Box Score (pdf)
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure (1-1) scored the first six points of the game and never looked back, cruising to a 77-64 win over Arkansas-Little Rock (1-1) in the Bonnies' home-opener at the Reilly Center on Sunday.
Junior F Andrew Nicholson scored in double figures for the seventh straight game and recorded his seventh career double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds on 8-of-13 shooting from the field. Junior G Michael Davenport, who equaled his career-high 19 in the opener against Canisius on Friday, had 17 points and hauled in seven boards. Senior G Ogo Adegboye recorded a new career high with 17 points.
"The guys were disappointed in their performance on Friday (against Canisius) and I thought they came out much better, much harder and with much more energy and enthusiasm," said head coach Mark Schmidt. "We defended better, especially in the first half – getting in the gaps and taking away penetration.
"It's a testament to our guys and their ability to play defense in the half-court."
The Bonnies and Trojans will meet Jan. 5 in Little Rock to complete a same-season home-and home paring.
After SBU scored nine of the first 11 points over the first 4:12, UALR trimmed the lead to four before the host Bonnies answered with an emphatic 13-2 spurt over the next 3:41 to build a 15-point cushion with 8:14 remaining in the half. Freshman G Matthew Wright knocked down his first career 3-pointer and scored all seven of his points in the first stanza, with Nicholson draining a pair of jumpers to power the first-half run. The surge helped St. Bonaventure to a 39-25 advantage at the intermission.
Arkansas-Little Rock senior G Alex Garcia-Mendoza tied his personal best with 21 points, including 10-of-11 from the free throw line, while Eric Kibi (11) matched his career high for the second straight game. The Bonnies and Trojans will meet again Jan. 5 in Little Rock to complete a same-season home-and home paring.
St. Bonaventure opened the second half on a similar 6-0 run to push the lead to 18 points 3:02 into the final period. Kibi cut the deficit with a free throw and layup in transition five minutes in, before Nicholson -who made 9-of-10 from the line – connected on 3-of-4 from the stripe to put St. Bonaventure up 48-30 at the 12:25 mark.
Still trailing by 17 with 2:44 left, Arkansas-Little Rock trimmed the lead with free throws and a pull up triple from Matt Mouzy for the final margin.
The Bonnies begin a three-game road swing with contests at Cornell and Binghamton next weekend. St. Bonaventure visits Cleveland State Nov. 27 before returning to the RC to host Big 4 rival Buffalo.
NOTES: Brett Roseboro and Wright were the first subs into the game … St. Bonaventure University Hall of Fame member Whitey Martin was honored at the first timeout. He was recently inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame … Sunday's contest was the third meeting between the two schools and first since Nov. 25, 2004 … SBU is now 2-1 vs. UALR … the win is the fourth in a row for the Bonnies on Bob Lanier Court, where they own a record of 391-180 in 44 seasons at the RC.
