Simmons leads as Bonnies get by UMass-Lowell

By Paul Gotham

ST. BONAVENTURE, NY – Marquise Simmons registered a double-double including a career high in points as the St. Bonaventure Bonnies defeated the UMass-Lowell Riverhawks,  67-58 in non-conference action on Bob Lanier Court at the Reilly Center, Tuesday.

Trailing by three at half, St. Bonaventure hit 11-of-21 from the floor after the break to improve to 6-2 for the first time since the 2001-02 season.

Simmons scored 12 of his game high 19 in the second stanza to pace the Bonnies to their third win in four games.

“Marquise played extremely well,” said SBU head coach Mark Schmidt. “He gave us some energy. I thought he was the difference in the game.”

The senior forward scored twice as Bona opened the second half on what would prove to be a decisive 12-3 run.

After Andell Cumberbatch knocked down back-to-back jumpers in the lane to start the second half, Simmons took a hi-lo feed from Matthew Wright and finished off the glass for a 37-34 Bona lead.

“We went into halftime knowing that we didn’t play well, knowing that we weren’t guarding” Simmons commented. “We came out, and like coach said ‘we found a way to win,’ but we know we didn’t do the job on the defensive end.”

Cumberbatch found Youssou Ndoye open on the baseline for a dunk, and the Bonnies had a lead they never relinquished.  Simmons added to it with a drive from the left side of the lane.

Wright pushed the lead to double digits at 58-48 when he hit one of two free throws.

The Bonnies were able to put behind them a first half where they struggled from the floor hitting just two of their last fifteen shots in the stanza and 8-of-36 overall.

“In the first half we just couldn’t finish anything,” Schmidt noted. “We were getting offensive rebounds, 13 I think at halftime, but we just couldn’t put anything back in.”

At the same time, UMass-Lowell as a team connected on 5-of-8 3-pointers during the first half.

“Give them credit,” Schmidt said of the Riverhawks. “We knew going into the game they were tied at halftime against Michigan. They were down two at Rhode Island. We knew it was going to be a hard-fought game. They have good guards who have the freedom to shoot anytime they want. That was a concern.”

Wright paced a 10-3 run as Bona grabbed its largest lead in the first twenty. The senior guard was fouled as he drilled a three. After the free throw, SBU led 9-5. On the next possession, Wright got into the lane from the left wing and delivered an emphatic right-handed slam in traffic. Denzel Gregg added a pair from the line before Wright hit two from the charity stripe as well, and the Bonnies led 15-6.

The advantage was short-lived. The teams traded baskets before the Riverhawks closed the half scoring 11 straight.

Chad Holley scored seven consecutive including a pull-up three. D.J. Mlachnik’s tear drop gave UMass-Lowell its first lead of the game at 32-31. Akeem Williams finished the stanza with a drive from the top of the key for a 34-31 Riverhawks advantage.

“We knew going in that we had to play well,” Schmidt continued. “In the first half we didn’t. In the second half we did.”

Cumberbatch and Simmons each grabbed 11 rebounds as the Bonnies took the battle of the boards 46-30. The Brown and White corralled 21 offensive rebounds.

“Usually second shots 75 percent either go in or you get to the foul line,” Schmidt explained. “We just didn’t capitalize.”

Wright added 15 points and a team-high five assists. Cumberbatch scored 13 to notch his own double-double.

“Most of the time when you play poorly for 20 minutes or so, you come up in the losing end. Somehow, some way we found a way. That was a positive.”

Ndoye played just four minutes in the first half because of foul trouble.

Jordan Gathers did not suit for the game because of a groin strain. He is day to day.

Williams led UM-L with 17 points. Holley and Mlachnik each had 16. Holley dished out six assists.

This is the first season in Division I for UMass-Lowell. The Riverhawks compete in the America East Conference. UM-L fell to 1-7. They have losses to Michigan (69-42), Rhode Island (79-68), and Cincinnati (79-49).

St. Bonaventure travels to Buffalo on Saturday to take on Big 4 rival, UB. A 2 p.m. tip time is scheduled at Alumni Arena. The Bonnies play their next four games on the road. Not until December 30th will they defend Bob Lanier Court when the University of Delaware comes to Olean.