By Paul Gotham
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — Cruise control.
That’s the best way to describe the play of St. Bonaventure’s Bonnies on Wednesday night. The Bonnies were a team which found flow and pace early in their 72-63 win over Big 4 rival the University at Buffalo Bulls.
SBU took a double-digit lead less than eight minutes into the contest. The Brown and White stretched their advantage to 18 before halftime.
The box score was a collection of the usual contributors: Dion Wright led the way with 10 points at the break. Youssou Ndoye and Andell Cumberbatch added seven apiece. All three collected five rebounds each.
Bona’s defense entered play holding four of five opponents under 40 percent from the floor. They were every bit of that limiting UB to 6-of-27 (22.2 percent) for the first 20 minutes.
Then, midway through the second stanza, UB stopped Bona’s momentum and went on a 9-2 run. The double-digit advantage which the Bonnies held for more than 17 minutes was reduced to a single digit.
Bona head coach Mark Schmidt called for a timeout.
Moments later, it was a not-so-usual contributor who took charge for the Bonnies.
SBU turned the tables and outscored UB 8-3 over a two-minute stretch. Reserve guard Iakeem Alston netted two and dished out two assists during the run.
“He stabilized us,” Schmidt said of Alston. “We were scrambling a little bit. They cut it. We were fouling a lot. He really jump started us again. That’s what we needed.”
Alston drove the lane and fed Wright for a pair of layups.
“It’s kind of hard to close out on somebody when they’re coming at you,” Alston explained. “I always try to come at them and kick out for an open shot or create my own.”
Wright’s second layup pushed SBU’s lead back to 12 at 54-42.
“Iakeem really influenced the game today,” Schmidt added. “He came off the bench and got a couple steals and made a couple of tremendous passes. We need that. We need guys coming off the bench who are going to make us better.”
Alston’s influence was more than just numbers on a stat sheet. UB got its offense untracked. On the defensive end they went with a 2-3 zone – Bona’s achilles heel during their first five games of the season. Alston found, or maybe better yet created, gaps and finished in the lane.
“I pass fake a lot,” Alston explained. “The defense shifts with the pass fake. They just kept shifting. I try to pick my spots.”
He started the run with his only basket of the second half. A pair of reversals lulled UB’s guards into a passive stance, the 6-2 guard found space at the top of the key. With one more ball fake, he split the the defenders and finished with a floater in the lane.
Four minutes later he used a no-look pass through the teeth of the zone to set up Ndoye for a dunk. SBU lead by 15.
Threat ended.
“That was an important one for us,” Alston said of his feed to Ndoye. “We executed and it worked.”
In little more than seven minutes Bona’s lead swung from 19 to seven back to 15.
“We made a heckuva run to cut it to seven,” noted UB head coach Bobby Hurley. “For the way we played throughout that game, I don’t think we had much business being that close, but we were. They were a little unsure of themselves at that time.”
Alston provided the certainty.
The junior college transfer’s influence extended beyond the box score, but that’s not to overlook his statistics. In 13 minutes of playing time he produced 13 points scoring five and handing out four assists. He grabbed two rebounds and collected three steals. His line over the weekend was strikingly similar. In SBU’s 74-59 victory over Niagara in the Big 4 Classic the 6-2 guard scored five and assisted on four in 13 minutes.
He knows how to make the most out of what he gets.
“I try to always stay ready for when my number is called because I know it’s going to get called,” Alston said. “I’m always trying to come off the bench and bring a lot of energy. Coach says we need more self-motivators. I’m a self-motivator. I motivate myself to get ready. I rile myself up. I’m on the bench sweating. I’m screaming. I get myself going.”
“I say all the time to our players ‘every guy is going to have his day in the sun,’” Schmidt said.
Here’s hoping Alston melts snow this winter.
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