The St. Bonaventure Bonnies faced off against Cal State Northridge in the season opener for both teams on Monday night, with the Bonnies winning 70-56 at the Reilly Center in New York.
Shooting struggles plagued the Bonnies, who went 7-of-22 from 3-point range and 20-of-55 from the field. Coach Mark Schmidt acknowledged the shooting difficulties and highlighted the positives in the team’s shot selection.
“We still went to the foul line 34 times and got fouled 26 times,” he said. “Thirty-two is too many 3s. If you’re going to shoot 32, you have to make at least double digits.”
Three Bonnies finished in double figures: guards Chance Moore (18 points), Lajae Jones (16) and Dasonte Bowen (11). With none scoring more than 20 points, Schmidt said this balanced scoring will be the norm.
“From an offensive standpoint, we have to do it collectively,” he said. “We have good guys who will accept their roles. Eventually, I hope a group of guys will establish themselves above the rest. But right now, we have 11 or 12 guys who can play.”
Moore and Bowen attacked the inside, and when they didn’t convert, they went to the free-throw line, combining for 20 free-throw attempts.
“When the shots aren’t falling, I feel like we have to go inside more,” Moore said. “Get it inside. And whenever we catch it on the run, just try to go downhill. Create for others or take the layup if you have it.”
In his opening statement, Schmidt noted the team lacks fluidity and “looks disjointed at times.”
“The longer we get in our system and the more repetition we have, the better we’ll get,” he said.
Freshman Noah Bolanga, though playing just 10 minutes, made his presence known with a 3-pointer, two assists and a steal. Bolanga made plays on offense and played physical defense on the block and perimeter.
“He’s going to be a good player,” Schmidt said. “We got him late, so he’s still learning the offense, but he has a bright future.”
Towards the end of the game, CSUN used a full-court trap defense to slow down the SBU offense and potentially force turnovers. At first, the Bonaventure press break sputtered, forcing the team to call a timeout. However, after regrouping, SBU broke the trap, and it became a non-issue.
Schmidt said that, just like with the full-court trap, the defensive principles the Bonnies are still working on will come with time and practice.
“Our athleticism and length really benefited us tonight,” he said. “But we’re still learning our identity. We didn’t handle the pressure well, and that’s probably on me. We haven’t worked on that. There are positives, but also things we need to work on.”
Both teams are works in progress, with just three returners on each squad. St. Bonaventure will look to improve at Canisius on Saturday. After losing to the Golden Griffins each of the past two years, Schmidt is focused on his own team’s progress this time around.
“We have to improve,” Schmidt said. “We’ll watch tape from this game. We can’t worry about other teams; we have to focus on ourselves.”
