ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – When it's all said and done, Kyle Lofton will have his name throughout the St. Bonaventure men's basketball record books. The senior guard will unquestionably be listed among the school's best at the position, alongside a host of outstanding athletes hailing from a program full of standout point guards.
Lofton carved out another spot among the program greats Wednesday night, setting the Bonnies single-game record with an eye-popping 17 assists as the home team swept past UMass, 83-71.
In another full 40-minute effort, Lofton was charged with just three turnovers while completing a double-double with 11 points along with five steals.
Dominick Welch also had a career night, finishing with 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. He gave Bona's its second double-double of the contest as he hauled in 10 rebounds.
All five Bonnies starters finished in double figures: Jalen Adaway delivered 16 points; Osun Osunniyi finished with 14 points; Jaren Holmes logged 13 points and six rebounds.
"I didn't know I had 17 assists until I went into the locker room after the game," Lofton said. "We have preached having fun and it feels good to win. We got the ball to the open spot against their zone and they made the shots when I got the ball to them."
St. Bonaventure now has won four straight, improving to 16-7 on the year and 8-4 in Atlantic 10 action.
UMass (11-13, 4-8) took a one-point lead to halftime thanks almost exclusively to success beyond the 3-point arc.
The Minutemen, who entered the day ranking ninth nationally in 3-point field goal percentage, saw their first six field goals come long range. UMass opened 6-for-8 from deep, building an early lead, and clinging to a one-point advantage at the break after nine treys.
The Bonnies embarked on a 15-2 run early in the second half, taking control with a double-digit lead for the first time on the night.
Bona's was electric during the second half as Lofton fueled the attack. The Bonnies were successful on 69 percent of their field goal tries after intermission, going 18-for-26.
Fittingly, the record-setting assist from Lofton came on a dish inside to Osunniyi as the New Jersey duo combined once more for a rim-rattling dunk with assist No. 15, breaking a tie with Jaylen Adams and Marques Green who previously held the benchmark of 14.
The visitors refused to go away, though, closing within a 68-62 margin with 5:10 to go.
That led to an important answer from Adaway, who drained a turnaround jumper from 12 feet as the shot clock expired for breathing room.
UMass drew within 72-65 as 3:38 showed on the clock before Welch quieted the rally with a trey on assist No. 16 for a 10-point lead. Bonaventure never gave up control from that point.
Noah Fernandes finished with 14 points and 12 assists for UMass.
GAME NOTES
- Lofton's five steals also tied a career-best. It is the third time in his career he has finished with five swipes in a contest.
- The previous single-game assists record for the program was 14 – Adams reached the total twice (2017 vs. Saint Louis and 2015 at Duquesne) while Marques Green had 14 helpers vs. La Salle in 2003.
- Lofton also became the 15th player in program history to surpass 1,500 career points (1,501) and went over 4,000 career minutes played.
- In his 100th career game, Welch set a career-best with his eighth career 20-point effort. He previously scored 22 points twice.
- Welch also moved into third place in school history with 228 career 3-pointers, passing J.R. Bremer, '02. His seven treys Wednesday night also represents a career-high, surpassing the six he had reached in two previous games.
- The Bonnies shot 55 percent for the game while UMass finished at a 43 percent clip including 16 3-pointers.
- St. Bonaventure has won nine straight meetings over UMass and 13 of 15 in the series. Wednesday was the first time the programs had met since January 2020.Â
UP NEXT
St. Bonaventure continues its four-game homestand Saturday evening against Duquesne. Reilly Center tip time is slated for 6 p.m. on ESPNU.
