By: Ryan Shannon

Make no mistake about it, Southeast Missouri State is not a good team.  In fact, they are awful.  Tonight was a good win for the Bonnies however.  The defense was suffocating, the team shot 54.5%, and the team hit 6 3-pointers, shooting 40% from behind the arc.  The Bonnies even had 18 assists.  There was one negative about this night, and that was the sloppiness of the Bonnies on offense.  21 turnovers is not acceptable, even in a 23 point win.  21 turnovers against Illinois St. equals a loss.  But thankfully against SEMO it did not. 

The Bonnies never trailed in this game, scoring the game’s first 15 points.  Chris Matthews came out on fire, scoring 11 of the team’s first 21 points.  Andrew Nicholson had a double-double by the end of the first half.  Our bench players got some great playing time tonight, giving our starters the ability to rest for the upcoming 2 games in the next 2 days.  This rest will prove important down the stretch of the BTI Classic, giving the Bonnies a freshness that Norfolk St. will not enjoy having today.  For the most part, this game went about as well as one can expect. 

What I Liked Tonight

1a. Chris Matthews.  He played exactly the way we need him to tonight.  14 points with 4-6 shooting behind the arc.  He needs to be a threat from distance for the team, and was exactly that.  In addition, Matthews had 0 turnovers.  He truly takes care of the ball well, and makes smart decisions.  Hopefully tonight’s shooting becomes more regular as the season progresses. 

1b. Andrew Nicholson. Nicholson is my favorite player to watch in the country.  A double-double in the first half?  This kid is amazing.  He also had 2 blocks tonight.  He is quickly climbing all the Bona record lists, and will be number 1 on a lot of them before his time is done.  Best stat of the night though?  26 minutes played.  He will be fresh tomorrow night, and ready to dominate again. 

3. Our Shooting.  When we weren’t turning the ball over, we played very well on the offensive end.  54.5% from the field and 40% from the 3-point line are very good numbers.  We also spread the scoring around, with three players being in double figures.  18 assists is a good indicator of how well we moved the basketball on offense. 

4. We Played Every Player Tonight.  Leaving out walkons, we played every scholarship player on our team tonight, which I bet Coach Schmidt loved.  Great job by Coach Schmidt tonight to work everybody in there and keep this team fresh. 

5. House Getting His First Points As A Bonnie.  A shoutout to House, and hoping that there are a lot more points to come.

What I Did Not Like Tonight

1. The Turnovers. Usually, turnovers are a problem for the Bonnies.  Tonight, they were especially awful at protecting the basketball.  21 turnovers against a team like SEMO indicates a lack of focus.  Hopefully that does not happen again. 

2. Free Throw Shooting.  The Bonnies shot 56.5% from the line, regressing at the free throw line and showing another sign of a lack of focus.  They have to tighten up from the free throw line and take advantage of these opportunities.  I believe tomorrow they will shoot a lot better from the line. 

Tomorrow will be a big game for the Bonnies.  If they can jump out to an early lead and rest their starters again, 3-0 in this tournament would be well within reach.  Gametime is at 9:30.  Go Bonas.