Courtesy of GoBonnies.com
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – For the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team, Saturday’s Atlantic 10 opener vs. Massachusetts marked not only the beginning of what many call the “second season,” but also a chance to hit the reset button after a disappointing end to non-conference play.
After a 10-day layoff between games and some time away for Christmas break, it seems as though the time off truly did allow the Bonnies to turn the page as they snapped a four-game losing skid with a dominating 83-64 victory in front of nearly 4,000 fans.
“It was a reset,” Daryl Banks III said of the holiday break. “Everybody got back from Christmas and got back to work. Everybody was in the gym this week and worked hard in practice. We came out today and executed.”
Banks III delivered a game-high 31 points, including six three-pointers, while freshman Yann Farell was electric in the second half as he scored all of his career-best 22 points after intermission.
The Bonnies put together perhaps their best half of the season in the opening 20 minutes, quickly putting to rest the offensive struggles leading into the Christmas break.
St. Bonaventure (7-7, 1-0 A-10) started the game hot, shooting 47 percent in the opening half, and only improved in the second half, connecting on 52 percent of its field goal attempts in the last 20 minutes.
SBU seized control of the contest with a 15-3 run early, fueled by seven points from Anouar Mellouk and capped emphatically by a three-point play by Brett Rumpel 10 minutes in.
Bona’s crowd only grew louder following a pair of UMass technical fouls, first assessed to point guard Noah Fernandes and then head coach Frank Martin while the Bonnies surged ahead, 36-19.
Most importantly, the technical foul against Fernandes was his third personal, forcing the game-changing guard to the bench at the 8:40 mark of the first period. With the Bonnies rolling, the hosts took a 43-28 advantage to intermission.
“Our guys met the challenge,” St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt said. “UMass is a tough, physical team. We executed really, really well. Daryl played exceptionally well; Anouar gave us a huge lift in the first half. Yann showed some mental toughness after a tough first half. He did a great job and hit some really big shots.”
UMass (9-4, 0-1) got within 11, 48-37, three minutes into the second half but it would be as close as the visitors could chip away to.
Two minutes later, Bona’s lead was back to 19 as Farell caught fire.
The reigning A-10 Rookie of the Week went 9-for-11 in the second half, after an 0-of-6 start, including four buckets from long range. He added 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the year.
SBU’s advantage surged to 72-46 following back-to-back treys from Banks and Farell and the rout was on.
Fernandes finished with 13 points to pace the visitors while Brandon Martin added 12 points and eight rebounds.
The Bonaventure defense forced 17 UMass turnovers, turning those into 22 points of offense on the opposite end.
For the Bonnies, Saturday’s win was a team effort – while the combined 53 points from Banks and Farell drew the headlines, the club also recorded a season-best 21 bench points.
Moses Flowers was responsible for much of that bench spark again, finishing with a full stat line of nine points, seven assists, seven rebounds and three steals.
“It was a team victory,” Schmidt said. “We played hard, we executed and we defended. That’s how you win in the Atlantic 10.”
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