By SPENCER BATES
PITTSBURGH, PA — For the third time in four games, the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team has tasted defeat in the Atlantic 10.
And for the second time in that stretch it was its opponent’s 3-point shooting that did the most damage.
As Bona coach Mark Schmidt was preparing his team to travel to Steel City to face a red-hot Duquesne team, he put an emphasis on rebounding and forcing jump shots by filling the gaps on defense.
Unfortunately for him, there was not much for his team to rebound as the Dukes put together an incredibly efficient scoring performance, shooting 46.7% from the field as a team and a whopping 41.2% from 3 as they handed the Bonnies their largest defeat of the season by a score of 75-57.
“We didn’t guard,” Schmidt said. “Give (Duquesne) credit. You can’t get out-scored by 33 from the 3-point line and expect to win. The Saint Louis game we lost the 3-point game by 27. Today, we lost by 33. We’re having a hard time keeping good, athletic guys in front of us. They didn’t run much: a high ball screen, they get into the paint, they drive and they kick. We didn’t do a good job on the ball screen, but really, we didn’t do a good job on the ball. And once they get past us, now they’re driving and kicking to open 3s. When they’re shooting the ball like they did today, they’re hard to beat if you can’t keep the ball in front.”
What did not help the Bonnies was seeing Chance Moore go to the bench with a foot injury after only playing 12 minutes. He did not return to the floor for the rest of the game and saw his minutes absorbed by Noah Bolanga and Miles Rose.
Moore’s injury is a worrying one not only due to the fact that has he been the team’s leading scorer on the season, but also because he would be the third player brought in by Bona ahead of this year to now be finding a spot on the bench in street clothes alongside Dasonte Bowen and Jaxon Edwards.
The injury to Moore, as to which the severity has not been confirmed, forced Schmidt into changing around his rotations and defensive matchups, only creating more opportunities for Duquesne to exploit.
“When we lose Chance, we’re putting Lajae at the three, we’re bringing Miles and Noah in, and we got outscored from the bench 40-12,” Schmidt said. “We got to get more production, especially if Chance is out. The injuries are part of the game. We got three main guys out right now, so the bench has to respond, and the guys that are playing a lot of minutes have to play better. But if it all begins and ends on the defensive end, that’s where it all begins and ends.”
St. Bonaventure center Xander Wedlow (21) looks to close down Duquesne’s Kareem Rozier (3). (Duquesne Men’s Basketball via X)
In an attempt to alleviate some of the duress it was put under, Bona switched to a zone defense, but according to Schmidt, the Dukes took one glance at that zone and started driving right at the basket and moving players around with the pass until there was an open man.
“We tried to play some zone, but they were penetrating,” Schmidt said. “They had 21 assists and 28 field goals, so that means everything’s coming off the pass. They’re driving at us and kicking the ball to open 3s. We gotta get better on the ball if we’re going to have a chance.”
Maximus Edwards led the Dukes with 17 points on the night. Behind him were Cameron Crawford and Tre Dinkins, who provided 12 and 10 points respectively.
Only making matters worse was that the Bonnies’ offense struggled in unison with its defense. As a team they finished 37.7% from the field and 21.4% from deep, not to mention Melvin Council Jr. (17 points), Noel Brown (17 points) and Lajae Jones (11 points) were their only major contributors of points.
“From an offensive standpoint, we haven’t been great all year, but we’re struggling,” Schmidt said. “As I told the team, ‘the more tape that’s out there, the better the scouting is.’ So they look at the stats and say, ‘he’s a jump shooter, let’s play him physical.’ And (Jonah) couldn’t get any open looks. So, we had some problems today, but for the most part it all started at the defensive end.”
The Bonnies will look to get back on track when they return home for their next game, a Jan. 21 affair against George Mason scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m.
