Hyland’s work ethic shows, men’s basketball takes control of A-10

Noah Fleischman, Sports Editor

An hour after sophomore guard Bones Hyland dropped 22 points and logged eight rebounds in a win over St. Bonaventure, the athlete was still putting up shots in his game shorts and undershirt.

The sound of the ball bouncing echoed through the Stuart C. Siegel Center as Hyland started with layups, transitioned to midrange jumpers and finished with a cycle of 3-point shooting. Whenever he missed a 3-pointer, he put another up from the same spot, making sure he nailed it. 

“You see great players do that, right. And you love that,” coach Mike Rhoades said of Hyland’s post-game practice session. “When your best player loves the game the most and is one of the hardest workers … that’s a good sign for your program.”

Hyland’s 22 points came on 5-of-16 shooting from the field, including 3-for-12 from beyond the arc in his 37 minutes of play in the 67-64 win. 

“He wants to play a perfect game because he loves basketball so much,” Rhoades said. “You don’t play a perfect game, but he’s always trying to get close.”

Hyland sunk two of his successful 3-pointers from deep outside the arc with ease against the Bonnies. 

Overall on the night, Hyland provided most of the 3-point offense for the black and gold as they only converted four from deep. Freshman guard Ace Baldwin added the other, connecting on one of his three attempts from long range. 

Hyland, who was coming off his first 40-minute game against Dayton on Feb. 9, was three minutes shy of repeating the full-time effort against the Bonnies. Baldwin logged 37 minutes in the victory over St. Bonaventure on Friday — a new career high for the Baltimore native.

“Me and him both, we came from high school, where we played the whole game,” Hyland said of Baldwin. “It’s really no different, honestly. Just coming out there and continuing to be aggressive each and every moment. … All we worried about is winning.”

Baldwin recorded seven points, six rebounds and four assists against the Bonnies. Junior forward Vince Williams added 11 points and nine rebounds in the contest. 

The win propelled the Rams to first place in the Atlantic 10, but that’s not the end goal for the team, Hyland said. 

“We all feel as though we can do way more honestly,” Hyland said. “It’s a great achievement, but we’re just not walking around here with happy faces. … I mean, it’s regular to us, honestly.”

The Rams host Richmond on Wednesday night at the Stuart C. Siegel Center at 7 p.m. The contest will be televised on CBS Sports Network.