By Carson Hayek, Sports Staffer
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — The St. Bonaventure University men’s basketball team used a 54-point second half to earn its first Atlantic-10 victory, 84-70, over Loyola University Chicago Tuesday evening in the Reilly Center.
Bonnies junior guard Darryl “Buddy” Simmons II led all scorers with 26 points. He tallied 21 in the second half. Senior forward Frank Mitchell recorded a team-high 11 rebounds.
Ramblers senior forward Joshua Ola-Joseph tallied a team-high 20 points. Junior center Miles Rubin recorded 12 rebounds.
Bonnies’ men’s head basketball coach Mark Schmidt credited freshman forward Andrew Osasuyi’s second-half impact following the victory.
“I thought in the second half our energy and body language was a lot more active,” Schmidt said. “We were better on the ball screens, and we made some shots that helped, but I thought Andrew Osasuyi was our MVP, and he changed the game with his [defensive] presence.”
According to Mitchell, regrouping at halftime sparked the team’s comeback.
“We didn’t want to have the same feeling as the last five games,” Mitchell said. “The coaching staff emphasized what we needed to do, but it was in our hands. [Us players] talked and said let’s go out and have some fun and play like we want to win.”
Loyola Chicago led 18-15 after 10 minutes.
The Ramblers made three threes and went on a 15-7 run to take a 33-22 lead over the next six minutes.
In the final four minutes of the first half, Loyola Chicago made two more threes and led 42-30 at halftime.
Both teams traded shots over the first nine minutes of the second half. The visitors maintained a 57-48 advantage.
The Bonnies scored the next 19 points over the next four minutes, with Simmons accounting for 15. The Ramblers missed their next nine shots, earning St. Bonaventure a 67-57 lead.
Loyola scored 11 of the next 18 points to cut its deficit to 74-68 with three minutes left in regulation.
Bonaventure scored 10 of the final 12 points to seal the victory.
The Bonnies advance to 12-7 (1-5 A-10) while the Ramblers fall to 5-15 (1-6 A-10).
St. Bonaventure hosts Saint Louis University Friday, Jan. 23, at 5:30 p.m. Loyola Chicago returns home Saturday, Jan. 24, to face Duquesne at 1 p.m. The Bonnies’ game will air on ESPN2. Radio coverage can be heard on the Bonnies Online Network, 100.1 FM Bradford & Olean, 1340 AM Jamestown, 106.9 FM Hornell, and 92.1 FM Rochester.
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