ITHACA — Senior forward Josh Figini missed a game-tying 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining, ending Cornell’s comeback after it had rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit.
The Big Red and St. Bonaventure combined for 54 fouls and 76 free throw attempts in the Bonnies’ 72-68 victory Wednesday night at Newman Arena.
The Big Red (1-1) managed just 10 points in the first 13 minutes of the game and trailed 38-24 early in the second half and 68-60 with 1:30 remaining, but clawed back in the game and had an opportunity to tie it with 17 seconds on the clock with the Bonnies (2-0) up 69-67 and sophomore Devin Cherry at the line for two shots.
Cherry missed one and made one, and after a pair of free throws from St. Bonaventure junior Charlon Kloof made it 71-68, Figini, despite being Cornell’s tallest player on the court, took a long but open 3-pointer that hit the back rim. Big Red sophomore Galal Cancer got the rebound but was stripped on his way up shooting another 3-pointer.
“He was the last guy to make a 3-point shot for us, and I felt like with a five-man doing it they wouldn’t think that he was the one getting the toss back and getting the shot,” said Cornell coach Bill Courtney of Figini. “He probably was a step out of his range but he was wide open. We got the shot we wanted, we just have to hopefully knock those things in.”
Bonnies senior forward Chris Johnson scored a game-high 19 points and was 6-for-10 shooting and 7-for-7 from the charity stripe, while Big Red senior forward Errick Peck scored a team-high 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds, missing two of eight attempts from the field. Peck, who missed all of last season to an injury, scored nine points during an 11-2 second-half Cornell run that started with the Big Red trailing 39-28 and ended with the visitors holding a two-point lead with 12:41 remaining.
Cornell, which never led, tied the game at 52 on a pair of free throws by freshman Nolan Cressler, marking the contest’s first deadlock since 10-10.
St. Bonaventure senior forward Demitrius Conger was in foul trouble most of the game but scored all of his 14 points in the second half, including five straight points to put his team ahead 64-56 with 3:38 remaining.
“Our guys fought through some adversity tonight,” said Courtney. “To be down like that to a very good opponent and be able to come back, I was proud of that part. The part that bothers you is the start we got off to and putting ourselves in a hole like that and having to scrap back the whole time. That first 15 minutes is where we lost the game.”
The Big Red shot 40.4 percent from the field for the game after shooting 35 percent on just 20 attempts in the first half. Cherry scored 14 points while Cancer and senior Johnathan Gray each chipped in 11. Senior Marquise Simmons had 14 points and six rebounds for the Bonnies, who shot 41.5 percent from the field and 26-for-42 for 61 percent from the stripe. Cornell took 28 free throws, making 21 of them.
The Big Red next hosts St. Peter’s at 8 p.m. on Friday while St. Bonaventure travels to Canisius.
ITHACA, N.Y. - Senior Errick Peck scored 17 points and added seven rebounds off the bench to lead four double figure scorers, but St. Bonaventure held off a late Big Red rally to collect a 72-68 win on Wednesday evening at Newman Arena. Cornell slipped to 1-1, while the Bonnies improved to 2-0 in a game televised nationally on NBC Sports Network. In a game that featured 54 fouls (30 on Cornell) and 70 free throws (42 for St. Bonaventure), the Big Red fell just short of what would have been a rally for the ages. After trailing by eight points with 90 seconds left, Cornell's defense helped it pull within one. Cornell missed a game-tying free throw attempt with under 20 second to play, then a game-tying three-point attempt in the final 10 seconds. Senior Josh Figini got a clean look from the top of the key, but it went long and the Bonnies were able to hit a game-sealing free throw with 0.6 seconds left to pick up the win. The Big Red limited St. Bonaventure to 42 percent shooting overall and a miserable 2-of-14 from 3-point range, but it was able to do just enough to squeak by after taking 42 free throws on the road. It made 26, shooting just 62 percent, but that edge was just enough to improve to 2-0 on the young season. Peck fouled out after playing just 23 minutes. He made 6-of-8 field goals, including both 3-point attempts. Peck was joined in double figures by Devin Cherry (14), Galal Cancer (11) and Johnathan Gray (11). Cancer added four assists and three rebounds, while Gray grabbed five boards. Shonn Miller posted six points and a game-high