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By Matt Dougherty SYRACUSE - Struggles from the field and timely shots by Syracuse doomed the Bonnies in a 76-66 loss in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament Wednesday at the Carrier Dome. The Bonnies trailed 33-26 at halftime after hitting only 9-of-30 shots in the first half. Syracuse opened up a 14-point lead at 49-35 with 12:31 left on a three-pointer by Kueth Duany. The Bonnies tried to come back, and clawed back at the Syracuse lead, cutting the deficit to 51-42 with 11:17 to play on a three-pointer by sophomore point guard Marques Green. However, Syracuse answered and a dunk by Hakim Warrick, who had six blocks, pushed the lead back to 56-42 with 9:14 left. The Bonnies chipped the lead away to eight with 5:47 left, and came within seven on another three-pointer by Green with just under five minutes to play. A three pointer by senior guard J.R. Bremer cut the lead to 64-57 with 4:19 left, but senior forward Vidal Massiah missed a three on the next possession and the Bonnies wouldn't cut the lead any closer. "If Vidal makes that shot, it's only a four-point game and anything can happen," said head coach Jan van Breda Kolff. Syracuse forward Preston Shumpert nailed a three, his fifth of the half, to start a 7-0 run that pushed the lead to 14 and ended the Bonnies hopes for a comeback. "We were supposed to be in a box and one (on the shot by Shumpert), but one player didn't communicate it," van Breda Kolff said. The Bonnies turned the ball over 20 times, a season high after averaging only 11 turnovers this season. "We've done a good job of making decisions. They get hands on the ball and got us to turn it over tonight," van Breda Kolff said. Van Breada Kolff said the Bonnies' early struggles hurt them again in this game. "Offensively we've really struggled to score early on in the game," van Breda Kolff said. "I thought we started to get to the point where we shot the ball freely." Syracuse was led by 28 points from Shumpert and a big game from Warrick, who had 14 points and 10 rebounds. "He's got huge hands, he's a great leaper, great shot blocker and finishes everything around the basket," van Breda Kolff said about Warrick. Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said, "He's got tremendous talent and works hard, and he's just learning the basics of the game." The Bonnies were led by 29 points from Bremer and 19 points from Green. "J.R. almost wills himself to score, he's got an uncanny ability to draw fouls and make tough plays," van Breda Kolff said. "He's overachieved and got the max of what he could possibly get." The Bonnies have played Syracuse a number of times before, and Boeheim said the rivalry could be renewed, though the Orangemen would not be interested in coming to Reilly Center. "A long time ago I said I wasn't going back to Olean and I haven't changed my mind," Boeheim said. Despite the loss, van Breda Kolff believed the Bonnies continued to fight hard in the game as they did all season. "We really talked about the accomplishments of this year, and try to build on the success of this year and go from there," van Breda Kolff said.
By Matt Dougherty A second-half run fell short and the Bonnies' NCAA Tournament hopes died in a 78-69 second round loss to Richmond on March 7 in the Atlantic 10 Tournament at the First Union Spectrum in Philadelphia. The Bonnies trailed 42-34 with 18:13 left in the game when Richmond ran off 14 straight points to pull away and take a commanding 56-34 lead on a basket by junior guard Reggie Brown with 12:34 left. The Bonnies used the three-point shot to cut the lead and make the game competitive. A three-pointer by sophomore guard Marques Green followed by a three from senior forward Vidal Massiah made the score 60-46 with 9:26 left. Richmond held the lead at 68-53 when the Bonnies got hot from three again. Green hit a three to make the score 68-56, and junior guard Patricio Prato followed a Richmond basket with a three-pointer to bring the Bonnies within 70-59 with 3:33 left. On the next possession, senior guard J.R. Bremer made a three-point play to bring the Bonnies within single digits for the first time since early in the half. Two free throws by Prato cut the lead to 70-64, and Bremer hit a three on the next possession to bring the Bonnies to 71-67 with 59 seconds remaining. However, the Bonnies could not come any closer and Richmond made its free throws down the stretch to produce the final margin. "We've dug holes in a lot of games recently, it's something where we wish we had the answer to," said head coach Jan van Breda Kolff. "We did a good job of coming back." Bremer said, "We got off to a bad start and we just couldn't catch up." Richmond played the same 1-3-1 defense that stifled the Bonnies in a 78-66 victory Feb. 6 at the Reilly Center. "It was kind of a strange defense they played," Green said. "They made you penetrate and kick, we just had some bad breaks and dug ourselves a hole." The Bonnies broke the A-10 Tournament record with 17 three pointers, one night after tying the record of 12 in an 81-66 win over Duquesne. The Bonnies also broke a tournament record with 44 three-point attempts. Prato and Green hit five threes apiece, while Bremer and Massiah each hit three and freshman Mike Gansey hit one. Richmond head coach John Beilein was impressed by the Bonnies' three-point prowess. "They have tremendous scoring talent," Beilein said. "It had to get to the point where we played the clock and slowed things down." Prato led the Bonnies with 19 points, while Bremer had 18, Green had 15, and Massiah had 11. Richmond shot 64.3 percent for the game, and hit 14-17 shots from the foul line and 10-22 from three-point range. Brown led the Spiders with a career-high 30 points.
