Bonnies grit out overtime win at Saint Joseph’s

Courtesy of GoBonnies.com

Short Story: St. Bonaventure pulled out an important win at Saint Joseph’s on Saturday night, prevailing 70-60 in overtime.

The Bonnies snapped their three-game losing streak and evened their A-10 record at 7-7. The win also moved St. Bonaventure into a tie for sixth place in the Atlantic 10.

After a Marcus Posley drive was stopped by Hawks defense to end regulation, the Bonnies scored the first seven points of overtime to open a 59-52 lead. Saint Joseph’s cut the deficit to 64-60 on a three-pointer by DeAndre Bembry with 33 seconds left, but Youssou Ndoye pushed the lead up to six with two free throws. Dion Wright, who finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, made four free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Posley finished with 16 points and five steals. Andell Cumberbatch played perhaps his best game of the season with 15 points and seven rebounds while handling the defensive assignment on Bembry all night.

How It Happened:

• Andell Cumberbatch started out hot, making two of his first three three- pointers. St. Joseph’s, however, led 20-13 halfway through the first half.
• The Bonnies scored eight straight points to take a 21-20 lead. Dion Wright capped the run with a jumper.
• The lead stretched to four points but Saint Joseph’s came back to take a 29-28 lead.
• Posley made two free throws to give the Bonnies a 30-29 lead at halftime.
• Cumberbatch made a three-pointer at the start of the second half to make it a 33-29 Bona lead.
• The Hawks came back to tie the game at 35-35 and the score remained close the rest of the way.
• There were seven ties and six lead changes in the second half alone.
• Over the final 7:27 of regulation, the teams combined to score only eight points.
• Cumberbatch’s fourth three-pointer of the game gave St. Bonaventure a 51-50 lead with 5:59remaining.
• Ndoye was fouled and made one of two at the line to make it a 52-50 game with 5:25 left.
• Bembry tied the game at 52-52 with a pair of free throws at the 3:51 mark.
• Saint Joseph’s missed its final five field goal attempts of regulation, and Bembry missed the front end of one-and-one free throw situations twice, the second time with just eight seconds left in regulation.
• As the final seconds of regulation wound down, Posley drove into the lane but lost the ball as Hawk defenders converged on him, sending the game into overtime.
• In the extra session, the Bonnies quickly took control with five free throws – four by Ndoye – to open a 57-52 lead by the 3:43 mark.
• Wright scored inside after a St. Joseph’s miss to extend the lead to 59-52.
• From that point on, the Hawks could not come any closer than four points.
• St. Bonaventure went 9-10 at the line over the final 57 seconds of the overtime to seal the victory.

Up Next: St. Bonaventure will travel to our nation’s capital to face George Washington on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Game time will be 7 p.m. at the Smith Center.