eight rebounds. For St. Bonaventure, Chris Johnson scored a game-high 19 points, while Demitrius Conger and Marquise Simmons each had 14 points and six rebounds. The Bonnies went into halftime leading 35-24 after dominating Cornell in points in the paint (24-6) and second chance points (12-0) as the visitors asserted their toughness. The Big Red flipped the script in the second half, using its much deeper squad to pressure the basketball and create turnovers for easy transition opportunities. It showed in the closing minutes. Down 68-60 after a pair of Conger free throws, Cornell went to work. Cherry hit a jumper, and after Charlon Kloof made the second of two free throws, Cancer grabbed a Cherry miss, put it back up and was fouled. His free throw made it 69-65 with 33 seconds left. St. Bonaventure inbounded the ball to Conger, who was fouled. The senior missed both free throws, giving Cornell new life. Cancer got into the lane with a spin move and found an open Miller for a layup to make it 69-67 with 23 ticks left. After a timeout, the Big Red wouldn't allow the inbounds pass and earned a five-second violation. Cornell, meanwhile, was able to get the ball in Cherry's hands on the inbounds and the sophomore made something happen. His penetration drew a foul, and the second-year guard missed the first before hitting the second to get within 69-68 with 17 seconds left. Kloof was fouled again, this time connecting on both charity shots, and Figini got set up for the long distance trey. His shot bounced off the backboard and was grabbed by Gray at the 3-point line. He was stripped and the loose ball was picked up by Kloof, who put the game away with a free throw. It was nip-and-tuck for much of the second half before the Bonnies pulled away during a three minute stretch of the second half, much like the way it had in the first. The Bonnies took their biggest lead of the game at 38-24 when Matthew Wright hit a three-pointer for the first basket of the second half. Five minutes later, Cornell was back within two. Twice, down two points, the Big Red forced a St. Bonaventure miss, but the Bonnies picked up the offensive rebound and finished with a basket and a foul. Cornell returns to action on Friday, Nov. 16 when it meets Saint Peter's at 8 p.m. at Newman Arena.
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Senior Errick Peck scored 17 points and added seven rebounds off the bench to lead four double figure scorers, but St. Bonaventure held off a late Big Red rally to collect a 72-68 win on Wednesday evening at Newman Arena. Cornell slipped to 1-1, while the Bonnies improved to 2-0 in a game televised nationally on NBC Sports Network.
In a game that featured 54 fouls (30 on Cornell) and 70 free throws (42 for St. Bonaventure), the Big Red fell just short of what would have been a rally for the ages.
After trailing by eight points with 90 seconds left, Cornell's defense helped it pull within one. Cornell missed a game-tying free throw attempt with under 20 second to play, then a game-tying 3-point attempt in the final 10 seconds. Senior Josh Figini got a clean look from the top of the key, but it went long and the Bonnies were able to hit a game-sealing free throw with 0.6 seconds left to pick up the win.
The Big Red limited St. Bonaventure to 42 percent shooting overall and a miserable 2-of-14 from 3-point range, but it was able to do just enough to squeak by after taking 42 free throws on the road. It made 26, shooting just 62 percent, but that edge was just enough to improve to 2-0 on the young season.
Peck fouled out after playing just 23 minutes. He made 6-of-8 field goals, including both 3-point attempts. Peck was joined in double figures by Devin Cherry (14), Galal Cancer(11) and Johnathan Gray (11). Cancer added four assists and three rebounds, while Gray grabbed five boards. Shonn Miller posted six points and a game-high eight rebounds.
For St. Bonaventure, Chris Johnson scored a game-high 19 points, while Demitrius Conger and Marquise Simmons each had 14 points and six rebounds.
The Bonnies went into halftime leading 35-24 afer dominating Cornell in points in the paint (24-6) and second chance points (12-0) as the visitors asserted their toughness. The Big Red flipped the script in the second half, using its much deeper squad to pressure the basketball and create turnovers for easy transition opportunities. It showed in the closing minutes.
Down 68-60 after a pair of Conger free throws, Cornell went to work. Cherry hit a jumper, and after Charlon Kloof made the second of two free throws, Cancer grabbed a Cherry miss, put it back up and was fouled. His free throw made it 69-65 with 33 seconds left.