Bonnies win four straight to finish Florida trip
By Tracy Nelson The baseball team opened the season at 4-2 on its annual seven-day trip to Homestead, Fla. The winning streak was extended to four games on Tuesday when the team defeated Chicago State 14-9. The team is back in action on Tuesday, March 19, for a pair of games at West Virginia. Junior pitcher Kevin Niemczura was credited with the win in 3 2/3 relief innings. While only allowing one earned run, Niemczura pitched seven strikeouts. Freshman catcher Damien Blakeley went 3-for-6, with one home run and four RBIs. Also leading the Bonnies was senior first basemen Mike Tegeler, who scored three runs and went 2-for-3 on the day. The Bonnies relied on the strong pitching of freshman Aaron DeCoursey to get past St. Peter's by a score of 9-2 Monday. DeCoursey recorded his first complete game with 15 strikeouts and allowing only one earned run for the third straight victory for the Bonnies. The team was down 2-0 going into the sixth inning until Blakeley, who finished the day 1-for-3, blasted a three-run homer giving the Bonnies the 3-2 advantage. Leading the Bonnies at the plate was junior outfielder Mike Rapacioli scoring three runs and finishing 2-for-4, and senior second baseman Mike Sedor went 3-for-5 with three singles. On Sunday, the Bonnies defeated Chicago State 6-5 in 11 innings to tally their second win in four days of play. The winning run came off a wild pitch that hit Sedor in the 11th. After reaching first, Sedor advanced on a sacrifice and a stolen base to seal the victory for the Bonnies. Senior outfielder Dan Dennison hit his second homerun of the season in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game 5-5. Dennison went 3-for-5 on the day also recording two singles and four RBI. Senior Saul Solveson started the game for the Bonnies, and was relieved by senior Corey Casilio, sophomore Nate Cameron, and Mitchell, who picked up the win by recording the final out in the 11th. In a high scoring contest on Saturday night, St. Bonaventure grabbed its first win, 12-10, over St. Peter's. The game came down to a two-out single in the ninth inning by Rapacioli, driving in junior outfielder Grege Osganian and Blakeley, to come away with the victory. Sophomore Soren Johnson picked up his first collegiate victory, striking out six and allowing only one earned run in his 3 1/3 innings of relief. The Bonnies opened their season with a 6-3 loss to Boston College last Thursday night in Florida. Mitchell was credited with the loss, while junior pitcher Kyle Johnson struck out two and gave up four runs in five innings. The Bonnies suffered their second consecutive loss on Friday to Villanova, 9-1. The only run for the Bonnies came off a homerun by Dennison in the sixth inning. The Bonnies strives to continue the success of the past eight years in which they averaged 22 wins per seasons and captured an Atlantic 10 East Division Title in 2000. Heading into his 18th season, more than anything the Bonnies have remained relatively consistent under head coach Larry Sudbrook. The staff has high hopes for the coming season. "Our goal is not only to make the A-10 Tournament, but also to advance in the tournament," Sudbrook said. "If we stay healthy and the people who should produce do produce, we will." The team returns all of its starting pitchers and lost only four players to graduation. In addition, for the first year, the A-10 Tournament expands from a four-team to a six-team playoff. The Bonnies' strength lies in their 15-man pitching staff, which did not lose any members of last year's starting rotation. They will be led by Kyle Johnson, a preseason All-American. In 2001 Johnson set a school record with a 1.88 ERA, had 57 strikeouts, and had a record of 7-2. He was also named the 2001 Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year. Also in 2001, St. Bonaventure finished third in the A-10 hitting at .319 and finished first in slugging percentage and doubles. Leading the infield this season will be three returning starters from last season's team: Tegeler at first base, Sedor at second and sophomore third baseman Eric Wilson, the school's first-ever freshman All-American in 2001. The outfield will be led by Dennison and Rapacioli. Either Osganian or junior Kevin Ryan will fill the left field position. The remainder of the starting lineup will be up to this year's freshmen. High school All-American Craig King will step in at shortstop, and Blakeley will start as catcher.
