ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – A simple chain of cause and effect led
to St. Bonaventure’s 74-63 loss to Niagara at the Reilly Center on
Wednesday.

Because Bona’s frontcourt of Paul Williams and Michael Lee got
into early foul trouble, their playing time was limited.

As a result, the Bonnies did not take shots close to the basket
– firing up 29 of their 60 total shots from beyond the three-point
line – and did not get to the foul line. Niagara took 21 foul shots
to SBU’s five.

Then minus the 6-10 Williams and the 6-8 Lee underneath, the
undersized Purple Eagles dominated the boards, 38-27.

“When Mike and Paul were out of the game it did take away our
inside attack,” St. Bonaventure coach Anthony Solomon conceded. “It
caused us to be a little bit more impatient, feeling like we had to
get it done all on the perimeter, and that doesn’t favor us.”

Throw in the fact that visiting, winless Niagara shot a
blistering 64 percent (16-for-25) from the floor in the second half
and it all adds up to one 11-point defeat.

“I’m more surprised at how poorly we shot the ball in the first
three games than how well we shot it tonight. We can shoot the
basketball,” commented Joe Mihalich, Niagara coach.

“I’m really proud of this team. It’s not an easy place to play
down here (at the Reilly Center). It’s a great place to play, but
it’s certainly not an easy place to play.”

St. Bonaventure led the game until the final 30 seconds of the
first half when Clif Brown nailed a three-pointer to give the
Purple Eagles a 28-27 advantage.

More importantly, the trifecta was part of a 22-4 Purple Eagle
scoring run from the 2:56 mark of the first half to the 17:14
juncture of the second.

“The last quarter of the first half, when Michael Lee picked up
two fouls and Paul Williams got his second foul, we lost the
momentum and it sort of carried over to the second half,” Solomon
recalled.

“We had a lead and the opponent made a run. Tonight they carried
their run into the second half. We cut into their lead – we cut it
to three – but never really chopped away at it any more.

“There were a lot of good frontcourt players on the floor
tonight and I just wish that Mike and Paul could’ve played a little
bit more.”

Brown, a 6-7 senior forward, finished the game with 33 points
and nine rebounds on a 13-for-23 shooting effort (4-for-5 from
three).

“I came out hoping to take better shots and stay within the
offense,” Brown remarked.

Heading into the game, Brown had been shooting 27 percent (just
11 percent from deep).

Despite limited minutes, Williams and Lee led SBU in scoring
with 14 points each. Williams also pulled down nine boards, while
sophomore Tyler Benson grabbed five.

Niagara’s Tyrone Lewis, a 6-0 freshman guard, was the game’s
leading rebounder with 10.

The win pushes the Purple Eagles to 1-3.

The loss squares St. Bonaventure’s record at 3-3 on the season.
The Bonnies are back in action at 7 p.m. Saturday hosting Boston
University in another non-conference game.