Sophomore Melquan Bolding drilled a 3-point basket with 3.4 seconds remaining to lift Duquesne over visiting St. Bonaventure 70-69 on Saturday. Bolding was the third highest scorer for the Dukes on the night, draining 14 points.
Junior forward Damian Saunders and sophomore guard Eric Evans scored 15 points apiece to pace the Dukes. Saunders was injured with 10:56 to go, but returned to the game to assist the game-winning bucket, also leading the Dukes with nine boards.
Defense was important for the Dukes throughout the game, as they forced 16 turnovers, and junior Bill Clark took a charge down the stretch that gave the ball back to the Dukes with 40.2 remaining, who were down a field goal. Clark, a junior, also added 10 points in 23 minutes.
Duquesne was up 15 with seconds left in the first half, but the Bonnies battled back to make the game close in the final moments.
Sophomore Andrew Nicholson led St. Bonaventure with 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting, and guard Chris Matthews also scored 14 points and had three assists.
Wilderness leads 49ers
Junior An’Juan Wilderness hit a runner in the lane as the clock ran out to lead Charlotte over La Salle, 84-82 on Saturday. Forward Shamari Spears led the 49ers in scoring with 22 points, while freshman Chris Braswell contributed 21 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Guard Derrio Green added 20 points and seven assists in the victory.
The last time the 49ers had three 20-point scorers in one game was against Massachusetts in 2005. Senior Rodney Green led all scorers with 32 for La Salle.
The victory was the third straight in league play for Charlotte, who is now 5-1 all-time versus La Salle. The 49ers have already surpassed last year’s win total (14), tripled their road wins from the previous season, and avenged losses over St. Bonaventure, Saint Louis, Richmond, and the Explorers. They also defeated Louisville on the road when the Cardinals were ranked No. 18 in the country.
Owls route Rams
A group effort led No. 15 Temple over Fordham 62-45. Guard Juan Fernandez led the Owls with 13 points on 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range. Sophomore Scottie Randall added 12 points off the bench, while Ryan Brooks and Michael Eric contributed nine points apiece.
The Owls kept the ball under control throughout the contest, committing only seven turnovers in the game, shooting well from beyond the arc, posting a 42.9 percent shooting percentage.
After a slow start that saw them shoot 28 percent in the first half, Temple opened the second half with a 16-4 run that sealed the victory, keyed by two 3-pointers from Fernandez.
Temple has won 13 of their last 14 games, and is the only team left unbeaten in A-10 play. Their 17-3 mark is their best since 1993-94.
This is the sixth straight week that Temple has been nationally ranked.
Ben Lambert can be reached at [email protected]