St. Bonaventure inbounded the ball to Conger, who was fouled. The sneior missed both free throws, giving Cornell new life. Cancer got into the lane with a spin move and found an open Miller for a layup to make it 69-67 with 23 ticks left. After a timeout, the Big Red wouldn't allow the inbounds pass and earned a five-second violation. Cornell, meanwhile, was able to get the ball in Cherry's hands on the inbounds and the sophomore made something happen. His penetration drew a foul, and the second-year guard missed the first before hitting the second to get within 69-68 with 17 seconds left.
Kloof was fouled again, this time connecting on both charity shots, and Figini got set up for the long distance trey. His shot bounced off the backboard and was grabbed by Gray at the 3-point line. He was stripped and the loose ball was picked up by Kloof, who put the game away with a free throw.
It was nip-and-tuck for much of the second half before the Bonnies pulled away during a three minute stretch of the second half, much like the way it had in the first. The Bonnies took their biggest lead of the game at 38-24 when Matthew Wright hit a 3-pointer for the first basket of the second half. Five minutes later, Cornell was back within two. Twice, down two points, the Big Red forced a St. Bonaventure miss, but the Bonnies picked up the offensive rebound and finished with a basket and a foul.
Cornell returns to action on Friday, Nov. 16 when it meets Saint Peter's at 8 p.m. at Newman Arena.
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ITHACA, N.Y. – After surrendering a 14-point second-half lead, the St. Bonaventure men's basketball team – behind a game-high 19 points from Chris Johnson – battled to a 72-68 win Wednesday evening at Cornell in front of a national TV audience on the NBC Sports Network.
Johnson tied a career high in scoring, but more importantly saved the Bonnies (2-0) from the free-throw line as hit all seven of his attempts while the rest of the team went 19-35. The win moved Bona to 2-0 for the first time since the 2008-09 season, and only the second time since the 2003-04 campaign.
Plagued with foul trouble throughout much of the night, senior Demitrius Conger scored 14 vital second-half points after playing just eight minutes in the first half and not scoring as he picked up his second foul at the 11:54 mark.
With Bonaventure holding a 59-56 lead with just more than four minutes remaining, Conger elevated and hit a baseline jumper to push thelead to five and then delivered what looked like a game-deciding 3-pointer on SBU's next trip, prompting a Cornell timeout.
However, the Big Red – who have now lost three straight to the Brown and White – answered with an extended 11-5 run to pull within two, 69-67, with 23 seconds left. After the Bonnies committed a five-second violation on the ensuing inbounds play to give the ball back to the Big Red, Cornell's Devin Cherry missed the first of two free throws which would have tied the contest.
Junior Charlon Kloof extended the Bona cushion to three with a pair of crucial free throws with 14 seconds left, and then put the game out of reach by hitting one-of-two with under a second remaining.
Marquise Simmons provided valuable scoring for Bonaventure, particularly in the first half, as he didn't miss a shot en route to recording 11 points to help guide Bona to a 35-24 intermission lead. The Washington, D.C., native finished with 14 points and six rebounds one year removed from tearing his Achilles against Cornell.
Bonaventure struggled throughout the night from the 3-point and free-throw line as it went just 2-14 (14.3 percent) from beyond the arc and 26-42 (61.9 percent) from the charity stripe. However, the Bonnies were able to make up for it by outscoring Cornell in the paint, 36-26, and holding a 17-10 advantage in second-chance points. Last year, SBU finished 16th in the nation in free-throw shooting at 76.1 percent.
In the last three years, SBU has now dominated Cornell in the paint by 40 points, 90-50, and outscored the Big Red in second-chance opportunities, 40-20.
Senior Eric Mosley and Conger both picked up their second fouls on consecutive Bona possessions – defensive and then offensive, respectively – near the 12-minute mark of the first half and sat the remainder of the frame. Mosley, who led Bona on the offensive end in the season opener with 14 points, did not score against Cornell.
To make up for it, sophomore center Youssou Ndoye – who twice left the game with injuries – scored eight points, Matthew Wright added seven and a game-high five assists, Kloof netted six – three in the final 14 seconds – and Dion Wrightadded four – both buckets coming in the first half.
D. Wright came off the bench to play 12 first-half minutes and collected five of what ended up being a team-high seven rebounds during those dozen minutes. The California native ended the night with 16 minutes of action in his first collegiate road game.
