Box Score Location: Bob Lanier Court -- Reilly Center
Box Score (PDF) | Statistics With Play-by-Play
St. Bonaventure Starters: #3 G Marcus Posley, #10 G Jaylen Adams, #1 G Idris Taqqee, #21 F Dion Wright, #20 F Derrick Woods
The Short Story
A late St. Bonaventure rally came up just short on Saturday afternoon in the Reilly Center and the Bonnies fell 89-83 to a veteran Hofstra club.
The Bonnies (3-2) trailed by 10 points, 79-69, with 2:48 before they rallied. Nelson Kaputo's three-pointer with 37 seconds remaining capped an 8-2 run that pulled St. Bonaventure within 81-80. Ameen Tanksley made two free throws to make it an 83-80 game, and Jaylen Adams' potential game-tying three-pointer was off the mark with 26 seconds left. Hofstra sealed the outcome at the free throw line.
St. Bonaventure led 42-37 at halftime after it held the Pride to 36 percent shooting in the opening half. It was a 59-57 Bonnies lead when Hofstra went on a 16-1 run to take a 73-60 lead by the 6:41 mark.
Adams led the Bonnies with 24 points while senior guard Marcus Posley, who had averaged 30 points over his last two outings, scored 22. Senior forward Dion Wright had 10 points and 10 rebounds for his third straight double-double.
Hofstra (4-2), which was the preseason favorite to win the Colonial Athletic Association and plays three fifth-year seniors, shot 53 percent in the second half (16-30) and was 28-33 at the free throw line in the game. Preseason CAA Player of the Year Juan'ya Green scored 23 points - 18 in the second half - while Ameen Tanksley had 24.
How It Happened:
- St. Bonaventure got off to a good start, opening a 16-9 lead after two free throws by Marcus Posley.
- In the first half, the Bonnies were very effective on defense against the high-scoring (84 points per game) Pride. Hofstra had just 17 points over the first 13 minutes.
- The Bonnies' lead grew to 33-23 by the 3:53 mark after Denzel Gregg scored inside.
- Hofstra closed to within five at 42-37 at halftime after two free throws by Green.
- The Pride should just 36 percent (11-30) in the first half compared to 43 percent by St. Bonaventure.
- At the start of the second half, Hofstra continued to close the gap and eventually tied the game at 55 on a layup by Tanksley at the 12:48 mark.
- The Bonnies led by two at 59-57 when their offense went cold and Hofstra erupted for its 16-1 run to take a 73-60 lead.
- St. Bonaventure clawed back with a 9-2 run capped by two free throws by Adams with 4:20 remaining that made it a 75-69 game.
- Hofstra threatened to put the game away as it pulled ahead by 10 at 79-69, but again the Bonnies responded. Consecutive three-pointers by Adams and Kaputo, the latter with 37 seconds left, pulled St. Bonaventure within 81-80.
Quotes From St. Bonaventure Coach Mark Schmidt
"I felt we played a good first half. We didn't defend the 3-point well in the first half. There were five or six minutes where they scored 11 straight possessions. (Juan'ya) Green is a great player and he just controlled the game. He was the difference. If you score 83 points you should win. We didn't defend in the second half the way we are capable of defending."
"We fought back and gave ourselves a chance to tie the game, but our inability to stop them in the half court in essence lost the game for us."
"They beat Florida State because they have good players. Hofstra is an NCAA Tournament team. They're a strong, physical team. It's just disappointing that we couldn't give a better defensive effort in the half court. There's a learning curve. We have to get better every day. It's part of the process we're going through."
Beyond The Boxscore
- Dion Wright has now had three straight double-doubles for the first time in his career.
- Marcus Posley has now scored a combined 86 points over the last three games.
- Nelson Kaputo's 15 assists to this point are the most by a Bona freshman through five games since J.R. Bremer had 18 in the 1998-99 season.
- With students away on Thanksgiving break, the attendance was 3,229.
Up Next: St. Bonaventure will visit Big 4 rival Buffalo (4-2) on Wednesday, Dec. 2, at Alumni Arena. Game time will be 7 p.m.
