ROCHESTER —  Nearly two weeks ago, St. Bonaventure responded to an ugly back-to-back stretch with a resounding win at Massachusetts.

What quickly followed, however, were two more discouraging losses, a 17-point home setback to Dayton and a 19-point throttling at Richmond.

Back in the same position Wednesday as they were in Amherst, the Bonnies did what they’d done before: they replied emphatically.

Behind a career night from Youssou Ndoye, who went off for 28 points and 13 rebounds, Bona again got back on track, hammering George Mason 75-55 before a good crowd of 4,032 in the Fibertech Conference Classic inside Blue Cross Arena.

In doing so, they were able to get back to .500 in the conference (9-6, 2-2) while dispelling some of the concerns that came with two blowout losses and four losses in their previous five games.

“Big win,” said junior guard Marcus Posley, who added 22 points, including five 3-pointers. “Credit to those teams for beating us, they were both good teams, but we just didn’t play the way we were capable of playing. The score doesn’t define who we were.

“Tonight was definitely a bounce back game. We wanted to be even in conference play, so this was a big game for us. We just played well as a team.”

It began with Ndoye. Following two-straight underwhelming performances, the senior center played the best game of his career, finishing 9-for-11 from the field and 10-of-11 at the line as part of a dominant effort inside. All game long, he dunked on and went over top of the Patriots (6-10, 1-3), a big team that couldn’t handle the big man down low.

“I thought he did it on the boards,” George Mason coach Paul Hewitt said. “He did it with a tremendous amount of strength. We’d foul him and he’d go right (through us). It wasn’t so much the stuff out of sets, it was just him forcing his will.”

With his team in a precarious spot, Ndoye knew he had to have a big game Wednesday.

“We got blown out these last two games, so I just wanted to make sure I come out with energy, because these last two games, I’m shooting really bad from the field,” he said. “This game I was able to start the game making my first couple shots and carry it through.”

That wasn’t exactly the case for his team.

Bona began the game 0-for-7 from the field in falling behind 10-2 early. The Patriots, who were led by Shevon Thompson’s 18 points, had a couple of dunks early to set the tone.

But Schmidt’s team answered with a big run to tie the game and then piled onto it to bring a commanding 38-22 lead into the break. Posley made four shots, including two 3s, in that stretch, while Ndoye had two monster jams, including one that resulted in a 3-point play.

“That’s the good thing about it, having multiple guys rally together, talk to each other,” Posley said of his team’s response to the first five minutes. “All five guys on the floor, everyone just talked about it together. We said we’re not going to do this again, just play the way we’re capable of playing.”

Bona, in addition to knocking down some shots, clamped down defensively, and wound up holding the Patriots to just 7-of-21 over the first 20 minutes and 38 percent for the game. While they were beaten inside, at times, by Thompson, they didn’t allow another George Mason player in double figures.

Key for a team that had been a disaster from the perimeter defensively was holding the Patriots to 2-for-14 from beyond the arc.

“I thought the guys really responded,” coach Mark Schmidt said. “They did a great job in the scouting report and looking at the personnel and being able to guard them. They’re a good team. They played UMass to the wire and they beat La Salle. It was a good performance and I’m proud of how we responded.”

Andell Cumberbatch added 12 points for the Bonnies, who shot 42 percent from the field and had only nine turnovers. By halftime, Bona had used a 34-10 run to take control of the game. It was able to grow the lead as large as 25 in the second half before cruising down the stretch.

“We feel great,” Ndoye said. “Defensively, we were helping each other more. People were talking and talking and that just gets all of us going when we’re all on the same page.”

Another key for Bona was that it dominated the glass, 41-28. Included in that were 17 offensive rebounds that kept alive many offensive possessions throughout the first half run that swung the game.

“The trifecta — defend, rebound, take care of the ball,” Schmidt pointed out. “When you outrebound a team, it really takes the other team’s heart. Second chance points are a big part of winning basketball games. I thought we did a tremendous job.”

GEORGE MASON (55)

Jenkins 2-6 5-6 9, Thompson 7-9 4-5 18, Edwards 0-3 0-0 0, Moore 1-2 0-0 2, Jackson 2-10 0-1 5, Gray 2-4 1-1 5, Holloway 2-11 4-4 9, Tate 1-1 0-0 2, Porter 2-4 1-1 5, Rudy 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-50 15-18 55.

ST. BONAVENTURE (75)

Wright 2-4 0-0 4, Cumberbatch 4-7 3-4 12, Ndoye 9-11 10-11 28, Posley 7-19 3-4 22, Jay. Adams 1-7 5-6 7, Alston 0-2 0-0 0, Taqqee 0-2 0-1 0, Jal. Adams 0-0 1-2 1, Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Gregg 0-1 1-2 1, Dees 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 23-55 23-30 75.

Halftime—St. Bonaventure 38-22. 3-Point Goals—George Mason 2-14 (Jackson 1-4, Holloway 1-7, Edwards 0-1, Gray 0-2), St. Bonaventure 6-21 (Posley 5-13, Cumberbatch 1-2, Taqqee 0-1, Jay. Adams 0-5). Fouled Out—Holloway, Jenkins, Wright. Rebounds—George Mason 28 (Edwards 9), St. Bonaventure 41 (Ndoye 13). Assists—George Mason 12 (Edwards, Moore 3), St. Bonaventure 13 (Jay. Adams 6). Total Fouls—George Mason 24, St. Bonaventure 20. A—4,032.