Wednesday Night, the Bonnies took the floor for the first time since Saturday’s buzzer beating win over the Buffalo Bulls. They were again without starting point guard Kyle Lofton as he recovers from his ankle injury. They welcome in the Loyola Greyhounds of Maryland. This, their final game before Saturday’s big meeting with No. 15 UConn in New Jersey. The game brought in another W for the Bonnies, as they went on to win by a final score of 84-71.
Slow Starts Continue
The game saw the Greyhounds jump off to an early lead. Aside from the win over UB, slow starts are something that is common for the Bonnies at home this season. That semi-slow start was quickly erased however, as Senior guard Dom Welch came out hot on the offensive end. After missing his first three-pointer of the night, he sank his next three attempts. It was contagious, as the Bonnies saw their first 15 points come via the three on 5-of-6 shooting from deep.
The lack of defense cost the Bonnies big time in the first half, as they went into the break trailing 41-38. The aggression they had used on defense on Saturday was yet to appear. The closeouts were weak, allowing the Greyhounds to shoot 55 percent from the field in the half.
Strong Second Half Boosts Bonnies
The Bonnies defense immediately improved in the second half, as a double team on Cam Spencer lead to a bucket the other way. That intensity kept up, as the Bonnies entered the first media timeout with their largest lead of the game.
The Greyhounds battled back though, as the zone defense of the Bonnies was no match or the Hounds. Loyola was able to find the open man to beat the zone, hitting three after three to get back in the game. All while redshirt freshman guard Quadry Adams dazzled for the Bonnies on both sides of the ball.
As the four-minute mark hit, the Bonnies lead by only seven, a margin that I would like to believe they thought would be wider at this point in the game. The game came down to the wire nonetheless, but when the going go tough, Jalen Adaway was there yet again. He had been there all night long, finishing with 22 points.
Loyola-Maryland Greyhounds
The Greyhounds saw impressive efforts from Jaylin Andrews and Cam Spencer. Andrews had 20 points, while Spencer finished with 13. Golden Dike finished as the rebounding leader with six, as Kenneth Jones finished with seven assists to lead the time.
St. Bonaventure Bonnies
Jaren Holmes had another impressive outing for the Bonnies as a point guard, this time scoring 22 points as well as adding nine assists. He also only turned the ball over twice, looking as natural as possible in the new position. Welch continued that hot shooting, as he went on to score 16 points, adding an additional 7 assists. The Bonnies would shoot a phenomenal 73 percent from the field in the second half to pull away.
The Bonnies will play again next on Saturday at 4 PM at the Prudential Center in New Jersey against Connecticut. The game can be found on ESPN2.