ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — The difference seems substantial.
Had the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team lost to Richmond, it would have returned from its Atlantic 10-opening road swing 0-2, having dropped two early chances at a marquee win. Already frustrated by a disastrous non-conference and a poor showing at Rhode Island, perhaps it becomes that much more demoralized by letting a would-be win over the Spiders slip away.
By winning, though, courtesy of a Kyle Lofton 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds remaining, Bona has momentum on its side.
Instead of 0-2, it’s 1-1, having pulled out a major road win over the league’s preseason favorite. Rather than questioning itself, it has early proof, amid still-challenging circumstances, that it might well be a contender in this uncertain season.
Was it a season-swinging victory?
Back home for today’s game against a still-rebuilding Saint Joseph’s (4 o’clock, ESPN+-live stream, WPIG-FM, WHDL-AM) inside the Reilly Center, last week’s hero, Lofton, believes it could be.
“MOST DEFINITELY,” the junior guard said. “Obviously, you want to get that win versus Rhode Island, but after seeing how we lost and the way we did, we just wanted to come into the next game and improve on our mistakes. Richmond, they’re preseason No. 1, so (that) gave us confidence of how good we can be in this league beating a team like that. I think that will (help us) moving on.”
Coach Mark Schmidt, though, as he usually is, was quick to point out just how fleeting that feeling can be.
“It’s always good to win,” he said. “You feel good, and we had a great victory, but that victory’s not going to help us against Saint Joe’s. Saint Joe’s could care less if we beat Richmond or lost by 50 to Richmond. We may feel good about ourselves right now, but at 4 o’clock (today), it’s 0-0 and we’ve got to play well again.”
With a tough two-game game start behind it, Bona (3-1, 1-1) now figures to have a real opportunity to make some headway. Four of its next five games will be staged in the comfortable confines of the RC. Its next three are against teams picked to finish 12th, 11th and 14th in the preseason poll (all three of whom placed in the bottom four of the league standings last year).
And it starts with today’s matinee against the winless Hawks.
JOE’S (0-7, 0-2) is still trying to find its footing under second-year coach Billy Lange, who last year replaced longstanding rival Phil Martelli. It hasn’t helped that it’s been without star guard Ryan Daly, the A-10’s leading scorer from a year ago, who’s missed the last two games with a thumb injury and is doubtful for today.
But don’t be fooled by that record, Schmidt warned. The Hawks played one of the toughest non-league slates in the country, opening with an overtime loss to Auburn before falling to then-No. 6 Kansas (94-72), No. 7 Villanova (88-68) and No. 8 Tennessee (102-66). Most recently, it went to OT (before losing 85-77) with the same Rhode Island team that beat Bona in regulation four days earlier.
“They’re 0-7, but there’s a lot of teams in the country that would be 0-7 playing the schedule that they’ve played,” Schmidt said. “ … that’s a heck of a schedule. They’re much better than 0-7 and our guys know that. We have to play really well, especially defensively, for us to beat Saint Joe’s (today). And then we have to be able to attack their defense, be it man-to-man or zone (both of which Joe’s has used almost exclusively at different points this season).”
Echoing that thought, Lofton added: “I feel like we all know that Saint Joe’s is a very good team, even though they’re 0-7. We’ve got to come in mentally prepared and just be ready to take on this game.”
AFTER A lengthy stretch of futility, Bona has owned this series — with or without Martelli — as much as any other, having won 12 of 13, including five in a row, the last four by an incredible 21 points per game, since 2014-15.
To make it six-straight, it will have to contain a Hawks offense (74 points per game) that’s potent with Daly, who’s averaging 17 so far this year, but still capable without him … and one that likes to chuck it.
Joe’s ranks third in the league in 3-point attempts (32 per game) and seventh in makes (9, but on just 29 percent shooting). In addition to Daly, redshirt junior Taylor Funk is averaging 16 points and six rebounds while Xavier transfer Dahmir Bishop has provided 10 a night. Funk, a 6-foot-8 forward who’s been around since Bona’s tournament season, missed almost all of last year with a hand injury, but is back and having his best campaign (he poured in 29, including five treys, in Sunday’s loss to the Rams).
Schmidt described him as a mismatch at the 4 and 5, a challenge for Bona’s bigs due to his shooting ability and high IQ. Bona, though, currently leads the league in 3-point percentage defense (.245).
“That’s the emphasis: layups and 3s,” he said. “I read something they want to shoot 50 3s a game. It’s one of their weapons and none of their guys shy away from it; one guy can go out and shoot an airball and the next time down, he’s shooting a 3, so it’s a scary team.
“They’re playing free; Coach lets them play. If you’re a shooter, that’s the type of style that you want. So we’ve got to do a good job of 1. Getting back in transition and 2. Keeping the ball in front of us. Transition defense and 1-on-1 defense is going to be crucial.”
