Courtesy of GoBonnies.com
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – St. Bonaventure’s Chad Venning provided a career-high 23 points but it would not be enough to overcome host Saint Louis as the Billikens took a 78-55 decision Saturday afternoon at Chaifetz Arena.
Along with Venning’s performance, Moses Flowers chipped in with a double-digit day of his own, scoring 15 points.
“It was a tough game. They had lost at UMass and were looking to rebound and we knew we needed to play really well for us to have a chance,” St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt said. “I thought we got off to a really good start, but when they came back we didn’t answer.”
The Bonnies scored the game’s first four points, but that would be a prelude to a scoreless four-minute stretch to follow.
Bona rebounded from an initial cold spell, taking a 15-11 advantage.
SLU (10-6, 2-1 A-10) seized control of the game, however, with a 16-0 run and sprinted to intermission with a 39-23 advantage.
St. Bonaventure (8-8, 2-1) did not make its first trip to the foul line until the 18:37 mark of the second half after SLU pushed its lead to 18.
Venning helped guide the Bonnies back within nine with still over 12 minutes to play, but it would be as close as the Bonnies could get.
Saint Louis, buoyed by all-conference guard Yuri Collins who directed the offense with 11 points and 14 assists as well as 13 points from Gibson Jimerson.
“Collins controlled the whole game and he’s the known. It was like he was playing in slow motion,” Schmidt said. “We didn’t get to the foul line at all; we just weren’t physical. Their physicality took us out of a lot of things. They did a good job on Daryl, denying things, and on Yann, not letting him screen and pop. They did a good job scouting. We decided to get the ball into Chad in the second half, but we just didn’t have it tonight. They were the better team.”
SLU went 20-for-24 at the foul stripe while Bona was just 6-for-10.
Saint Louis owned the boards, 35-25, and shot 49 percent for the game.
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