Box Score (PDF)  |  Final Stats and Play-by-Play

St. Bonaventure Starters: #3 G Marcus Posley, #10 G Jaylen Adams,  #21 F Dion Wright, #23 G Andell Cumberbatch, #35 C Youssou Ndoye

The Short Story: St. Bonaventure completed a sweep of the Big 4 and improved to 5-1 with a convincing, 72-63 win over Buffalo on Wednesday at the Reilly Center.

Defense, particularly in a superb first half, was the key for the Bonnies. Bona held UB to six first-half field goals and went into the break with a 34-18 lead. The Bulls made just six of their 27 shots (22 percent) in the first half.

Buffalo, which came into the game with the same 4-1 record as the Bonnies, made a run in the second half and cut the lead to 46-39 with less than 12 minutes remaining.  However, strong play from Ndoye, who scored 10 of his 17 total points in the second half, helped the Bonnies to pull away.  St. Bonaventure used a 9-0 run to regain control at 59-42 with 8:06 left. Marcus Posley capped the surge with a three-pointer.  The lead remained in double digits until the final minute.

Youssou Ndoye recorded his second straight double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds to go with four blocked shots. Dion Wright added a team-high 19 points for the Bonnies, who out-scored UB 42-28 in points in the paint. St. Bonaventure also got 12 points from Posley and 10 from Andell Cumberbatch.

St. Bonaventure is now 5-1 for the second year in a row.

How It Happened:

• A 7-0 St. Bona run led to an early 9-3 score and a UB timeout at the 15:51 minute mark.
• Andell Cumberbatch drove to the hoop and scored after a Wright pass to give the Bonnies a 10-point lead with under 12 minutes to go in the half.
• Iakeem Alston came off the bench and scored on consecutive possessions, forcing a UB turnover in between, to make the score 20-9.
• A Youssou Ndoye dunk capped a 6-0 run for St. Bonaventure, leading to a UB timeout at the seven-minute mark with the Bonnies in front 24-9.
• Jay Adams made a three-pointer in front of the SBU student section with under six minutes in the half. UB answered with a three of their own on the ensuing possession to bring the score to 27-14.
• St. Bonaventure continued to expand the lead in the late stages of the first half. Cumberbatch hit a three-pointer with 3:15 left after Ndoye took a charge on the defensive end to make it 34-16.
• The first half ended with the Bonnies in front 34-18 – their largest halftime lead of this young season.
• Marcus Posley opened up the second half with a three-pointer in front of his own bench to extend the lead to 19 points.
• The two teams traded buckets and took a 41-24 score into the 16^-minute mark.
• The Bonnies got into foul trouble early in the half, as UB was in the bonus with just under 16 minutes to go in regulation.
• UB went on a 14-3 run that included a three-point basket and two conventional three-point plays, bringing the score to 46-39 with 11:44 remaining after two free throws by Raheem Johnson.
• Alston and Wright then responded for the Bonnies, scoring on consecutive possessions to end the Bulls' run and make the score 50-39.
• Ndoye had putback slam and stole the ball on the other end, which led to a Wright bucket that extended the Bona lead to 54-42.
• Ndoye continued his strong play with a bucket off a UB goaltending violation. He then took a charge on the ensuing possession, which led to a Posley three-pointer with 8:06 left that made the score 59-42. Posley's shot capped a 9-0 Bonnies run.
• The lead remained in double digits until the final minute.

Beyond the Box Score:

• St. Bonaventure led the entire game after the 18:35 mark in the first half.
• The Bonnies held UB to just 18 points in the first half, the fewest points they've given up in a first half all season. The Bulls made six field goals and shot 22.2% in the half.
• Buffalo ended the game shooting 38.6 percent overall. St. Bonaventure has now held five of its six opponents below 40 percent field goal shooting.
• The Bonnies took care of the ball all night, ending with just eight turnovers – one off their season best set vs. Dartmouth.
• Youssou Ndoye has snagged double-figure rebound totals in four straight games, his his 13 against UB are a season high and one short of his career high.
• Dion Wright, who again played wire-to-wire, set a career high with his nine field goals.
• Iakeem Alston set career highs in steals (3) and assists (4). He also scored five points and two rebounds in 13 minutes of action.
• Eight of the nine Bonnies who entered the game appeared in the scoring column.
• Three UB players fouled out of the game.
• Both teams had over 20 personal fouls in the game.
• SBU scored 42 points in the paint, its most all season.
• The Bonnies scored 18 points off UB's 15 turnovers.
• The Bonnies are now 7-2 all time against the Bulls, and Mark Schmidt is 4-1 in his career against UB.
• St. Bonaventure's last Big 4 sweep came in 2011-12.
• The Bonnies are off to a 5-1 start for the second year in a row.
  
  

Quotes From Bonnies Coach Mark Schmidt:
"I thought we took a step in the right direction again today. I thought we defended the best we defended in the first half all year. We challenged the guys, we told them that this is a Buffalo team that led Kentucky at halftime, it was an Atlantic 10-caliber team, it was going to be an Atlantic 10 atmosphere and we needed to play Atlantic 10 basketball."

"I thought in the first half we couldn't have played better defensively, holding them to 22% (shooting) We took care of the ball; we had five turnovers in the first half; we did a heck of a job."

 "We told them before the game it was going to be a physical game, and we needed to be the more physical team; I thought it starts inside and Dion and Youssou really played like men and that's what you need to beat a team like Buffalo."

"This was the biggest test. We felt like this was an Atlantic-10 team coming in here and the kids responded. You challenge them and this was the first big test and they stepped up to the plate; I'm not sure if they hit a home run but they hit at least a double."  

Up Next: The Bonnies will now go on the road for three consecutive games starting this Saturday at Ohio University. Tip-off will be 2:00 in Athens, Ohio.