PITTSBURGH – Midway through the first half, Dominick Welch missed a 3-pointer that caromed to the right.
No matter. Osun Osunniyi was there for the putback slam.
With 13:37 remaining, Kyle Lofton missed a driving layup amid a six-point game. But there was Osunniyi, there for another flush.
And on and on it went.
For the duration, the St. Bonaventure big man played possessed against an opponent that had no answer for him on the interior. It was the primary difference in another classically competitive Bona-Duquesne matchup.
Osunniyi, who had a double-double by halftime, finished with 21 points, 17 rebounds, including an astounding 13 on the offensive end, and six blocks to power Bona to a 64-56 triumph over the Dukes before a spirited audience at the refurbished UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in an Atlantic 10 showcase matchup Friday night.
THE 6-foot-10 center fell three rebounds shy of becoming just the third player in program history to log a 20-point, 20-rebound double-double, and the first since Andrew Nicholson went for 21 and 23 against the Dukes in 2012. That might have suggested he was aware that the Houston Rockets had a scout in attendance. But he said he wasn’t. He was merely trying to ensure a bounce-back victory after Tuesday’s 68-50 road loss to Dayton. And he did just that, in dominating fashion.
“I don’t think about that,” Osunniyi said afterward. “And honestly, right now, I’m just focusing on helping this team win games and doing what I can to be the best player I can.”
He added of Bona’s overall effort: “We were just trying to bounce back after the Dayton game. We came out really sloppy, we didn’t have any energy (on Tuesday), so this game was all about bouncing back, coming out with energy and staying committed on defense.”
UNLIKE a number of other outings, the Bonnies (11-4, 3-1) checked all three boxes.
Coach Mark Schmidt’s team jumped out to a 23-7 lead capped by, what else, an Osunniyi two-handed slam. In that time, it held the young, but inspired Dukes (6-10, 1-3) to 2-of-16 from the floor with seven turnovers. Bona was slowed over the final eight minutes, but still managed to bring a 33-22 advantage into halftime.
Most importantly, it played ahead from the get-go, a scenario this senior-laden lineup has often handled well, and did so again on Friday.
“The guys understood that we had to get off to a good start,” Schmidt said. “I thought (we) came out with a lot of energy, enthusiasm, we had a sense of urgency. We didn’t play great offensively in the first half; we had an opportunity to push that lead to much higher than 11. But our defense, as I always say, has to be the staple, and it certainly was tonight.”
Oh, Duquesne, in a gutsy effort of its own, made a push.
The Dukes hit a handful of clutch shots and grabbed an impressive 19 offensive rebounds, which led to an 18-15 advantage in second chance points. That allowed them to twice pull within three (42-39 and 46-43) and remain with single digits for much of the second half.
Bona, though, held Duquesne to just eight points over the final 6:52 and 35 percent shooting for the game. And every time the Dukes drew closer, Schmidt’s team had an answer.
JALEN Adaway made a big 3 with 8:20 remaining to make it 51-43. Jaren Holmes hit perhaps the biggest shot of the night, a trey from the top of the key with 5:41 left to give Bona a 57-48 advantage. Both finished with 16 points on a combined 14-of-29 shooting.
“We knew they were going to make their run; we didn’t get off to a good start in the second half,” said Schmidt, whose team surrendered a 5-0 run to start the period. “We gave them some life, but we executed when we needed to execute. Jaren and Jalen hit (those 3s), Kyle (Lofton) had the lob to Shoon (with 1:10 remaining).
“We executed under pressure, which was good to see.”
Osunniyi’s exclamation point alley-oop dunk marked the final points in another tight Bona victory over the Dukes. And it was fitting, as this win began and ended with the senior center, who set the tone with two offensive rebounds on the Bonnies’ first possession of the game. Normally masking mistakes on the defensive end, he cleaned up on the opposite side on Friday.
“He was the difference,” Schmidt said of Shoon, who’s done this at Duquesne before, with a 22-rebound game as a freshman in 2019. “His blocks, putbacks; we missed a lot of layups. A lot of times when the 4-man, 5-man goes over and tries to block a shot, he’s always taught to go opposite and that’s when he can get a lot of offensive rebounds.
“Having 21 and 17, 13 offensive rebounds speaks for itself. When we needed baskets, he did a great job. Not throwing it in to him, but off the offensive rebounds, and that’s when he’s at his best.”
Bona continued its recent run of success against the Dukes, having won 14 of the last 16, including six-straight in the Steel City, though several of those have come down to the final few minutes. It quickly rid itself of the taste of that blowout loss to Dayton and earned a second A-10 road win of the young campaign, with one more remaining in this rare string of three straight away from the Reilly Center.
“They understand, to win championships, you gotta win some games on the road,” Schmidt said. “We’ve won two out of three, now hopefully we can go down, prepare well and beat a much-improved George Mason team on Wednesday.”
