ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — On this night, his numbers leaped higher off the page than perhaps even he did on the court.
Facing a unique defense against which the plan was to go over top, bouncy 6-foot-7 forward LaDarien Griffin was going to have every chance to both succeed individually and help the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team end an unsettling two game slide.
And, he seized that opportunity.
Griffin had a monster outing, setting career highs in both points (21) and rebounds (14) in leading the Bonnies past Fordham, 77-61, Wednesday night in the Reilly Center. It was a game that allowed him to do what he does best.
Time and again, his teammates found him backdoor against a Rams defense that focuses on shutting down the perimeter, and time and again, he made Fordham pay: With a pair of alley-oop dunks (and three slams in total), a number of layups and short jumpers.
Following his team’s stagnant first half, the junior forward helped ignite the Bonnies, opening the frame with a layup and connecting on a pair of dunks that highlighted a game-changing 19-8 run. By the end, he had a new best game in a Bona uniform, one that topped his 18-point, 11-rebound effort against Siena earlier this season.
“Just credit to the passers,” said Griffin, whose double-double was the third of his career. “Those guys were telling me just read the zone, try to get open, we’re going to look for openings for you, and just finish it. That’s what I tried to do today.”
But for as head-turning as Griffin’s numbers were, so too were the ones put up by lead guards Jaylen Adams and Matt Mobley … for a different reason.
One game after scoring a total of 21 points, the duo combined for just 18 in the win over the Rams. Of course, there were a couple of different factors in play: They were going against a defense that was designed to limit 3-pointers and Adams sat the final 14 minutes of the first half with two fouls.
Still, it was their second-lowest combined total, behind only the 15 they scored against George Mason last year, a game Adams left early with an injured ankle.
The good news for Bona is that it’s continuing to get significant contributions from its role players: In the loss to Saint Joe’s, freshman Izaiah Brockington and sophomore Courtney Stockard combined for 33 points. On Wednesday, Griffin and Stockard combined for 34. It’ll need those two specifically to provide some offense if the Bonnies are going to reach their full potential.
The potentially troubling aspect is the slight decline in production from Adams and Mobley.
The latter has scored just 10 points in the last two games on 4-for-12 shooting. He already has five single-digit contests, one less than he had all of last season. Only once since Adams returned from injury have both scored more than 16 points – in a blowout win over UMass when they combined for 60.
The Bonnies, though, say they aren’t too concerned. They’re happy with the contributions they’re getting across the board.
“It’s not a two-man team,” coach Mark Schmidt said. “This is a great sport because it takes five guys to be successful. I think we have confidence in those other guys (to step up) because Matt and Jay aren’t going to have spectacular nights every night. They’ve got to play well, but they’re not going to play great every night.”
Reflecting on how Wednesday unfolded, Griffin added: “Those guys saw how the defense was playing, they were passing. Those guys are unselfish. When they’re scoring 60, sometimes people forget that they can also pass, and today they had to be passers more than shooters.
“But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with those guys.”
