ST. BONAVENTURE – With the Bonnies looking for answers and their undefeated season on the line on Saturday, they put the ball in the hands of the only man they could.

Junior Darryl Simmons II, who was there to shoot the team out of droughts against both Bradley and Siena, ran an iso, pulled up and hit the jumper to put the Bonnies up 82-80 with 28 seconds remaining.

Simmons said he knew he had to attack when he found a mismatch.

“Throughout the whole game they were icing the ball screens, so I was trying to figure out how to find the pass or attack the big so they couldn’t guard me,” Simmons II said. “I did an in-and-out because I knew the big was going to come up close to me. I wasn’t going to get a layup because he’s seven-foot — he’s going to block my shot. And God bless, it went in.”

Youngstown State senior Cris Carroll missed a three, Bonnies senior Cayden Charles hit a pair of free throws and the Bonnies survived, winning 84-80 and improving to 4-0.

It was an exciting, wild matchup with a crowd that matched the occasion — against a Youngstown State team that coach Mark Schmidt believes will make a lot of noise.

“They’re going to win a ton of games,” Schmidt said. “We knew this game was going to be a really difficult game, and it was.”

“It was a dogfight,” added Bonnies senior Amar’e Marshall.

And yet, behind their emerging stars, the Bonnies were up to the challenge.

“We didn’t play perfect. But we persevered,” Schmidt said. “We’re not going to go undefeated, but teams are going to know they’ve been in a game.”

Small-Ball Turns the Game, and Opens the Door for Marshall

Marshall spent much of the preseason injured and started the year with a limited role, but has progressively earned himself more minutes with his two-way contributions. On Saturday, he broke out.

Coming off the bench, Marshall had 17 points on 6-7 shooting, to go with five rebounds and three assists. He said that after initial struggles with missed time due to injury, he’s finding his way.

“It’s been a grind being injured, missing the first two scrimmages, then trying to come back when we started playing,” Marshall said. But it’s just playing my role, trying to support the guys however they need. I feel like it’s going well.”

On Saturday, he played much more in the second half. The Penguins had success getting to the paint playing with four guards, and forced St. Bonaventure to go small.

The Bonnies needed every one of Marshall’s field goals to stay afloat as they shot a somewhat astounding 73% from the field during the second half – offsetting the team’s turnovers and fouling on the other end. Youngstown State attempted zero free throws in the first 24 minutes of the game, and finished with 18.

Mitchell Controls the Interior

Senior Frank Mitchell finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists, hitting six of his last seven shots.

The Bonnies have known what they’ll get from him — a relentless force in the paint who wears down opponents as the game progresses.

Defensively, Marshall credited Mitchell for his stop on Carroll in the final seconds, all but sealing the game.

“We did a lot of good things on the court,” Marshall said. “Got a few stops— Frank had that big stop on the guard, didn’t switch and locked him up.”

Simmons As the Late Game Engine

Simmons II hit the game winning shot, and a couple of other big ones down the stretch, finishing with 17 points on 13 shots.

For the season, the 5’10 guard is leading the Bonnies in points per game at 19.3. When the offense breaks down late in close games, he’s proven himself to be the Bonnies’ go-to scorer.

Charles, Bowen Steady the Backcourt

Charles continued his strong first season in Division I, leading the team with 18 points, getting to the line at will and hitting eight of ten shots from the stripe. He was part of the four guard lineup that matched Youngstown State’s firepower in the second half, and he hit the game sealing free throws in the fourth quarter.

Senior Dasonte Bowen had his best game of the season so far, finishing with nine points, six rebounds and five assists, knowing when to attack while creating a stabilizing force in the midst of surrounding chaos.

As Schmidt said, the performance wasn’t perfect, and the Bonnies have plenty of room to grow. But, through a 4-0 start with three close wins, it’s clear they’re not afraid of the moment.