ST. BONA UPSETS RUTGERS FOR CHALLENGE TITLE

by Ray Floriani


PISCATAWAY, NJ – It was a ‘grind it out’ game in the words of St.Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt. It was an accurate assessment as St.Bonaventure upset Rutgers 64-63 in overtime at the Rutgers Athletic Center. The loss was the Scarlet Knights’ first of the season.

Three keys to the contest:
1. Rebounding – Entering the game this was a concern for St.Bonaventure against a bigger Rutgers frontcourt. The Bonnies won the battle of the boards and even had a 23-13 edge on the offensive glass. Rutgers coach Fred Hill noted on numerous occasions his team had their hands on the ball and lost it. “Rebounds are crucial when the game is close and each possession is important,” Hill said. ”We have to be stronger with the ball.”

2. Offensive execution – Hill said that Rutgers did what was needed the final five minutes of the game and overtime. But the rest of the game was a different story. “We didn’t do a good job in our ‘sudden’ set,” Hill said. In that particular set the Rutgers offense is in transition and enters an offense designed for a quick and good shot opportunity. “Credit their (St.Bonaventure) defense,” Hill said. “Their defense was solid.”

3. Turnovers – Before the game Rutgers assistant Darren Savino remarked that keeping turnovers to a minimum was a Rutgers priority. Rutgers finished with 15 turnovers but had 11 the first half. That was crucial because those losses of the ball prevented Rutgers from going on any run. St.Bonaventure stayed even and trailed by one at the half. “The longer we hung around the more our confidence grew,” noted Bonnie coach Mark Schmidt.

The final numbers….
.................Possessions...................Efficiency
St.Bonaventure........69..........................93
Rutgers...............72..........................88

Stat of note: St. Bonaventure enjoyed an offensive rebounding percentage of 46%. That number is derived in this manner. OR PCT = OR / (OR = Opp Def RB)

A number of 40% or more is virtually off the charts and greatly increases your college basketball odds of winning.

Hill praised the work of J.R. Inman who began the year out with a suspension. Inman played 16 minutes and had 5 points but drew accolades from Hill for blocking a potential game winning shot by the Bonnies Jonathan Hall in regulation.

Mike Rosario and Greg Echenique led Rutgers with 14 points each. Echenique celebrated his birthday with a double double as he added 14 boards. Bonnies were paced by Hall’s 18 point 9 rebound effort.

Game was the last for both teams in the Garden State Challenge. The win gave the Bonnies the championship as they finished 3-1 as did Rutgers.

Savino also remarked that, ”Outside of North Carolina, St. Bonaventure has the best talent one through ten (players) of any non-conference team on our schedule."