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St. Bonaventure 80 Saint Joseph's 69: Numbers and Notes


Facing Saint Joseph’s would be a problem. A potentially big problem. One of the priorities for St. Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt, in prepping for Saint Joseph's, was defending the three point line. The Bonnies were burned from three on Wednesday as George Mason shot 15 of 32 for a white hot 47% from long distance. The visiting Hawks of Billy Lange had shooters who could dial long distance and Schmidt knew they had to be contained. Mission accomplished. The Bonnies defeated Saint Joseph’s 80-69 Saturday at the Reilly Center. Bona is now 4-2 in the A10 and 12-5 overall. Saint Joseph’s fell to 3-6 in conference and 9-11 on the campaign. The numbers of note:


Possessions: 71- The Hawks prefer a pace in this range. Bonnies, a 63 possession team in A10 play, were comfortable getting out in transition.


Offensive Efficiency: St. Bona 113, Saint Joseph’s 97- a solid offensive effort for Bona but of greater importance, a stronger defensive showing. A vast improvement from the 121 allowed on the defensive end at George Mason.


Turnover rate: St. Bona 10%, Saint Joseph’s 17%. Bonnies did not force the Hawks into a plethora of errors. On their end, Bona cared for the ball extremely well. Four of Bona’s ten turnovers came from Osun Osunniyi.


3P%- The big factor. Hawks were 10 of 34 for 29%. Bonnies shot 2 of7 for 29%. The big number was on the Saint Joseph’s side.

Schmidt came into the game wanting his club to hold Saint Joseph's to under ten three point field goals. Bonnies would have had that mark except for the visitors bombing away every possession the final two or three minutes in hopes of making a final push. On the afternoon the Hawks attempted 34 of their 64 field goals beyond the arc.


Free Throw Rate: St. Bona 56%, Saint Joseph’s 12%. Free throw rate divides free throw attempts by field goal attempts. From the charity stripe Saint Joseph’s shot 7 of 8 (88%) while the Bonnies were 24 of 29 for 83%. A number of the Bona trips to the line were due to the visitors in a foul mode late (right up to seven seconds to go?) in an attempt to extend the game. The fact the Hawks attempted only eight free throws attests to their perimeter shooting preference and Bona defending well without fouling.



Added notes: Taylor Funk, a deadly shooter from three, scored ten points on the afternoon. Funk shot 2 of 7 and barely had an uncontested look. Most of his tries from long were rushed under defensive duress. A solid defending job by Bona.


Both teams placed four in double figures. Jalen Adaway of Bona led all scorers with 22 points. In the process Adaway scored is 1,000th career point. Erik Reynolds led the Hawks with 21 points.

Jaren Holmes earned Kenpom.com MVP accolades with 20 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, zero turnovers and 2 steals in 40 minutes. Holmes shot 7 of 8 from the floor including a perfect 7 of 7 from two point range. The Bona senior was also 6 of 6 from the line.


Just another strong outing from Kyle Lofton. The type Bona fans come to expect, yet very much appreciate. A 13 point, 7 rebound, 4 assists performance in 40 minutes for Lofton. In addition he made excellent decisions on whether to push the ball or put the brakes on and set up in half court.


Saint Joseph’s is improved and on the upswing. The Hawks added a transfer from Vanderbilt in 6’10" Ejike Obinna, a transfer from Vanderbilt. Obinna scored 10 points while pulling down 7 boards. His presence has allowed the 6’8" Funk, who worked hard on conditioning in the off season, to move over to a three spot rather than play the post. In freshmen Erik Reynolds Saint Joseph’s has one of the conference’s top young talents at the guard spot.


Next up for the Bonnies is Davidson. Bob mcKillop’s Wildcats bounced back from their home loss to VCU on Wednesday by defeating LaSalle yesterday. In Davidson, the Bonnies will face a team certain to provide a challenging test to their perimeter defense.

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