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Men's Basketball
Zone keys Rams past Bonnies
Feb. 9, 2005
BRONX, N.Y. - Powered by St. Bonaventure's inability to respond a zone defense, Fordham exploded for a 22-0 run midway though the first half in an Atlantic 10 match-up in the Big Apple. The result was the Bonnies' 10th straight loss, 84-62, Wednesday night at Rose Hill Gym. A layin from junior guard Ahmad Smith at the 11:30 mark gave the Bonnies a 17-15 lead. Forham then threw a trapping zone at St. Bonaventure. The zone held the Bonnies scoreless over the next 8:45. On the other end of the court, the Rams rattled off 22 straight points to take a 37-17 lead with 3:10 remaining. "We were stuck on 17 points for too long," said Bona head coach Anthony Solomon. "When they switched to a zone, it made us passive even when we had good looks. We have to improve and execute better against a zone, but we have been effective versus man-to-man." The Rams took a 39-25 advantage into the intermission. The Bonnies came out strong in the opening minutes of the second half, trimming the deficit to 11, 39-28, on a free throw from junior guard Wade Dunston with 17:48 remaining. It was the closest St. Bonaventure would come, as the Rams held a 20-plus point lead for the majority of the second half. The Bonnies shot 41 percent (26-63) from the floor, including 21 percent (5-23) from three-point range. Both teams were held to under 50 percent shooting from the charity stripe. Fordham hit 57 percent (35-62) from the field and 25 percent (6-24) from long range.
Wade Dunston led the Bonnies with 18 points on 7-14 shooting. Smith and freshman forward Michael Lee each chipped in with 12 points. Smith dished out a game-high seven assists and pulled down four rebounds. Lee, who was held scoreless in the first half, ripped down a team-high six rebounds.
Behind 19 boards from forward Bryant Dunston, Fordham outrebounded the Bonnies 45-27. Dunston was clearly the top player on the floor, also leading all scorers with 21 points. "He (Dunston) is a special player inside and outside," Solomon said. "He has a great competitive edge for a young man on the scene. He's going to be one to reckon with for years to come." Fordham put four other players in double-figures. The kept the Bonnies winless in Atlantic 10 Conference play at 0-10, while dropping to 1-20 on the season. Fordham evened its conference record at 5-5 and improved to 9-12 overall. "Individually and collectively, we have not been consistent on both ends of the floor," Solomon said. "I've told our young men that we're not so young anymore and need to become more consistent across the board." The Bonnies return to the Reilly Center as they host Rhode Island Saturday, Feb. 12, at 7:00. |
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