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Men's Basketball
Bonnies drop A-10 home opener to LaSalle
Jan. 8, 2005
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - St. Bonaventure's frustration on its home floor continued on Saturday as LaSalle handed the Bonnies a 68-57 loss in an Atlantic 10 Conference match-up at the Reilly Center. "We would have liked to play better today," head coach Anthony Solomon said. "We were a step behind. We could not find five players to play well enough on both ends of the court." Junior guard Ahmad Smith gave St. Bonaventure its first lead since midway through the first half on a layup with 12:43 remaining that made it 39-38. LaSalle, however, answered with three straight buckets to go back on top, 44-39, and the Explorers gradually pulled away from there. A three-pointer from the left wing by Mike St. John at the 8:20 mark gave the Explorers a 54-43 lead. Tabby Cunningham's trifecta made it 61-48 with 4:12 left. There were 12 ties or lead changes in the opening half. LaSalle led 31-28 at intermission thanks to a cold shooting half by the Bonnies, who made only 10 of 30 shots (33 percent) over the opening 20 minutes. "Today wasn't our day and La Salle had everything to do with it," said Solomon. "They played defense and transitioned fantastic. They made us play on our heels and we haven't done that the last three games." Stymied by LaSalle's zone defense, St. Bonaventure shot only 35 percent (20-57) from the field for the game compared to 45 percent (22-49) by LaSalle. The Bonnies were 6-22 (27 percent) from behind the arc, while LaSalle hit 7-21 (33 percent) from three-point land. St. Bonaventure did outrebound the visitors, 37-32. Smith, the only Bonnie to reach double-figures, scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Sophomore forward Brian Gibbs chipped in with nine points, while junior forward Patrick Lottin totaled seven.
"The style we have been playing has allowed him (Ahmad Smith) to get in and get to the bucket," Solomon said. "If he hits a few early it gives him the confidence to shoot the three later in the game. He's been playing really well." The Bonnies fell to 1-12 overall and 0-2 in conference play. St. Bonaventure remained winless at the Reilly Center, now at 0-5. LaSalle, which feature's the nation's fourth-leading scorer, forward Steven Smith, improved to 4-8 overall and 1-1 in A-10 play. Smith was held to 18 points, five under his season average, while he ripped down 13 boards to complete the double-double. "(Steve) Smith is a fantastic player," Solomon said. "He makes his teammates better. I can't say enough about him. He is by far the best player in our conference." LaSalle forward Jermaine Thomas also scored 18 points to go with three assists and two steals. The Bonnies will return to action next Wednesday, Jan. 12, when they host 25th-ranked George Washington at the Reilly Center at 7 p.m. |
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