A-10 places five teams in NIT field
By Nate Dougherty The National Invitation Tournament kicked off Tuesday night with 20 games played in two days. The tournament is a chance for teams which failed to receive NCAA tournament bids to extend their seasons. The 40-team field is led by Butler, Syracuse, Ball State and Memphis, all teams which were ranked in the top 25 during the regular season. The tournament also contains five Atlantic 10 teams, the most of any conference. Richmond, St. Joseph's, Temple, Dayton, and St. Bonaventure all earned berths, with St. Bonaventure losing on Wednesday to Syracuse 76-66. On Tuesday, St. Joe's defeated George Mason 73-64 to advance to the second round where it will take on Ball St. Temple defeated Fresno State 81-75 on Wednesday night. Dayton won at Detroit on Wednesday 80-69. Richmond defeated Wagner 74-67 in overtime on Wednesday. The tournament's second round and third round games take place next week, with the semifinals and championship game set to take place on March 26 and 28 at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Xavier captures tournament title
By Matt Dougherty Xavier followed up its Atlantic 10 regular season title by capturing the A-10 Tournament title 70-63 Saturday over Richmond in Philadelphia. The Musketeers were the only A-10 team to earn an invitation to the NCAA Tournament, where they take on Hawaii in the first round today. This year marks the first time in 12 years that the conference has sent only one team to the tournament. Xavier turned a close game into a blowout over the last seven minutes, going on a 15-2 run to win its first A-10 Championship title since 1998 and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in six seasons. Point guard Lionel Chalmers led the Musketeers with 19 points and six assists while center David West had 17 points and 11 rebounds. West garnered the Most Outstanding Player of the Championship after scoring 52 points and pulling down 25 rebounds in his three tournament games. Chalmers, West, teammate Romain Sato, Richmond's Reggie Brown and LaSalle's Rasaul Butler made up the All-Tournament team. Xavier advanced to the final by defeating in-state rival Dayton 66-59 Friday in the semifinals. The game was tight in the second half, as the lead changed hands three times before Xavier went up 48-46 on a Chalmers layup with 9:11 left. The Musketeers would not trail the rest of the way, as West scored 11 points down the stretch to lead Xavier to victory. Richmond advanced to the final by beating La Salle 68-60 in Friday's other semifinal. Brown led the Spiders with 20 points, while Myers had 18. In the quarterfinal round March 7, Xavier defeated Massachusetts 65-58 in overtime, Dayton beat St. Joseph's 81-74, LaSalle upset Temple 72-66 and Richmond defeated St. Bonaventure 78-69 (see story above). In the first round March 6, UMass beat George Washington 73-62, Dayton knocked off Rhode Island 90-71, LaSalle won 83-63 over Fordham and St. Bonaventure defeated Duquesne 81-66.
