Quick Hitters: Buffalo

By Chuckie Maggio, @chuckiemaggio

The St. Bonaventure Bonnies defeated the University at Buffalo Bulls 72-63 on Wednesday night. The win improved their record to 5-1 and gave them the unofficial Big 4 championship after beating all three Buffalo-area D-I schools (UB, Canisius and Niagara).

Some Quick Hitters from the game:

Ndoye plays big once again: Youssou Ndoye has played dominant basketball the last two games. The Bonnies’ senior center followed up a 23-point, 11-rebound game against Niagara with 17 points, 13 boards and four blocks against the Bulls for his sixth career double-double. He has gone 14-for-25 from the field and 12-for-16 from the free throw line the past two games. There have been many rumblings about Ndoye being a potential second-round draft pick in the NBA, and he’s starting to show his full skill set.

Wright takes charge: Tonight was one of Dion Wright’s most assertive games as a Bonnie. The junior forward scored 19 points on 9-17 shooting and added eight rebounds as well. Wright’s length and presence on both ends continue to cause matchup nightmares for opposing teams, and he was able to take over in stretches against the Bulls.

Alston steps up off the bench: Backup point guard Iakeem Alston had an impressive stat line in 13 minutes of play. The junior registered five points, four assists, three steals and two rebounds to lead the reserve effort. For a bench that didn’t score any points Canisius, the spark Alston provided was a big key for the Bonnies.

Dominant defense: The Bonnies held Buffalo to just 18 first half points and achieved their goal of holding the opposing team under 40 percent shooting from the field once again. With key road tests against Ohio and Pittsburgh coming up, Ndoye and Wright will continue to spearhead one of the best defensive starts Bona has had in recent memory.

Ball security is key: In the games against Siena and Jackson State, the Bonnies turned the ball over a combined 38 times. Tonight, they only committed eight turnovers. With the inexperienced guards Bona has, protecting the basketball is of the utmost importance, and the results showed up on the scoreboard.