By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
Kyle Lofton’s first collegiate assist came off a short swing pass to classmate Dominick Welch, who calmly drained his 3-pointer in front of the Bucknell bench. Lofton formed the “3” gesture and raised his right arm before the ball even caught net, signaling the beginning of a veritable one-two punch.
The “Putnam Pipeline” connection between Lofton and Osunniyi receives the most attention, but Lofton has assisted Welch as many times as Osunniyi over the last four years. The Hillside, N.J. native has dished 122 assists to each of his original “Big 3” teammates.
Lofton reached 550 career helpers last night, on the same night he broke St. Bonaventure’s single-game assist record. He’s assisted 20 different Bonnies, never shut out in that category in 106 contests.
A breakdown of Lofton’s assist recipients:
“I don’t go in like, ‘Yeah, I’mma pass today,’” Lofton remarked. “Whatever the defense gives me, I’m gonna make the right play.”
He has made the right play more often than not, recording over two assists to every turnover and either scoring or assisting on 26 percent of SBU’s 3-pointers since he arrived on campus.
There is, after all, a reason Bonnies coach Mark Schmidt has trusted his “quarterback” to not only start immediately after Jaylen Adams graduated but to log the equivalent of nearly three full days (4,034 minutes) of game action in his career.
“Kyle is a pass-first point guard and he’s unselfish,” Schmidt noted. “When his shot’s there, he’ll take it. When it isn’t, he’ll drive in and find the open man. That’s why he’s a really good point guard.”
Lofton is 41 assists away from overtaking Adams for third on the program’s career assist list, a reachable mark with the guarantee of at least six more games to play. COVID-19, along with the ankle injury that cost Lofton three games this season, put Green’s record of 657 out of reach.
Few, however, have tallied 17 assists in one outing. Eighteen college players have achieved the feat in the last 12 years, a group that includes Tyrese Haliburton, Ja Morant and Trae Young. And now, Lofton.
“Obviously, he’s a big part of their offense, and tonight we couldn’t really do much to stop him in the pick-and-rolls,” UMass guard Noah Fernandes told the UMass Daily Collegian. “He was getting in the paint, making passes, making layups.
“He’s a tough player and hard to stop, that’s why he’s one of the best guards in the A-10.”
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