Minutemen forced to drop seven sports
By Jesse Fleming Atlantic 10 member Massachusetts had to eliminate seven of its intercollegiate sports due to fiscal constraints and to stay in compliance with Title IX, according to a UMass athletic department press release. Title IX, which went into effect in 1976, requires that colleges and universities give an equal amount of funding to both men's and women's athletic sports. The cuts will allow the university to reallocate some scholarship funds, according to the press release. The seven sports eliminated include women's volleyball, men's and women's water polo, men's and women's gymnastics, men's tennis, and men's indoor track and field. Twenty-two sports will remain funded by the university, well over the national average of 18. "Given the financial situation in the commonwealth and a budget cut of nearly $17 million to the campus in the current fiscal year, we had to make this regrettable move," said Marcellette G. Williams, school Chancellor. The university's athletic director Robert K. Marcum said that the budget of the seven sports is approximately $1.1 million per year. Four full-time head coaches will be eliminated along with two full-time assistant coaches, and four part-time assistant coaches. "Our charge has been to build a top rate Division I athletic program for the commonwealth," Marcum said. "The resources made available by the university, the Board of Trustees and the state, have enabled us to fulfill that charge both academically and athletically. Due to the current budgetary crisis that the state and the university are facing, we received a mandate from the university to reduce the program," he said. "We regret the necessity of making this announcement. This decision in no way reflects on the dedication, passion, and abilities of the many people who have contributed to these sports over the years.
Colgate defeats SBU tennis teams
By Jesse Fleming Despite wins by junior Vili Nurmi and freshman Mario Arce, the men's tennis team fell to the Colgate Red Raiders 4-3 Saturday, while the women's team was swept 7-0 by Colgate. The men drop to 9-5 overall with a 3-0 Atlantic 10 mark. "Colgate was a very good team, they beat Army earlier in the year (a team the Bonnies loss to), and we knew going in that we would have to play well to pull out a win," said head coach Michael Bates. Nurmi gained a 6-3, 7-6 victory over Eric Saccullo at No. 2 singles. Arce continued his hot play with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over JP Johnson at No. 3 singles. Arce is currently ranked 135th in the nation. The No. 1 doubles team of Nurmi and Arce collected an 8-5 victory against Saccullo and Evan Ambrose. The Bonnies No. 2 doubles tandem of sophomore Mikko Haulos and freshman Nikhil Murali earned an 8-5 win over Reed Hagmann and JP Johnson. After the singles wins by Nurmi and Arce and the two doubles wins, the Bonnies held a 3-1 lead in the match. The Bonnies squandered the lead, losing the final three singles matches. Murali lost at No. 4 singles to Ambrose 6-3, 7-5. Freshmen Adam Price and Kevin MacDonald were responsible for the other two losses. "The consistency and mental toughness is not there yet for the young guys," Bates said. The team faces Western Michigan at home Saturday. "Western Michigan is a very good team, they were Mid-American Conference champions last year and they went to the NCAA's," Bates said. The loss for the women's team continues a season long struggle. "Colgate was a better team than Akron (5-2 winner's over the Bonnies two weeks ago)," said Bates. Senior Johanna Pesola lost a three-set heartbreaker to Marissa Alikpala 6-1, 2-6, 6-1 at No. 1 singles for the Bonnies. "Johanna just needs one good match to get over the hump," said Bates. "Everyone she plays against is a good player, but she is playing better," he said. The team travels to Pittsburgh next Saturday for an 11 a.m. match. "Pittsburgh is a pretty decent team. They've beat us the last two years, it should be another good match. We don't have too many easy matches coming up," Bates said.
By John Salzler The women's lacrosse team continued its losing streak last weekend as it lost to Ohio State 18-1 and Ohio 11-6. Saturday, in the Bonnies loss to Ohio St., junior midfielder Emily Lilyea scored the lone St. Bonaventure goal. Junior goalkeeper Katy Jensen had three saves and gave up 14 goals in 36 minutes. Freshman goalkeeper Krystal Winchek played the final 23 minutes and had one save while allowing four goals. Sunday, in the Bonnies loss to Ohio University sophomore midfielder Katie Murphy scored three goals. Freshman midfielder Kelly Chavez, sophomore midfieler Laura Spaulding, and sophomore midfielder Colleen Crane each had a goal for the Bonnies. Crane scored the last goal of the game. The Bobcats opened the game with two goals in the first 1:06 of the game. Murphy scored the only two goals in the first half. The Bonnies went into halftime only down 5-2, but Ohio opened the second half with four goals in a span of a 1:20. At the end of the game the Bobcats went on another four-goal run to secure the win. The Bonnies play next at Canisuis on Wednesday March 20th. Head coach Tony Zostant believes that the team should be 2-1 instead of 0-3. "We outshot Colgate 30-18 but lost 9-8, and we outshot Ohio 39-21 but lost 11-6. It's just a matter of scoring goals; we are working hard. Now we have to get these losses behind us and we have a week to get focused and ready for Canisius." Even though the Bonnies have dropped three straight games to open the season, captains Lilyea and sophomore Chelsea DiNallo feel that the team is improving. "I feel that the team is rebuilding, but we are learning from our mistakes," said Lilyea. "I also feel we need to improve on finishing and making smarter shot selections." DiNallo said, "I feel we are coming together as a team but we need to improve on communicating with each other when we are on defense. I feel as the season goes on we will continue to improve and get better."
