Final Score: VCU 86, St. Bonaventure 67

Location: Siegel Center – Richmond, Va.

Records: St. Bonaventure 16-14 (6-10 A-10)  |  VCU 24-7 (12-4)

Box Score (PDF) | Final Stats and Play-by-Play

The Short Story: Facing a VCU squad that had not lost on its home court this season, St. Bonaventure played valiantly on Saturday night at the Siegel Center but fell 86-67 in a game that was closer than the final margin would indicate.

The Bonnies trailed by only six points with 9:47 left before VCU began to pull away. A 13-5 run gave VCU a 75-59 lead with 4:34 remaining and the Rams went on to the win.

The Bonnies committed 24 turnovers which led to 31 points for VCU, a critical factor in the loss.

Matthew Wright led the Bonnies with 21 points, his fifth 20-point game in the last six outings. Youssou Ndoye, Charlon Kloof and Andell Cumberbatch each scored nine points.

St. Bonaventure Starters: #3 G Charlon Kloof, #24 Matthew Wright, #5 G Jordan Gathers, #33 F Marquise Simmons, #35 C Youssou Ndoye

How It Happened:

• St. Bonaventure got off to a slow start as VCU scored the first nine points of the night. Marquise Simmons was called for two fouls in the first three minutes of the game.
• Matthew Wright hit a pair of three-pointers to get the Bonnies started. He had 10 of St. Bonaventure's first 15 points while Youssou Ndoye had a pair of dunks and a free throw for the other five.
• Bonnies got to within 25-19 but the Rams closed the first half with a 10-3 run to take a 44-28 lead into the break. The Bonnies had just one field goal over the final 4:14 of the first half.
• Sparked by Charlon Kloof and solid defense, the Bonnies opened the second half with seven unanswered points to pull within 44-35.
• VCU answered with back-to-back scores to make it 48-35.
• The Rams maintained that margin for the next eight minutes before the Bonnies mounted a rally. An 8-0 run for the Bonnies capped by a tip-in by Denzel Gregg pulled them within six points at 58-52 with 9:47 left.
• It was a 60-54 game when the Bonnies committed consecutive turnovers that both led to scores and put the Rams ahead by 11.
• Ultimately, the decisive stretch was a13-5 run that gave VCU a 75-59 lead with 4:34 remaining.
• Matthew Wright led the Bonnies with 21 points, his fifth 20-point game in the last six outings. 
• St. Bonaventure shot 45 percent from the field (27-60).
• The Bonnies outrebounded VCU 37-30 with Simmons, Ndoye and Gregg each collecting five boards.

Beyond the Box Score:

• The Bonnies end the regular season with four straight losses.
• Jordan Gathers started for the first time since the Wake Forest game in December as Andell Cumberbatch went to a reserve role.
• VCU finished the season 15-0 on its home floor.
• This was just the fourth meeting between the schools.

Up Next: While it is unofficial until Sunday's announcement by the A-10, St. Bonaventure will be the No. 8 or No. 9 seed in next week's A-10 Championship Tournament and will play La Salle at noon on Thursday, March 13. The tournament will be played at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.