Box Score LITTLE ROCK - Demitrius Conger put together a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double and Ogo Adegboye added 17 points and nine assists to lead St. Bonaventure (8-5) to a 68-55 victory over the UALR men's basketball team (8-9) on Wednesday night. UALR and St. Bonaventure were tied 26-all at the half, but the Bonnies shot 60.0 percent from the field and outrebounded the Trojans by 15 (24-to-9) over the final 20 minutes.
"I thought a critical stat coming into the game would be rebound margin, as Saint Bonaventure was 0-2 on the year when they were outrebounded," said UALR head coach Steve Shields. "We were plus-five on the glass at the half, but got completely out-toughed in the second half."
Adegboye went 4-of-6 from three-point range and scored 14 points in the second half to help the Bonnies overcome a foul-plagued night by leading scorer Andrew Nicholson. The 6-9 forwarded entered the game ranked 10th in the country in scoring at 22.4 points per game, but picked up three fouls in the first half and finished with just 11 points over 20 minutes.
Freshman Chuck Guy led the Trojans with a season-high 14 points off the bench. Guy made 5-of-8 field goal attempts (2-for-4 from three-point range) and added a team-high five assists against one turnover in 28 minutes.
The Bonnies shot 55.1 percent from the field on the night to overcome a 7-of-18 effort at the foul line (38.9 percent). The Trojans, meanwhile, made just 2-of-14 from the field at the start of the game, and finished with a .400 field goal percentage. UALR also struggled at the foul line, converting just 5-of-14 free-throw attempts (35.7 percent).
"I didn't think we had good energy to start the game," added Shields. "No team, at any level, is good enough to just show up and play."
UALR closed out the first half with an 8-0 run to knot things up at 26-all at the break. Guy drew contact on a three-point attempt with 0.1 seconds left in the half and sank 2-of-3 free throws to tie the game.
SBU outshot UALR 50.0 percent to 35.5 percent in the first half, and appeared to take control of the game after a 7-0 run gave the Bonnies a 26-18 lead with 3:03 left in the half. Down by eight, the Trojans received a pair of jumpers from senior Solomon Bozeman as part of the 8-0 run to even the score at 26-all.
Nicholson ran into foul trouble in the first half and managed just two points over 11 minutes of action. The 6-9 forward picked up this third foul with 8:55 left in the half and went to the bench for the remainder of the opening stanza.
UALR's momentum did not carry over to the start of the second half, as the Bonnies ripped off a 12-2 run out of the locker room to take a 38-28 lead. Nicholson picked up his fourth foul shortly thereafter at the 15:26 mark, and the Trojans were able to rally in his absence. Bozeman scored seven points, with back-to-back three pointers, during a 9-2 run to bring UALR within two points, 39-37, with 12:59 left in the game off his second trey.
Leading 39-37, SBU's Brett Roseboro got a putback in the lane and Conger scored the Bonnies' next seven points to spark a 16-2 run for the visitors. Adegboye hit two three pointers during the run, the last of which capped off the 16-2 spurt and put the Bonnies on top, 55-39, with 7:51 left to play.
UALR cut its deficit to eight points, 57-49, off back-to-back three pointers from senior Matt Mouzy, but was unable to get any closer.
The Trojans return to action Saturday night when they host Troy at 7 p.m.