By Nate Dougherty Duke versus North Carolina. Indiana versus Purdue. What would college basketball be without these great rivalries to spark interest? The familiarity of two teams meeting year in and year out, the passion of the fans who rise up for the "big game" against the hated rival, added with a close proximity between two teams and it has all the makings of a great college basketball rivalry. Believe it or not, Syracuse and St. Bonaventure created a new chapter in a long dormant rivalry with Wednesday night's National Invitation Tournament game. The game marked the 22nd meeting between the two teams with Syracuse holding a commanding 19-3 lead in the series. From 1974 - 1983 the two teams met 14 times, including four times in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, the equivalent to the Atlantic-10 postseason tournament today. St. Bonaventure aptly plays the part of the underdog in the series. Syracuse is the "big program" school with three NCAA finals and 18 other appearances. St. Bonaventure's program has as many NCAA appearances in their entire history as Syracuse has in the past decade and only one finals appearance, a feat that Bonnies' fans still take pride in today. Syracuse's basketball history has produced four National Players of the Year, 30 All-Americans, eight freshmen All-Americans, is filled with countless All-Americans and sends players to the NBA frequently. St. Bonaventure's short list of alums with meaningful NBA careers starts and ends at Bob Lanier. The last time that the Bonnies' beat the Orangemen was a 74-71 victory in 1981. Sure, these numbers may not appear to add up to a great rivalry, but keep in mind that the Bonnies' are 6-39 against current rival Temple, including 0-for-eternity in games played at Temple. At the height of the St. Bonaventure-Syracuse rivalry in the 1970's the teams played many close contests. In 1978 the then Brown Indians avenged a 107-81 regular season loss to Syracuse by defeating the Orangemen 70-69 in the ECAC tournament. The game between the Bonnies' and the Orangemen could be the beginning of renewed rivalry between the two teams. Who wouldn't want to see these two teams face off every season? They've already got all the makings of a great rivalry. Both teams enjoy the support of rabid fans and virtually share a Western New York backyard. Syracuse fans know the importance and the excitement of the "big game." Every game Bonnies' fans attend at the Reilly Center is treated as a "big game." Many Bonnies' fans are Western and Central New Yorkers who are also fans of Syracuse, and names like Shumpert and Duany are as familiar to them as Bremer and Green. Sure, the game Wednesday may have been a little one-sided, but it's great to see the revival of what was once a great rivalry.
Damien Blakeley Year: Freshman Sport: Baseball This week: Blakeley went 3- for -6 with a home-run and four RBI's in the Bonnies 14-9 victory over Chicago State. Earlier in the week his three- run homer powered St. Bonaventure to a 9-2 victory over St. Peter's.
Baseball Tues.-Wed. at West Virginia 5 p.m./3 p.m. Softball (all in Blacksburg, Va.) Fri. vs. Hartford 11 a.m. Fri. vs. Canisius 3 p.m. Sat. vs. Akron 11 a.m. Sat. vs. Stony Brook 1 p.m. Sun. vs. Virginia Tech. 3 p.m. Lacrosse Wed. at Canisius 6 p.m. Men's tennis Sat. WESTERN MICHIGAN 9 a.m. Women's tennis Sat. at Pittsburgh 1 p.m
135 The current national ranking of St. Bonaventure freshman tennis player Mario Arce according to the Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings.
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