ITHACA, N.Y. – Demitrius Conger recorded career-highs of 22 points and 14 rebounds, Andrew Nicholson booked his second double-double in as many nights with 19 points and 10 boards, and St. Bonaventure (2-1) overcame an 11-point second half deficit with a 13-2 run to defeat host Cornell, 56-52, Friday night at Newman Arena.
Conger's 3-pointer with just 47 seconds left turned a two-point Cornell (2-2) advantage into a lead the Bonnies would not relinquish. The sophomore Brooklyn, N.Y. native was a perfect
2-for-2 from behind the arc, while the rest of the team combined to go 0-for-9.
"I was talking to coach and he was telling me to be more aggressive, so that's what I tried to do tonight," said Conger. "I just wanted to get the win."
Cornell guard Chris Wroblewski drained six threes and finished with a game-high 25 points and five assists – including one on a 3-pointer to backcourt mate Max Groebe that put the Big Red up 11 at the 11:32 mark of the final stanza.
From there though, the Bonnies got to the free throw line to help snap Cornell's 12-game home win streak despite shooting a woeful 32 percent (8-of-25) from the field in the second half. St. Bonaventure had a plus-20 (48-28) advantage on the glass, but Cornell's lights out shooting (12-of-26) from deep kept it close.
Davenport – who finished 7-of-8 from the stripe- converted a pair of pair of free throws to cap off the comeback and give the Bonnies their first lead, 45-44, since the 15:28 mark of the first half.
Cornell responded with a quick spurt to take a four point lead, 51-47, on Drew Ferry's triple, but St. Bonaventure answered right back with a Nicholson jumper and Conger's decisive three.
The Bona lead grew to as many as four, before Groebe hit another trifecta with seven ticks left. Nicholson hit the front end of a pair of free throws and Wroblewski's look at a game-winning three went wide to lift St. Bonaventure to its first victory against Cornell since Dec. 6, 1977.
"It's good for our guys to see that what we preach as coaches – from a defensive and a rebounding standpoint – that if they do it, then good things happen and we have a chance," said Bonnies coach Mark Schmidt.
"You stress it all the time and sometimes it goes in one ear and out the other. But when you experience it and they say 'man our offense was horrible' you see that we won because we defended and rebounded."
The Bonnies scored the game's first five points before Wroblewski hit from distance on three straight possessions to make it 9-5. Ferry ended the 19-4 run with another three at the 9:31 mark to push the Big Red advantage to 10 at 19-9. St. Bonaventure ended the half on a 12-4 run – highlighted by Conger's other triple – to take a 28-26 deficit into the break.
Conger's layup tied the game at 28 to open the second half but more threes from Wroblewski and Groebe gave Cornell an 11-point cushion following a 14-3 run that spanned 8:28 of the second half.
The Bonnies return to action Sunday against Binghamton in the second of three straight road games.
NOTES: Wroblewski was in the Big Red lineup for the second straight game after missing the team's first two games with an ankle injury … sophomore F Marquise Simmons missed his third straight contest with a hand injury … Wright and Roseboro were the first off the bench for the second straight game … SBU was 3-11 in its last 14 road games going in … Cornell is now 25-2 in its last 27 games at Newman Arena … the Bonnies blocked a season-high six shots including a rejection by senior G Ogo Adegboye on a game-tying jumper with 16 seconds left.
