On Friday, VCU defeated St. Bonaventure 76-59 in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. This, presumably, ends a St. Bonaventure season in which fans were sent through a roller coaster of emotions. Here are three takeaways from the Bonnies’ loss.
Rebounding issues
VCU outrebounded the Bonnies 40-36, which may not seem to be a big margin until you look at it closely. The Rams grabbed 16 offensive rebounds, more than 10 of which came in the first half. VCU led by double digits going into the second half, and the offensive rebounding numbers had a lot to do with that. That lead became insurmountable for the Bonnies. Similarly, center Noel Brown only secured one rebound.
Not taking advantage of Max Shulga’s struggles
In the game, VCU star Max Shulga scored only two points, shooting 1 for 9 from the field. The Bonnies did not take advantage of Shulga’s struggles, which was ultimately a big reason for this loss. Shulga’s poor performance was boostedby 17 points from Jack Clark, 14 points from Zeb Jackson,13 from Joe Bamisile and 12 from Brandon Jennings.
Jackson and Jennings scored in double figures off the bench, filling in for the lack of Shulga production. That was not something the Bonnies accounted for, and it hurt them down the stretch.
Lack of depth
This lack of depth came down to injuries, which is something the team struggled with all season. Backup center Xander Wedlow was unavailable for the game, and with Dasonte Bowen not playing a game in months, the Bonnies were down to only eight guys for the tournament. Similar to this, Duane Thompson was questionable before Thursday’s game. Even though he played against Duquesne, he did not play against VCU. Miles Rose checked into the game against VCU, giving the Bonnies only seven players used in each game.
The Bonnies are hoping to land an NIT bid, which starts next week.
