By SPENCER BATES
BOCA RATON, FL — Through seven games this season, the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team had yet to play a true away game.
It had played four home games and three games on neutral sites, winning all but one of those fixtures. So, the Bonnies were up for a big test as they entered a raucous environment at Florida Atlantic for their first game on an enemy court.
The Owls brought the fight. Their size and strength caused problems at several points throughout the game, and mixed with their more-than-capable backcourt duo, it was a real test of mettle for the Bonnies.
Fortunately, bounce-back performances from some of the team’s brightest stars and yet another big day from the bench carried Bona across the finish line with a 70-65 victory.
“FAU is a good, athletic team and I thought we dealt with adversity,” Bona head coach Mark Schmidt said. “I thought our bench played extremely well. I thought Ilia (Ermakov) gave us a lift off the bench, Daniel (Egbuniwe as well). I thought our bench was the reason why we won. FAU is long, they’re athletic, got good guards and Vanterpool is terrific. It was a good first road test that we had, and we passed it. It wasn’t easy. It was a good victory.”
The fixture showed shades similar to that of its most recent game, a 67-58 result over East Carolina in the Fort Myers Tip-Off Tournament, in which the bench was pivotal to getting the tally in the win column. Against the Pirates, it was Egbuniwe that stole the show with a stellar 3-point shooting effort. He continued his good run of form against the Owls with nine points and five rebounds.
The difference against FAU was that he did not lead bench scorers, that title belonged to Achille Lonati. The freshman from Italy had his first signature game in the Brown and White as he dropped in 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting (3-for-4 from 3) and recorded three steals, the last of which was a pivotal poke that forced a late FAU turnover.
“Something Coach always says is, ‘whoever comes off the bench needs to do his thing without thinking too much, playing his game,’” Lonati said. “That’s what we’re trying to do. Every time we hear our name called, we try to do our best, shooting our shots, and playing like we know how to. That’s the important thing, playing with the mind free.”
Lonati has struggled to find a rhythm early in the season with the Bonnies, save for a 13-point outing against Canisius. Over the course of his last five appearances, he has managed just 10 shots from the field and made just one. In that time he also averaged just over six minutes per game. Against FAU, it was almost impossible to take him out.
“I’m really happy because I was struggling in the last games,” Lonati said. “Today I came off the bench, I hit one 3 and the others came naturally. So, I was really happy. My teammates were good, they saw me open and passed me the ball, and from behind the 3-point line, I just did my job.”
In total, the bench accounted for 24 of the team’s total points, all of which were needed as Darryl ‘Buddy’ Simmons II found himself in foul trouble throughout the game and was unable to make the impact he typically has.
“We need the guys coming off the bench,” Schmidt said. “Buddy’s not going to have great games all the time. We need those guys coming off the bench to give us a lift, and they did that. Hopefully that gives them a lot of confidence.”
St. Bonaventure’s Frank Mitchell (00) rises up for a dunk against Florida Atlantic. Mitchell had a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double against the Owls. (Hunter O. Lyle)
However, the bench couldn’t do it all. The win required yet another double-double performance from Frank Mitchell, who entered the contest as one of only four players across Div. I men’s basketball to be averaging over 16 points and 10 rebounds per game. He had 13 and 11 in those respective categories against the Owls to go along with three assists, two blocks and a steal.
Mitchell’s presence was ever-important in keeping the Bonnies in the game as his physicality and knack for cleaning the glass was crucial as FAU was dominating on the offensive boards to start the game.
“They’re athletic, they’re big, and when they got by us we were in a scramble,” Schmidt said of FAU’s big men. “When they drive it, you’re in a chaotic situation and they attack the offensive glass. They’re long and athletic and it creates problems.”
Cayden Charles and Dasonte Bowen each had a resurgence in the win as well. After consecutive six-point outings from Charles, he finished as the team’s leading scorer with 16 points and five rebounds. Dasonte Bowen also had one of his best games for Bona this season, attacking the basket with intent and dishing the rock with great accuracy when the situation called for it. He racked up 10 points, three rebounds, four assists and a steal.
“Dasonte played well,” Schmidt said. “He shared the ball, he scored when the lanes opened up, he continued to kick the ball, continued to be the general and made his foul shots at the end. That’s what you need from your point guard.”
St. Bonaventure’s Cayden Charles (24) goes high for a hook shot over a Florida Atlantic defender. Charles led the Bonnies with 16 points against the Owls. (Hunter O. Lyle)
But for as much scoring as the team was able to conjure, its defense was of the utmost importance.
FAU’s backcourt duo of Devin Vanterpool and Kanaan Carlyle can combine for a deadly one-two combo if they are allowed their time and space. Both were averaging over 16 points per contest prior to the matchup with Bona, and while Vanterpool was able to get his scoring in, recording a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds, Carlyle was kept quiet for the most part with just nine points to his name.
“That was the key, stopping their backcourt,” Schmidt said. “I told the team that I felt we could survive if one (of FAU’s) guys had a good game. Vanterpool (finished) 17 and 10, but I thought we did a good job on Carlyle, and that’s the key. You can’t let both those guys go out (and have a big game), because they’re really good players.”
St. Bonaventure wrapped up its Florida road trip with a 2-1 record and will now head back home for its next fixture, a Dec. 3 affair against Div. II Bloomsburg at 7 p.m.
