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Men's Basketball
Bonnies fall to Fordham, 91-60
Feb. 28, 2007
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - Fordham jumped out to an early lead and went on to a 91-60 win over St. Bonaventure in the Bonnies' final home game of the season Wednesday at the Reilly Center. Senior center Paul Williams went down with an injury early in the first half, creating match-up problems for the Bonnies as they tried to control Fordham's Bryant Dunston, a 6-foot-8 all-conference center Fordham used runs of 10-2 and 10-0 to take a 29-12 lead 13:17 into the game. Sophomore swingman A.J. Hawkins' jumper off the glass 1:26 later and a three-point basket from junior guard Tyler Relph sparked a 9-3 run that pulled with Bonnies within 12 points at 35-23. However, Fordham shot 56 percent (5-9) from behind the arc in the first stanza to head into halftime with a 45-29 lead. The 12-point deficit was the closest the Bonnies would come the rest of the night. The Rams took a 34-point lead - their largest of the game - with 4:00 remaining when Kevin Anderson's fast-break layup made it 85-51. A win could have secured a spot in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament for St. Bonaventure, but instead left the Bonnies holding on to a one-game lead over LaSalle and Richmond, both of whom lost Wednesday night. "Fordham had a really good night and at times, we helped them. I expected us to play a lot better," said Bonnies coach Anthony Solomon. "We've been consistently inconsistent all year. We did not perform to the level that was needed or expected." Dunston finished with game highs of 25 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. With Dunston taking up the Bonnies' defensive focus, Anderson and small forward Sebastian Greene took advantage and scored 16 and 14 points, respectively. Williams, who leads the Bonnies with 7.7 rebounds and averages 11.5 points per game, did not score and had only one rebound in 14 minutes of action. He did try to return in the second half but played only a few minutes before leaving again. Fordham out-rebounded St. Bonaventure 42-27 and enjoyed a 48-24 edge in points scored in the paint.
Fordham shot 58 percent (32-55) from the field overall including 47 percent (7-15) from three-point range. In comparison, St. Bonaventure shot just 35 percent (20-57) from the floor and 30 percent (6-20) from long distance. Hawkins led the Bonnies with 17 points, but went 6-18 from the field. Juniors Tyler Relph and Michael Lee chipped in 14 and 13 points, respectively. Lee, Hawkins and Ivan Kovacevic each grabbed five rebounds. The game marked the final home contest for Bona seniors Williams, Kovecevic, Terron Diggs and Louceny Kaba. St. Bonaventure is now 7-21 overall and 4-11 in the conference, while Fordham improved to 16-11 overall and 9-6 in conference play. St. Bonaventure will play its final regular season game this Saturday, March 3, at Charlotte. Game time is 7 p.m. |
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