Photo courtesy of gobonnies.com
BY: GRADY McCAFFREY; STAFF WRITER
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — The St. Bonaventure University men’s basketball team lost to Youngstown State University, 79-71, on Monday, Nov. 2 in the Reilly Center.
This contest marked Mike MacDonald’s first game as the head coach of the Bonnies.
The first half started with a quick 5-0 run from Youngstown State. Bonaventure forward Ben Bill responded with a floater at the 17:30 mark to put the Bonnies on the board.
Bonaventure led 36-32 at the end of the first half.
Both teams struggled offensively to start the second half. However, Youngstown State took control for the next 15 minutes. It led 58-49, its largest lead of the game, at the 8:50 mark.
Bonaventure then responded with their own 14-2 run over the next three minutes. The Reilly Center erupted for the first time all game following Bonaventure guard Zach Philipkoski’s and-one three at the six-minute mark to tie the game at 60.
The Bonnies and Penguins traded baskets before Youngstown State guard Linus Holmstrom’s three-pointer iced the game with 25 seconds left. The game saw three lead changes.
Bonaventure shot 9 of 21 from the free-throw line compared to Youngstown State’s 15 of 21. The Bonnies shot a higher percentage from the field than the free-throw line, knocking down 28 of 60 attempts.
Bonnies head coach Mike MacDonald spoke on the season-opening loss in his post-game presser.
“We talk about things you can do to affect winning,” said MacDonald. “We didn’t affect winning with our free throw shooting. We didn’t affect winning with our defensive rebounding.”
MacDonald also emphasized the importance of improving the team’s rebounding and where it can improve.
“The competition is fine. We need to tighten up the execution,” said MacDonald.
MacDonald credited the home environment, which he believed pushed the Bonnies down to the wire.
“The crowd was great. The student section was outstanding,” said MacDonald.
Junior guard Linus Holmstrom led the Penguins in scoring with 26 points. The Daemen transfers led Bonaventure, with senior guard Zach Philipkoski putting up 28 points on 10-14 from the field in 32 minutes. Senior center Benjamin Bill posted 15 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes.
The Bonnies will travel to Canisius University on Saturday, Nov. 7, looking to notch their first win of the season at the Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, New York. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.