After maintaining that 11-point halftime advantage, Bonaventure stretched the lead to 14, 38-24, after M. Wright hit SBU's first 3-pointer of the game at the 18:28 mark. However, Cornell then went on a 15-3 run over the next six minutes to pull within two, 41-39, before eventually tying the game, 52-52, on a pair of free throws with eight minutes left.
Cornell placed four scorers in double figures, led by 17 from Errick Peck who fouled out with 4:10 left on Conger's baseline jumper. Cherry added 14, and Jonathan Gray and Galal Cancer each tallied 11 for the Big Red, who dropped to 1-1 on the season.
St. Bonaventure returns to action on Saturday in a Little Three battle against Canisius in Buffalo. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. from the Koessler Center.
GAME NOTES: Cornell still leads the overall series – which dates back to 1923 – 8-6 … Conger made his 65th straight start … the attendance was listed at 3,016 … both teams only turned the ball over 14 times … after shooting 4-7 from 3-point range in the first half, Cornell went just 1-7 in the second half … Shonn Miller pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.
ITHACA — The sentiment was far reaching, from the coaches and players, to the fans in attendance, to those watching the national television broadcast.
“I’ll take it,” nearly all of them said after the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team’s 72-68 nail biter of a victory over Cornell on Wednesday night at Newman Arena.
Yeah, it wasn’t pretty. But when has it every really been a work of art when these recent Bona teams have won on the road? Similar to past games, they had trouble protecting a lead, allowing a 14 point early second half advantage to crumble into a one point game with 17 seconds remaining. Similar to past games, they had trouble when the opposition cranked up the pressure, committing a couple of key turnovers down the stretch. And just like in those contests, they had to sweat it out until the last horn finally, mercifully sounded.
But, in the end, it was a W, just like it was two years ago in the same building, just like it was last year at Niagara, Rhode Island and against UMass in the Atlantic 10 Tournament semifinals.
The Bonnies, after allowing Cornell to tie the game at 52 with eight minutes left, never fell behind. Despite a tough night shooting the ball, they had an answer every time the Big Red threatened, whether it was another Marquise Simmons finish inside, Chris Johnson’s clutch jumper in the paint with 2:35 left or Charlon Kloof’s free throws in the final seconds.
There was definitely some good to take out of their performance Wednesday night. Johnson and Simmons both had good games, carrying the offense when the shots weren’t falling. Johnson, in attack mode from the start, tied a career high with 19 points, connecting on 6-of-10 from the field while making all seven free throws. Simmons, taking advantage of Cornell’s weak interior, posted 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting and six rebounds in 20 minutes. Bona, as a team, outscored the Big Red in the paint, 36 26.
“Marquise played really well throughout the game and Chris Johnson was somebody we relied on throughout the game,” Schmidt said.
“We got the ball and we pushed it in our primary break, and I got out early and just rolled hard to the basket, and the guards, they just found me,” Simmons said of his ability to get points inside. “I had a couple of open looks at the basket from running hard, sprinting and screening and they just found me under the basket for some easy points.”
Then, too, Bona was staunch defensively in the first half, limiting Cornell to just seven field goals and 35 percent shooting, and even after their second half run, allowed the Big Red to shoot just 44 percent in the second frame.
But there was also plenty of bad to take from the game, as well. Schmidt’s team couldn’t hit much outside of the shots it made inside, missing most open jumpers and finishing just 2-for-14 from the 3 point line. They might get away with that against an Ivy League team, but it certainly won’t fly against Atlantic 10 competition. They also struggled mightily from the line, and it was one of the primary reasons Cornell still had a chance at the end. A great free throw shooting team all of last season, Bona made just 26-of-42 (62 percent) from the stripe Wednesday, with a couple of big misses down the stretch. Demitrius Conger missed six alone, including two in the final minute that could have put the game away.
“We just missed,” Schmidt said.
The way they look at it, the Bonnies didn’t play particularly well, but still managed to escape with a victory a road win at that one that makes them 2-0 for the first time in five years. The referees didn’t make it any easier on them. They called an astounding 54 fouls (24 on the Bonnies) which led to a numbing 70 free throw attempts, making the game last nearly two and a half hours. At one point, there seemed to be a whistle every time down the floor.
“You can’t worry about the refs,” Schmidt said. “You have to adjust to how the refs were calling it. They were calling a lot of hand checks, calling it really tight. From an offensive standpoint, you lose some rhythm. It gets ugly when that happens.
