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ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — Led by four players in double figures and another 50 percent night from the field, the St. Bonaventure men's basketball team defeated a feisty Le Moyne club, 76-65, on Thursday night at the Reilly Center.

The win snaps a two-game losing streak and moves the Bonnies' record to 5-3 on the season. The loss is the second in three days for the Dolphins, a member of the Northeast-10 Conference, and drops their record to 5-4.

"It was a good win for us. It was a good bounce back from the Mississippi State game," said head coach Mark Schmidt. "It was a tough game for us. We knew Le Moyne was good and the big kid was really good. I think we got off to a good start, especially with Chris's threes. We made shots when we needed to, but give them credit. They are feisty and they are a good team and I can see how they had success against Syracuse."

The Brown and White's parade of double-digit scorers was led by sophomore Andrew Nicholson, who finished with 18 points on 9-of-14 from the field. Nicholson's solid offensive night helped the Bonnies shoot over 50 percent (32-61) for the sixth time this season.

Senior Chris Matthews contributed 16 points on the strength of four three-pointers over a game-high 38 minutes. Senior Jonathan Hall scored 12 points despite battling foul trouble. Sophomore Michael Davenport had a solid all-around game in his second career start, going for 10 points, five rebounds and a game-high six assists.

After being held to a combined 17 points in their last game at Mississippi State, the previously mentioned quartet of double figure scorers combined for 56 points tonight. The foursome entered the game as team's top four scorers.

St. Bonaventure's distinct advantage in the game came in the turnover department where it forced Le Moyne into 19 giveaways that led to 27 points. On the flipside, the Bonnies committed a season-low nine turnovers while breaking the 20-assist mark for the second time this season with 21 helpers.

“We didn't shoot great from threes, but I thought we were unselfish,” Schmidt said. “We made the extra pass and I thought we attacked the zone relatively well. Four guys in double figures is good for us. We need that balanced scoring.”

Senior forward and Preseason All-American Laurence Ekperigin gave Nicholson and the Bona big men fits all night as he finished with his seventh double-double of the season. Ekperigin went for game-highs of 26 points and 14 rebounds. Guard Damani Corbin helped contributed to Le Moyne's 35-26 advantage on the glass with 11 rebounds of his own. The 6-foot-1 guard also scored 21 points and handed out five assists.

It was the Chris Matthews show early on, as the senior drilled a trio of three-pointers to help the Bonnies take a 13-6 lead by the first media timeout.

Le Moyne fought of the quick barrage of three-pointers and refused to let the Bona advantage grow to double-digits, cutting the score to 21-17 with 9:09 remaining in the half.

From that point on, the big men from each team took over for periods of time, starting with a 14-4 run that was fueled by the inside game of Nicholson. The Mississauga, Ontario product produced 10 of his 12 points in the half during the run, including eight straight on a pair of dunks and jump hooks. The end result of the biggest run of the half for either team was a 35-21 St. Bonaventure advantage by the 4:54 mark.

The final four minutes of the half belonged to Ekperigin, who scored seven of the final nine points of the half for the Dolphins. Ekperigin got Le Moyne within single-digits, 41-32, at the break.

Both teams scored over 20 points in paint over the opening 20 minutes, led by Nicholson's 12 points and Ekperigin's 15 points and nine rebounds. St. Bonaventure's edge in the first half came off 11 Le Moyne turnovers that led to 14 points.

Just like the first half, Matthews began the second stanza with a three-pointer to jump start a 7-2 run over the opening 1:53 that gave the Bonnies a 48-34 lead. Another dunk by Nicholson and a couple of mid-range jumpers from Davenport helped the Brown and White balloon the lead to 56-40 with 13:15 to play.

The double-digit lead was there to stay, as the closest margin in the second half came when the final horn sounded.

St. Bonaventure will be back in action in less than 48 hours when it takes on Savannah State at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12, on Bob Lanier Court. The game is part of a doubleheader with the unbeaten women's basketball team (9-0), who will host Bowling Green at 1:30 p.m.