By HUNTER O. LYLE
ST. BONAVENTURE, NY – Two weeks ago, the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team started their season with a stubbed toe.
Opening their season against Youngstown State, the Bonnies came out flat and lackadaisical. They lost the battle under the boards, they missed out on free opportunities at the charity stripe and they let their first appearance at the Reilly Center slip away from them. Without a doubt, the loss that’s plastered to their resume remains a black mark in the minds of the Brown and White.
But as head coach Mike MacDonald frequently reminds players and media alike, “life is 10 percent what happens and 90 percent how you respond.”
The Bonnies’ response has been resounding. In their following three contests, St. Bonaventure has overwhelmed their opponents, outscoring them 257-171, outrebounding them 142-79 and tacking on three straight wins to tip the scales of their budding regular season in their favor. In their most recent, a 81-56 win over Lafayette, everything was rolling for them once again.
“I thought our guys’ commitment to defense was outstanding. They really worked,” said MacDonald. “I think we’re getting there. When our defense is good and we’re able to get out and run and teams are unable to set their defense, we can go,” said MacDonald. “
Against the Leopards, the offense was admittedly slow going to start. Through the first five minutes, St. Bonaventure netted just seven points and scored just another 15 in the following 15 minutes. However, their defense shouldered the weight.
Benjamin Bill led the way. Fresh off of a four-block game against Cornell, the redshirt senior from Daemen nearly outpaced himself in the first few trips up the floor, swatting three shots in just as many minutes. Ending the night again with four, the 6 ’10 defensive anchor now leads the Atlantic-10 in blocks and sits tied at seventh in the nation in the same category.
“I just try to read when (my matchup’s) about to go up. I’m not the most athletic person, but I feel like I can usually get to the ball,” said Bill, who is currently averaging 3.5 blocks a game. “I think the summer and all that I’ve done here with (St. Bonaventure) has helped me (improve my defense at the rim.)”
Another category the Bonnies lead their conference in is rebounding, and against Lafayette, the glass was perpetually cleaned by the home team. Winning the rebound battle 22-14 in the first half, including 7-3 offensively, St. Bonaventure paved the way for their shooters to pull the trigger.
After averaging just five makes on 15 takes a game through the first three contests, the Bonnies’ got the greenlight from long range against the Leopards, cashing in on 6 of their 15 (40 percent) through the opening 20 minutes. Those 18 points from beyond the arc were produced by players, including two from Illia Ermakov and one from Mason Blackwood, who finally took the floor after missing a month of play due to injury.
Although playing in limited minutes, Blackwood seized the opportunity. During his first five-minute stint, the sophomore came away with five points – tied for third most on the team through the first half – on 2-for-4 shooting. Checking back in for another quick trip up and down the hardwood in the second half, he finished with double-digit figures at 11 points, cashing in on another triple along the way.
“I think (Mason) was great. He gave us a little scoring off the bench. He hasn’t practiced enough to feel comfortable and playing ten minutes might have even been a stretch for him today,” said MacDonald, “but I thought it was good for him to get in. He’ll catch up to speed and get there, it just takes time.”
While the Leopards kept within striking distance through the first 20 minutes of play with their own efficiency from deep – 5-for-12, 41.7 percent – in the second, their shooting dissipated, their turnovers doubled and St. Bonaventure erupted.
Midway through the period, the Bonnies’ opened up the valves, scoring 15-unanswered points to stretch the lead to 21 with 12 minutes remaining. As they pushed their foot on the pedal, scoring 17 points in transition and 14 points off of turnovers, St. Bonaventure’s offense continued to churn, ultimately seeing ten players reach the scoring column and seven players tally assists, including Zach Philipkoski’s game-high six.
“That’s what we have to do in order to be successful. We have to wait, keep moving the ball and I think all the guys are willing passers,” said MacDonald on his team’s 18 total assists. “When we do that, I think we become tougher to guard. I don’t know if we have one guy that’s a bucket-getter on his own. I think we have to continue to move the ball and create shots for others.”
Running out the clock with a 23-point lead, the Bonnies’ added another dub to the docket in their third-straight 20-plus-point win of the season.
Fulton led the pack offensively for the second time in three games, finishing with 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting, three 3-pointers, nine rebounds and two steals.
“Like coach says, I’ve just been having fun,” said Fulton, who averages 13.3 points a game and 8.3 rebounds. “It feels amazing. I don’t have any other word than that. It just feels amazing.”
Behind him Philipkoski with 15 points (4-for-8 on the floor, 1-for-3 from deep), eight rebounds and two steals, while Blackwood rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11. Bill ended with nine points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
Up next, the Bonnies’ finish off their home stand on Thursday against Buffalo before heading down to Kissimmee, FL for three games in the ESPN Events Invitational. There, they will face Appalachian State, Wright State and Belmont in a three-game-three-day Sunshine State stretch.
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