“One, we have to do a better job of keeping our hands off of guys, and second, we have to knock down our free throws. We let them back into the game because of that.”
Added Simmons: “We just had to move onto the next play. They called a lot of cheap fouls both ways. I think the biggest thing is we had to stay together and move onto the next play in order to pull out the victory at the end.”
And they did just that. Bona knows it left much to be desired. They know they have plenty to improve upon before the Atlantic 10 schedule begins. But as they said immediately after, for now, “they’ll take it.”
ITHACA — The sentiment was far reaching, from the coaches and players, to the fans in attendance, to those watching the national television broadcast.
“I’ll take it,” nearly all of them said after the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team’s 72-68 nail biter of a victory over Cornell on Wednesday night at Newman Arena.
Yeah, it wasn’t pretty. But when has it every really been a work of art when these recent Bona teams have won on the road? Similar to past games, they had trouble protecting a lead, allowing a 14 point early second half advantage to crumble into a one point game with 17 seconds remaining. Similar to past games, they had trouble when the opposition cranked up the pressure, committing a couple of key turnovers down the stretch. And just like in those contests, they had to sweat it out until the last horn finally, mercifully sounded.
But, in the end, it was a W, just like it was two years ago in the same building, just like it was last year at Niagara, Rhode Island and against UMass in the Atlantic 10 Tournament semifinals.
The Bonnies, after allowing Cornell to tie the game at 52 with eight minutes left, never fell behind. Despite a tough night shooting the ball, they had an answer every time the Big Red threatened, whether it was another Marquise Simmons finish inside, Chris Johnson’s clutch jumper in the paint with 2:35 left or Charlon Kloof’s free throws in the final seconds.
There was definitely some good to take out of their performance Wednesday night. Johnson and Simmons both had good games, carrying the offense when the shots weren’t falling. Johnson, in attack mode from the start, tied a career high with 19 points, connecting on 6-of-10 from the field while making all seven free throws. Simmons, taking advantage of Cornell’s weak interior, posted 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting and six rebounds in 20 minutes. Bona, as a team, outscored the Big Red in the paint, 36 26.
“Marquise played really well throughout the game and Chris Johnson was somebody we relied on throughout the game,” Schmidt said.
“We got the ball and we pushed it in our primary break, and I got out early and just rolled hard to the basket, and the guards, they just found me,” Simmons said of his ability to get points inside. “I had a couple of open looks at the basket from running hard, sprinting and screening and they just found me under the basket for some easy points.”
Then, too, Bona was staunch defensively in the first half, limiting Cornell to just seven field goals and 35 percent shooting, and even after their second half run, allowed the Big Red to shoot just 44 percent in the second frame.
But there was also plenty of bad to take from the game, as well. Schmidt’s team couldn’t hit much outside of the shots it made inside, missing most open jumpers and finishing just 2-for-14 from the 3 point line. They might get away with that against an Ivy League team, but it certainly won’t fly against Atlantic 10 competition. They also struggled mightily from the line, and it was one of the primary reasons Cornell still had a chance at the end. A great free throw shooting team all of last season, Bona made just 26-of-42 (62 percent) from the stripe Wednesday, with a couple of big misses down the stretch. Demitrius Conger missed six alone, including two in the final minute that could have put the game away.
“We just missed,” Schmidt said.
The way they look at it, the Bonnies didn’t play particularly well, but still managed to escape with a victory a road win at that one that makes them 2-0 for the first time in five years. The referees didn’t make it any easier on them. They called an astounding 54 fouls (24 on the Bonnies) which led to a numbing 70 free throw attempts, making the game last nearly two and a half hours. At one point, there seemed to be a whistle every time down the floor.
“You can’t worry about the refs,” Schmidt said. “You have to adjust to how the refs were calling it. They were calling a lot of hand checks, calling it really tight. From an offensive standpoint, you lose some rhythm. It gets ugly when that happens.
“One, we have to do a better job of keeping our hands off of guys, and second, we have to knock down our free throws. We let them back into the game because of that.”
Added Simmons: “We just had to move onto the next play. They called a lot of cheap fouls both ways. I think the biggest thing is we had to stay together and move onto the next play in order to pull out the victory at the end.”
And they did just that. Bona knows it left much to be desired. They know they have plenty to improve upon before the Atlantic 10 schedule begins. But as they said immediately after, for now, “they’ll take it.”
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