On Thursday at 11:30 a.m. ET, the St. Bonaventure Bonnies (21-10) will take on the Duquesne Dukes (13-18) in Washington, D.C., during the Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
In last year’s tournament, which took place in Brooklyn, New York, the Dukes beat the Bonnies 70-60 in the semifinals. This is a highly-anticipated game for the St. Bonaventure fanbase, as they seek revenge on Duquesne.
The eight-seeded Bonnies and the nine-seeded Dukes split the season series. The most recent game was on Feb. 22, in which the Bonnies won 70-63 at home.
Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt and his players believe they have the potential to make a run in this tournament. Even though they had a rough patch in the middle of the season, the team is happy with how they ended the season over the past few games and is confident they can make a push.
Bonaventure fans, students, and alumni alike were elated by the early season’s success, but that quickly faltered throughout the season.
A key player for the Bonnies that can easily help this team make a deep push is forward LaJae Jones. Jones has every tool: defense, shooting and the ability to jump out of the room on any given dunk opportunity. If Jones gets hot from 3, he does not miss. This is a scary team if that’s the Jones we see in the tournament.
The winner between the Dukes and the Bonnies will play top-seeded VCU at 11:30 a.m. ET Friday.
