St. Bonaventure 82, UB 79
How Bona Won: Defense. The Bonnies turned 19 UB turnovers into 21 points, including the winning basketball by Matthew Wright with 24.6 seconds left. That was followed by a Marquise Simmons deflection that sealed the outcome. And it all began with a Demitrius Conger steal and dunk with 1:02 to go.
Turning Point: Wright's steal of a Tony Watson pass with the shot clock growing lean sent him away on the layup that gave Bona the lead for good.
Player of the Game: Conger set a season-high with 20 points to go with four assists and two steals.
Turnaround: That 39-point performance against Temple Wednesday seemed like eons ago as UB shot 47 percent in scoring a season-high 79 points and went 13 of 24 from long range.
Numbers-Wise: Bona had more points in the paint (36-24), off turnovers (21-11) and on the fast break (23-4).
What It Means: Bona's off to a 4-2 start. UB's just 2-7 but finally showing signs of offensive life,
On the Outskirts: UB junior guard Corey Raley-Ross started, committed two turnovers in two minutes and didn't see the court again. Freshman guard Jarryn Skeete played 15 minutes to help pick up the slack.
Limited: Javon McCrea played only six first-half minutes because of fouls. He finished with 13 points and a game-high 11 boards.
He Said It:
"I thought we showed a little more willingness to step in and shoot some shots but we didn't sustain that willingness to the end of the game and we had some hesitation at the end." -- UB coach Reggie Witherspoon.
"We showed some resiliency fighting back when we were down. But it was a great college game. Give them credit. They played well and someway we found a way to win." -- Bona coach Mark Schmidt.
Up Next: Bona plays host to Siena Tuesday night in a made-for-TV 9 p.m. start. UB travels to Milwaukee Wednesday looking to snap a five-game losing streak against Division I foes.
-- Bob DiCesare
