Photo courtesy of gobonnies.com
BY: WILL NUNN; CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, SPORTS EDITOR
Inconsistency, instability and heartbreak have been the motifs of the season for St. Bonaventure men’s basketball. The losses continue to pile up, and the common theme is clear–inadequate late-game execution.
After a 71-65 loss to Saint Joseph’s on Feb. 18, the Bonnies dropped to 3-10 in the Atlantic 10, and sit 12th out of 14 teams in the conference.
Bonaventure held a three-point lead over the Hawks inside of six minutes to play, but a four-minute scoring drought spelled doom for the Bonnies, and fans began packing up and heading for the doors before the final buzzer sounded.
This loss was not a unique occurrence, and sealing the deal in crunch time has been an issue for the Brown and White all season long. In seven of its ten conference losses, Bonaventure held a lead or was tied within the final six minutes of the game.
The heartbreak began in the Atlantic 10 opener on New Year’s Eve against VCU. It was a back-and-forth affair all afternoon. The Bonnies led by as many as seven in the second half, and with two minutes to play, the game was tied at 79. The Rams would go on a 10-0 run, aided by three Bonaventure turnovers, to put the game away.
“At the end of the game we didn’t execute the way we needed to execute,” said Schmidt. “On the road, you don’t have to play perfect but you have to play really well. I thought we played well for the first 35 minutes, then we just made some plays that we have to get better at.”
On Jan. 10, already sitting at 0-2 in conference, the Bonnies hosted Fordham with a chance to get into the win column. After trailing by as many as 13 in the first half, junior guard Darryl Simmons II took charge. Bonaventure’s largest lead came with under eight minutes to play, at 63-57.
A Simmons 3-pointer gave the Bonnies the lead back with just over a minute remaining, but a 6-0 Fordham run over the next 60 seconds sealed the Bonnies’ third consecutive loss.
It was more of the same in the following game, on the road against Saint Joseph’s. Two minutes into the second half, the Hawks took their largest lead, going up by 11. Once again, the Bonnies fought their way back, and led by 64-60 with two-and-a-half minutes to play.
Bonaventure went scoreless the rest of the way, shooting 0-of-4 from the field, and an 8-0 run propelled the Hawks to a win.
“Any time you’re on the road and you need those stops late, you can’t hope they miss,” said Associate Head Coach Sean Neal. “You have to force them to miss if you want to win late-game situations and I think that’s something we can clean up for sure.”
Sitting at 2-6 in the A-10 on Jan. 31, Bonaventure played host to George Mason, and came out of the gates hot, leading by as many as 14 in the first half. Once again unable to string together two quality halves, the Bonnies allowed the Patriots back into the game in the second half.
After trailing the entire game, George Mason tied the game at 71 in the final two minutes and, thanks to poor Bonaventure shooting from the foul line, escaped the Reilly Center with a 77-73 win.
Three days later, Bonaventure once again went down big early, trailing Dayton by 13 just before the half. True to its season-long comeback nature, Bonaventure stormed back, taking a 48-47 lead after a 3-pointer from senior forward Daniel Egbuniwe just over seven minutes into the second half.
The remainder of the game was tight, with neither team leading by more than one possession. Leading by three with three minutes to play, the Bonnies once again went cold, missing their next three field goals. After a pair of Dayton free throws put them ahead by 2 in the final seconds, Simmons’ last second 3-point heave clanked off the front of the rim, and another game with a late lead was lost.
“The guys are playing hard,” said Schmidt. “It’s just that every time we make a mistake it seems like we pay for it. We just have to do a better job of having more discipline in those critical situations.”
On Feb. 14, the Bonnies hosted Duquesne at the Reilly Center, and climbed out of an 18-point hole in the first half to set up another late-game pressure situation.
With two minutes to play, Bonaventure led Duquesne 73-71. It came away from its next three offensive possessions empty-handed, the Dukes went on a 7-0 run and the buzzer sounded as the Bonnies dropped their third straight in front of their home crowd.
“We just can’t get that stop when we need to get that stop,” said Bonaventure Head Coach Mark Schmidt after the loss. “Our margin for error is really small, and when the game is on the line you need to make those plays and we’ve had a difficult time making them.”
As the frustrated Bonaventure fanbase grows increasingly restless, the players have taken accountability for the continuous late-game struggles, and have come to the defense of the coaching staff that has come under fire.
“We play tight, like we’re scared to make a mistake,” said senior forward Frank Mitchell following the loss to Duquesne. “It has nothing to do with the coaching staff, it has something to do with the players. Players make plays, and we just have to find each other to do that when it’s crunch time.”
