Huge second half helps Bonnies beat UMass, 83-75

Feb. 14, 2009

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - Junior Chris Matthews poured in 18 second half points, including seven over the final 2:24, to help St. Bonaventure stage a big second half come from behind 83-75 Atlantic 10 win over Massachusetts on Saturday evening at the Reilly Center.

Matthews' big second half was part of a dominating final 20 minutes turned in by the Bonnies that saw the home team out-score the visitors 52-37. The Brown and White shot a blistering 63 percent (19-30) in the final frame en route to a season-high 52 second half points. St. Bonaventure's scoring outburst was aided by 11 assists and just two turnovers over the final frame.

The win puts an end to the Bonnies' six-game losing streak against UMass, as they improve to 13-11 on the season and more importantly 4-7 in A-10 play. The Minutemen slip to 9-14 overall and 4-6 in league play.

The game was full of great individual performances, as all five starters finished in double figures for the Brown and White. All 18 Matthews' points came in the second half as the Washington, D.C., native sank 6-of-9 shots in the second half to lead a trio of strong performances by the backcourt. Junior Jonathan Hall finished with his third career double-double on the strength of 13 points, a team-high 10 boards, including six offensive, three steals and two blocks. Sophomore Malcolm Eleby turned in his third consecutive solid game with 12 points and tied a career-high with seven assists and had just one turnover.

The Bona bigmen were led by junior Maurice Thomas, who equaled his classmate's team-high of 18 points, while adding seven rebounds and two steals. Freshman Andrew Nicholson played only three minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, but returned in a big way in the second half to finish with 10 points and nine boards. Senior D'Lancy Carter spelled Nicholson in the first half, providing a solid six-point and seven-rebound night in 16 minutes of work.

For the game, St. Bonaventure posted a commanding 48-28 advantage on the glass, highlighted by 21 offensive caroms. The Bonnies 47 percent shooting clip was aided by 46 points in the paint and the team's sixth positive assist/turnover ratio of the season.

UMass senior Tony Gaffney finished with game-highs of 21 points and 11 rebounds for his ninth double-double. Junior Ricky Harris scored 19 points, while senior point guard Chris Lowe, who came in eight assists shy of the school record, was held to 13 points and two assists.

The two teams traded two-point buckets until a 7-0 UMass run gave the visitors an early 11-4 lead. During the Minutemen's run, Nicholson picked up an offensive foul and was then tagged with a technical foul, putting him on the bench for the remainder of the half.

Despite Nicholson's absence, the Bonnies fought their way back behind the inside game of Carter and Thomas. Still trailing by seven, 15-8, the duo combined for seven points, including five straight by Thomas, during a 9-2 run that evened the score at 17-17 with an even 10 minutes left.

Thomas finished with 18 points and seven rebounds in the win.

UMass sharp-shooter Ricky Harris ended the Bona run with a three-pointer and after a dunk by Tony Gaffney he followed with another long range field goal to spark a 12-4 UMass run that made it a 29-21 contest at the six-minute mark.

St. Bonaventure was able to cut the deficit to four on a pair of occasions over the final six minutes of the frame, but Massachusetts was able to expand back to a seven-point edge, 38-31, at the break.

The difference in the first 20 minutes came from beyond the arc, as Massachusetts sank four long range field goals, while St. Bonaventure was 0-for-8. The Brown and White did grab an astonishing 14 offensive rebounds, including six by Hall, that lead to 11 second chance points.

St. Bonaventure fought its way back in the second half and finally took its first lead of the game with 8:55 remaining on layup by Carter to make it 62-61.

The game featured five ties over the next six minutes, but the Minutemen never took the lead until a pair of free throws by Harris made it 73-72 in favor of UMass with 2:53 to go.

The next two possessions provided the difference in the game for the Brown and White, as Matthews drilled his 66th three-pointer of the season on the next trip down the court and Nicholson followed with a thunderous dunk to push it to a four-point Bona lead, at 77-73.

After another empty possession, UMass was forced to foul with 38 seconds remaining, sending Matthews to the line where he made his next four foul shots to put the game out of reach. St. Bonaventure sank all six of its free throws over the final 38 seconds for the final outcome.

St. Bonaventure will have an extra day off until it heads to the nation's capital to take on George Washington on Thursday, Feb. 19. The game will be broadcast live by CBC College Sports Regional and will air on Time Warner SportsNet affiliates in Olean, Buffalo and Rochester. Tip-off at the Smith Center is scheduled for a late 9 p.m.