Bonnies’ Rocky Beginning Leads to 75-62 Defeat Against George Mason

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The staunch defense of George Mason prevented a depleted St. Bonaventure team from achieving much offensive rhythm in a 75-62 triumph for the leading Patriots on Tuesday evening at the Reilly Center.

Melvin Council Jr. topped the Bonnies with 18 points and four assists while redshirt freshman Duane Thompson delivered a career best of 16 points along with seven rebounds.

Already missing starters Chance Moore and Dasonte Bowen due to foot injuries, the Bonnies’ bench depth faced additional challenges early as Lajae Jones was sidelined for over 10 minutes in the first half after sustaining a cut lip from a fall. Noel Brown also had to sit out early due to two fouls.

This resulted in many inexperienced Bonnies needing to absorb the extra minutes, allowing George Mason to take a 20-9 lead and more than double the hosts’ score with a 30-15 advantage at the under-8 media timeout.

Thompson accounted for 10 of Bona’s initial 15 points, establishing a new career-high in scoring within the first twelve minutes.

Bona (15-5, 3-4 A-10) managed a 9-0 streak, led by Council, trimming the gap to 33-24 at the last media timeout of the initial half, but Mason extended its margin to 45-31 at halftime.

The Bonnies sought to gain momentum after the break, scoring the first five points of the second half to reduce the deficit to under ten.

However, momentum was short-lived for the hosts as the Patriots regained a 15-point lead following a three-pointer by Darius Maddox at the 8:37 mark.

Despite the Bonnies outscoring the opponents in the last 30 minutes, SBU could not climb out of the early deficit.

George Mason (15-5, 6-1 A-10) secured the victory by going a flawless 19-for-19 from the free-throw line.

Zach Anderson shot 6-for-9 from the field, including 5-for-8 from three-point range, contributing a team-high 17 points, while Maddox added 14 points and seven rebounds for George Mason.

The Patriots dominated the rebounding battle, 35-27, and shot 47 percent overall compared to Bona’s 39.7 percent shooting percentage.

GAME NOTES

• Noah Bolanga received his first collegiate start, achieving a career-high eight points and matching his personal best in minutes with 21, previously recorded against Fordham earlier this month.
• George Mason entered the week as the 12^th-ranked defense in the nation, allowing only 62.7 points per game.
• Thompson set a career best with 10 points in the first half; his previous best of seven points came in various games this season.
• The Bonnies approached Tuesday’s confrontation averaging less than six points from the bench in A-10 competition. They recorded 12 points from the bench in the first half and finished the evening with 18 points from reserves.
• George Mason started 6-of-8 from three-point range before concluding with an 8-for-20 performance. SBU restricted the Patriots to 2-for-12 beyond the arc in the second half.

QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH MARK SCHMIDT
“In the last 30 minutes, we were up by one. It was the opening 10 minutes of the match that determined the outcome. They hit their shots while we struggled to score. Our defensive pressure improved in the second half, and we stayed cohesive. We executed much better in the final 20 minutes, but falling behind a very skilled team by 15 points in the initial 10 minutes was too much to overcome.”

“Duane played exceptionally. He provided us with a boost and played vigorously. Noah started slow, yet he played well in stretches, and hopefully, that will propel him ahead. We require those younger players to assist us moving forward. Although we are somewhat depleted, that cannot serve as an excuse. Each time we missed a switch or handoff, they capitalized with a three-pointer.”

 

UP NEXT

St. Bonaventure will head to VCU to compete on Friday night for a national showcase game on ESPNU, with tip-off scheduled for 9 p.m.

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