Bonnies use big second half to down Duquesne for first A-10 win :: Season-high five players reach double figures; Dukes held to season-low 59 points

Season-high five players reach double figures; Dukes held to season-low 59 points

Feb. 2, 2008

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. - Five players in double figures and a stout team defensive effort helped St. Bonaventure earn its first Atlantic 10 victory of the season on Saturday afternoon as it defeated Duquesne 74-59 on Bob Lanier Court at the Reilly Center.

The Dukes (13-7, 3-4) entered today's game ranked third in the nation in points per game (85.7), but were held to nearly 30 points below their season average thanks to a 36 percent (21-58) shooting clip from the field and 22 percent (6-27) from beyond the arc. On the flipside, the Brown and White shot a blistering 65 percent from the floor in the second half en route to snapping a six-game losing streak.

Senior Michael Lee led a season-high five Bonnies in double-digits with game-highs of 16 points and 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. Junior Tyler Benson scored a season-high 15 points while adding five boards and five assists. Freshman forward Matt Morgan continued his strong play, accounting for 13 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench. Seniors Zarryon Fereti and Tyler Relph chipped in with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Relph added six assists and a career-high six rebounds, while Fereti established a career-high of four steals.

"I told the guys that to win this game they needed to play so hard that they were completely exhausted at the end of the game," said head coach Mark Schmidt. "I'm proud because they did exactly that and they got what they deserved ... a win."

Despite having just seven healthy scholarship players, the Bonnies were able to fend-off a deep Duquesne bench that saw 11 players make their way into the game. Four different Bonaventure players saw over 35 minutes, while no one on the Dukes' sideline player over 27 minutes.

After a first half that featured six lead changes and eight ties resulted in a 31-28 Duquesne lead at the break, St. Bonaventure started to make its move at the first media timeout of the second half.

With the Dukes leading 38-37, Fereti drilled his second three-pointer of the half and ignited a game-changing 12-0 run that resulted in the first real separation for either team, at 49-38. Benson added five points during the spurt, Morgan supplied a nifty layup and Fereti capped what he started with a breakaway two-handed dunk.

Duquesne quickly trimmed the deficit to seven, 49-42, with a pair of layups by junior Kojo Mensah, but continued to commit costly fouls that resulted in big points at the line for the Bonnies. After a field goal from Lee, St. Bonaventure capitalized on a plethora of Duquesne fouls and scored its next nine points and 13 of its next 17, at the charity stripe. Morgan was the biggest benefactor, sinking 7-of-8, while both Benson and Relph went 2-for-2. In the midst their free threw shooting barrage, the Bonnies stretched the lead to 16 points, 68-52, and held on for the convincing win.

For the third game in a row St. Bonaventure outrebouned its opponent, this time by a 41-33 advantage. Both teams finished with a positive assist/turnover ratio, while the Bonnies shot 14 more free throws (23-29) than the visiting Dukes.

After Duquesne sank a three-pointer in the opening possession, the Bonnies used a trio of long range field goals of their own during an 11-0 run that brought the Reilly Center faithful to their feet. Benson connected on the first three-pointer form the right baseline, while Fereti's came from the left side. Lee drilled the third and final three-pointer from the same spot as Benson.

The Dukes quickly knotted the score at 11-11 with an 8-0 run of their own in just two minutes. The final 14:39 of the half featured six lead changes and six ties as neither team generated much offense. With the scored tied at 21-21 with 7:36 remaining, both teams failed to register a field goal over the next four and half minutes before a dunk by junior D'Lancy Carter knotted the scored for the seventh time in the half, at 23-23.

Duquesne strung together the longest run since early in the early part of the half, scoring the last four points to take a 31-28 lead into the locker room.

St. Bonaventure will receive a much-needed week off from game action until it returns to Bob Lanier Court on Saturday, Feb. 9. The Bonnies will welcome Charlotte to the Reilly Center for a 7 p.m. tip-off.

Game Notes
Both coaching staffs sported sneakers with their game day attire in support of Coaches vs. Cancer ... Michael Lee surpassed 2005 graduate Ahmad Smith for 23rd place on the all-time scoring list with 1,264 career points ... Lee now has 14 career double-doubles and has scored in double figures in seven of eight games on Bob Lanier Court ... head coach Mark Schmidt is 3-0 vs. Duquesne as the host school ... Duquesne's 59 points was a season-low and the fifth team the Brown and White have held to under 60 ... Tyler Benson now has 24 assists and six turnovers in seven games as a starter ... Tyler Relph is the 61st player in program history score 750 points ... the win breaks a seven-game home A-10 losing streak and moves the Bonnies to 20-11 all-time vs. Duquesne at the Reilly Center.