A column by CHUCK POLLOCK, Senior Sports Columnist, Wellsville Sun
The St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team’s 14-1 start had become part of the distant past.
After winning its first two A-10 games against VCU and Fordham it fell into a swoon, dropping five of the next six, the last three defeats by an average of 15 points.
Coach Mark Schmidt’s team, predicted to finish 10th, fell from a tie for first, to 12th in the 15-team conference.
And, Tuesday night at the Reilly Center, the visitor was Dayton, tabbed for No. 2 in the preseason league standings, though off to a disappointing 14-6 start. But, a certified Bonnie killer, the Flyers had won 11 of the last 13 games
However, this time, before 3,929 excited observers, including the student section, St. Bonaventure conjured arguably its best performance of the season, given the opponent.
The result was a 75-53 victory, the most one-sided loss for Dayton this season and the fewest points scored by the Flyers since mustering 47 in a loss to VCU last February.
Bona trailed by one point less than four minutes in — Dayton’s only lead — and stretched its own margin to 26 with 4 1/2 minutes to play.
AFTERWARD Schmidt was delighted with the win that improved the Bonnies to 16-6 and boosted them four places in the standings to a tie for eighth.
“The other night (75-61 loss at VCU) we played for 22 minutes and it wasn’t enough,” he said. “Today the effort was there for 40 minutes and that’s how we’ve got to play … we’ve got to play hard. We didn’t play perfect but I really thought the effort overcame any of the deficiencies we had. We took care of the basketball and if you don’t do that against Dayton, you have no chance. We have to bottle this, the guys have to understand that this is how we have to play to beat Atlantic 10 teams.”
Schmidt added, “The first five minutes of the second half are critical. I thought we defended and expanded the lead and continued to play with discipline … we were sharing the ball, we weren’t pigs (hogging shots) and we played hard. Someone told me a long time ago that 20% of the game is X’s and O’s and 80% of the game is to get players to play hard.”
THIS WIN was special to Schmidt for another reason, it marked his 400th victory as a Division I coach: 82-90 in six years at Robert Morris and 303-226 at Bona in 17 1/2 seasons.
When he walked into the press conference, the World Wrestling Entertainment belt, which is normally awarded to a player, was sitting in front of his place.
“I guess I was, quote, ‘Player of the Game,'” he said of the award voted by the team. “But it’s the players (who get the wins) . You never see a good team without good players.
“I never would have gotten my 400th win without them. I’ve been lucky, a lot of times you go to a school and you’re there three or four years and they get tired of you and you get tired of them (but) the relationship has been really good here”
REFLECTING on beating a team of Dayton’s caliber when a win was so desperately needed, Schmidt said, “We have smart guys and I think they knew why we were in a losing streak. It’s not like we lost to bad teams … going to Duquesne (tied for fourth in the A-10) where they make 13 threes, going to VCU (16-5, tied for second), losing to LaSalle at the buzzer (83-82 on a trey in overtime at the RC) .
“In our league it’s hard to win especially on the road … just ask Dayton That’s why the home games are so precious and that’s why the LaSalle game really hurts because you’ve got to protect your home court and try to steal a couple on the road.”
He concluded, “(Beating Dayton) was a great teaching lesson … if we can defend, rebound, take care of the basketball and hold a team to 53 we can do some stuff. But we’re only as good as our next game.”
If you look at the season, in non-conference, we were holding teams below 60. Then we got away from that a little bit and it’s one of the reasons why we had some down times. You don’t win in this league by out-scoring people. Tonight was indicative of how we have to do it night-in and night-out.
(Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun and Olean Star senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@wnynet.net.)
Read more on the Bonnies and Bills from Chuck:
• The Chiefs still have the Bills’ number
• Pollock Prediction: Chiefs 28, Bills 25 (actual score 32-29)
• Allen and the Bills heading to the AFC Championship game
• Josh Allen wants to hear Mr. Brightside against the Ravens
• Win over Richmond gets St. Bonaventure Bonnies ready for A-10 matchup with Duquesne
• Offensive line of the Buffalo Bills knocked out the Broncos
• Pollock Prediction: Broncos loom as a threat but the Bills will win
• McDermott knew the Bills would host the Broncos
• The Bills are waiting to see who they play
• Where the St. Bonaventure victory over VCU ranks in program history
• Josh Allen showed why he should be the NFL MVP
• Pollock Prediction: Bills will beat Jets in a must-win game for playoff seeding
• What happened during those six lost days
• Bills didn’t play with a sense of urgency against the Patriots
• Bills passed a big test against the Lions
• The media missed the point with questions of McDermott
• We did not expect the Rams-Bills results as Josh Allen sets major records
• Will the Bills be motivated against the Rams?
• Schmidt doesn’t want the Bonnies to get caught up in 12-1 talk
• A look at the rise under Sean McDermott
• The snow and the Buffalo Bills were too much for the 49ers
• St. Bonaventure Bonnies put unbeaten hoops record on the line in ESPN Tournament
• Pollock Prediction on San Fran at Buffalo Sunday night game
• A look at Terry Pegula’s beginnings in Olean and his competitive drive to win
• A look at McDermott’s smart play-calling and why aren’t we talking more about James Cook?
• Can the Bills do this to the Chiefs in the playoffs? Josh Allen touchdown run seals victory
• Pollock predicts a one-point Kansas City victory
• What happened to this being a rebuilding season for the Buffalo Bills?
• A dominating performance by the Bills
• Pollock predicts a Bills victory over the Colts on the road
• Thoughts on the 61-yard Bass field goal and where the Bills sit
• Solid win to open the season for the Bonnies
• Bass vindicated by 61-yard field goal to beat the Dolphins
• Bills don’t own the Dolphins but have an option to buy; prediction 27-20 (final was 30-27)
• The season is here for St. Bonaventure basketball
• St. Bonaventure speaks out, “We got Woj”
• Mark Schmidt on the NIL deals and the Bona NIT mess
• Pollock on the passing of St. Bonaventure legend Paul Hoffman
• Pollock on listening to the radio and the days of Willie Mays
• Houghton’s Phil Stockin gets Cazzie Russell to the Castle in Olean and then a title for the Knicks?
• The right hire for St. Bonaventure to lead the athletic department
• The inside story on why WPIG left the Bonnies after 74 years and a Gary Nease update
• Bill Walton was must-see basketball when he played in Buffalo for the Braves
