St. Bonaventure prevailed Saturday afternoon because the Bonnies took advantage of what was cheap and what was free.
The Bonnies hit most of their high-percentage shots, grabbed a 34-22 edge in the paint and connected on 20 of 24 free throws on the way to a 68-58 victory over the University of Central Arkansas before 750 spectators at the Farris Center.
"It's the little things," said UCA coach Rand Chappell, whose team fell to 6-6 going into their final nonconference game. "I was really proud that we competed hard enough to give us a chance to win. It's a matter of executing better and shooting better and doing a little better in most areas. We're getting in the battle. Now, we have to win the battle."
The Bears hit only 12 of 22 free-throw attempts and were outrebounded 45-31. They shot 33.3 percent from the field, missing several inside shots. They were playing without forward Chris Brown, who is out indefinitely with a foot injury.
"The difference was some basic things," said St. Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt. "We defended well and rebounded well and kept them out of the paint. Then, we get an eight-point advantage at the free-throw line in a 10-point victory."
The Bonnies (9-4) never trailed and led by double-digits most of the game.
The Bears, trailing 27-22 at the half, had a strong, aggressive defensive sequence during the first five minutes of the second half, drawing within 29-26 on a 3-point by Brooks Taylor with 16:10 left.
Then, the little things bit UCA bigtime.
The Bears missed on a layup attempt and a drive. The Bonnies got a garbage rebound and added a basket when Malcolm Eleby drove through the defense. UCA misfired on an open 3 and the Bonnies' Jonathan Hall got a putback. Michael Davenport beat the UCA defense for a layup and St. Bonaventure pushed the lead to 37-26 with 12:16 left.
The Bears never cut the deficit under double digits despite gaining possession and free-throw opportunities after two technical fouls on the Bonnies in the last 2:09.
"We went with a small lineup the last 12 to 13 minutes of the second half and we did a good job of breaking down their defense and taking their guys off the dribble and getting kickouts for some easy baskets," Schmidt said.
UCA's inside tandem of Brian Marks and Landrell Brewer helped hold 6-foot-9 forward Andrew Nicholson, one of the top freshmen in the country, to four points and four rebounds, finally fouling him out.
"We did a good job fronting him, but he also got a couple of big blocks that second half," Chappell said.
The Bears were within 50-39 under 8:00 when Nicholson left the game in foul trouble. His substitute, 6-10 D'Lancy Carter maneuvered for an inside basket and turned it into a three-point play. That helped the Bonnies build their lead to 17 points at its greatest margin.
Guard Mike Pouncy led the Bears with 15 points, while Mitch Rueter and Marcus Pillow added 10. Marks had 14 rebounds.
The game attracted about 25 St. Bonaventure supporters, composed of alumni in Arkansas and some who drove up from the Dallas area.
"That's one thing that's good about this job and St. Bonaventure," Schmidt said. "We have alumni who are passionate about the school and love basketball. Basketball is a big thing to us. We get a surprising amount of alumni wherever we travel."
The Bears host Haskell College on Tuesday night then begin Southland Conference play Saturday, Jan. 10 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
