SAINT LOUIS 67, BONA 57
Game Analysis: The Billikens defend the perimeter better than any team I've seen this year and took Bona's sharpshooters right out of the game. The Bonnies adjusted in the second half and struck for 34 points, but that 38-23 halftime deficit was too much to overcome.
Player of the Game: Saint Louis received production from a variety of players. Dwayne Evans had a game-high 18 points. Cody Ellis had two of his four steals late to derail Bona's comeback effort. But I loved the defensive work of junior guard Mke McCall Jr., who made life miserable to the Bonnies behind the arc. He had nine points, four rebounds and three steals.
Stat Check: Saint Louis scored 27 points off 19 turnovers. Both are season-highs for the Bonnies.Stat Check II: Bona managed just seven assists on 17 baskets, Saint Louis just 10 on 23.
What It Means: Saint Louis inched closed to the upper third of the conference standing by improved to 3-2 in the A-10 and 14-5 overall. Bona (9-10, 2-4) saw its two-game winning streak snapped and has lost four straight at the Reilly Center.
In the House: Alumni Weekend had a crowd of 4,839 looking down on Bob Lanier Court.
They Said It
Bona Coach Mark Schmidt: "We can't have lapses. We have to play really well to beat the teams that are in this league."
Bona forward Chris Johnson: "It was just an execution thing. We've been pressured before by VCU. It's something that we've seen before but we just didn't execute how we should have."
Saint Louis coach Jim Crews: "We had a number of guys that stepped up and made plays and I thought that we kept our poise pretty good. We knew Bonnies would come back and keep punching."
Next Up: Bona's off until Duquesne visits the Reilly Center on Saturday.
-- Bob DiCesare
tagged
Atlantic 10 | Big 4 | College basketball | St. Bonaventure
