr. said. “As long as we got effort, we can compete with anybody.”
While the Bonnies outshot Duquesne, the Dukes ultimately outrebounded Bonaventure by 15.
“[Duquesne’s] big, and we did a decent job and kept it even down there,” Schmidt said. “They’re a big, physical team, so we knew that was going to be an issue. You never want to get out-rebounded like that. But we found a way to win.”
The Bonnies win pushes them to seventh place in the A-10 with three games remaining in the regular season.
“Get that double bye; that’s the goal,” Council Jr. said. “We just got to have good practices and just believe in coach’s game plan for the last three [games].”
Bonaventure travels to Philadelphia on Wednesday to take on Saint Joseph’s. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. and will air live on Peacock. Radio listeners can tune into the game via the Bonnies Online Network.
halea22@bonaventure.edu
