ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. --- For the second time this season, the Bonnies have lost four straight games. Over the past few years, the Brown and White have shined during the year's shortest month. Yet, this year's squad has struggled to sustain success in February 2023.
 
Here are five takeaways from this past week:
 

1. Chad Venning, the MVP: Venning, the 6-foot-10 redshirt sophomore, continues to shine for St. Bonaventure. Consider this: Venning made his debut in the starting lineup in the fourth game of the season against Bowling Green. He scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds on that Saturday in mid-November, and he's been Bona's most important player ever since. Against Fordham on Feb. 15, Venning led the team with 15 points while recording four steals. However, he fouled out with over seven minutes left in the game, as the Bonnies could not find a rhythm without him on the floor. Four days later, in the overtime loss to George Washington, Venning played a season-high 42 minutes, scored 22 points, and led the team in rebounding with eight boards. He was sensational while the rest of his teammates struggled to find their shots for most of the game. Entering this season, Coach Mark Schmidt was concerned about Venning's conditioning. The George Washington game proved that Schmidt has no worries now, as Venning hustled throughout and proved pivotal for the Bonnies against the Colonials. Venning's 22 points are the most he scored since Jan. 8, 2023, when he tallied a career-high 23 in the loss at Saint Louis. This season, Venning has scored in double figures in 20 of Bona's 28 games. He continues to improve. Watch out for his mid-range jumper too, which also continues to develop. I hope pundits consider Venning for an all-conference team; he certainly deserves a look.

 

2. Rumpel's Minutes Rise: Brett Rumpel, the 6-foot-4 freshman from Binghamton, N.Y., scored four points at Fordham and tallied six more against George Washington. The backup point guard has seen his minutes increase as of late, thanks to his relentless hustle. Over the past three games, Rumpel averaged 14 minutes per night. He even recorded a team-high four assists against the Colonials. He's quick, athletic, and not afraid to hit the deck when diving for a loose ball. If he continues to play like this, Schmidt will continue to award Rumpel more opportunities.

 

3. Homecoming Heartbreak: The Bonnies looked flat for the first 35 minutes against George Washington. The homecoming crowd at the Reilly Center did not have much to cheer about until the closing minutes. With 8:55 to go, George Washington led 55-37. Bona looked dead in the water and needed a miracle to get back into it. Slowly but surely, they started to chip away. With 3:28 remaining, Brendan Adams, the younger brother of Jaylen Adams, hit a huge 3-pointer to increase George Washington's lead back to 66-53. That dagger seemed to suck the air right out of the Reilly Center. But these Bonnies went on a ferocious run down the stretch. Bona drained six of their last seven three-point attempts in regulation to give them a chance in the closing minute. With the help of a couple of missed free throws from the Colonials, the Bonnies had the ball, down by two, with nine seconds to play. Daryl Banks III, who scored 18 points against George Washington in the second half, drove to the basket. His shot missed, but Venning secured the rebound. His put-back did not drop, but somehow, the ball bounced to Kyrell Luc, who drained a jumper to knot the game at 72 with 0.5 seconds left on the clock. The third time was a charm as the Reilly Center erupted joyfully. In the extra period, Bona held an 81-77 lead with 42 seconds remaining. They could not seal the deal, as George Washington scored six straight to steal the victory from the jaws of defeat. Bona's loss to the Colonials marks the seventh time this season that they lost by six points or less: at Canisius (84-80), South Dakota State (66-62), Siena (76-60), Rhode Island (68-67), Duquesne, (56-54), and George Washington (83-81). The Bonnies have struggled to close out games this season, but they are having difficulty closing out the Atlantic 10 season too. If the Atlantic 10 Tournament started tomorrow, Bona would be the ninth seed in Brooklyn, facing George Washington, the eight seed.

 

4. Not Your Father's Fordham Rams: The Fordham Rams are one of the best teams in the Atlantic 10 for the first time ever. Having joined the conference before the 1995-96 season, Fordham has not won more than 20 games since their 1990-91 campaign. Since Mark Schmidt took over the St. Bonaventure program before the 2007 season, his Bonnies have owned Fordham. Schmidt entered Wednesday's game with an 18-4 career record against the Rams, by far the best against any opponent. But Fordham coach Keith Urgo, in his first season in charge, has the entire Rose Hill campus buzzing about his team. The old Rose Hill gymnasium, formerly known as Reilly Center South, was packed with enthusiastic Fordham students and fans. With that said, plenty of Bonaventure alums from around the New York City area showed up to support the Brown and White, including Dick Kearns '72 and Chris LaPlaca '79. In Wednesday's 78-63 setback, Bona battled for the first 15 minutes against the Rams, but Fordham used their home-court advantage to race past the Bonnies in the second half. Chad Venning led the way with 15, and Kyrell Luc chipped in with 13 of his own, as no other Bona player scored in double figures.

 

5. Next Up: St. Bonaventure hopes to return to victory in the Tar Heel State against the Davidson Wildcats on Wednesday night. Under first-year coach Matt McKillop, Davidson enters this game with a 12-14 record. They are 5-9 in Atlantic 10 play. Foster Loyer and Sam Mennenga each average around 15 PPG for Davidson. This game tips off from Belk Arena at 7 p.m. and will air on NBC Digital and Peacock. Following their trip to North Carolina, Bona returns home to host the St. Joseph's Hawks on Feb. 26. The Hawks host the VCU Rams Tuesday before trekking up to the Reilly Center. St. Joe's is 13-14 overall and 7-8 in the conference. Sunday's game against the Hawks could have the Atlantic 10's ninth-seed on the line, which would mean avoiding the first round of games and receiving a single bye. The Bonnies and the Hawks tip off at noon and will air on USA Network.

 

Jack Milko is a current graduate student at St. Bonaventure University. He will graduate with an M.A. in Sports Journalism in May 2023. Follow him on Twitter @Jack_Milko.

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