CHARLESTON, S.C. – What a week to remember in Charleston.
Following a run of outstanding efforts and amazing fan support that captured the attention of the nation, St. Bonaventure earned the Charleston Classic championship in convincing fashion over Marquette Sunday night in TD Arena, 70-54.
Against a red-hot Marquette squad which had won five in a row, including an upset of No. 10 Illinois to start the week before dispatching Ole Miss and West Virginia in Charleston, the Bonnies were at their best.
No. 22/24 St. Bonaventure (5-0) stifled Marquette offensively after the Golden Eagles entered the day averaging 78 points per game over their first five contests.
Kyle Lofton was named the tournament Most Valuable Player after posting 12 points, four assists and two steals.
Jaren Holmes was excellent again as well, joining Lofton on the All-Tournament Team with his second double-double of the week: 19 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.
Osun Osunniyi was dominant in the post, finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.
Unlike their first two games of the week where they needed to rally in the second half, the Bonnies played an excellent first 20 minutes.
After a back-and-forth opening 12 minutes, the Bonnies employed an 8-0 run for a 21-15 advantage, forcing a Marquette timeout.
Later in the stanza, the Bonnies held Marquette without a point for a four-minute stretch that allowed the Bona lead to grow to 10. The Golden Eagles got a bucket before intermission to send the clubs to the break with SBU in possession of a 33-25 edge.
St. Bonaventure put the momentum into overdrive immediately after halftime, sprinting out to a 45-26 cushion while the Marquette cold spell extended.
By then, the Bonnies defense was in full lockdown mode. Marquette could not find a field goal for nearly eight minutes to begin the second half, watching the Bonnies build a 22-point advantage.
Marquette could never gather any traction against the Bonnies defense after playing their fourth game of the week. The Golden Eagles starting backcourt finished without a single made field goal as they struggled to reach 30 points until the clock clicked under 10 minutes to play.
Marquette was limited to just 30 percent from the floor after halftime and 22 percent from distance while committing 17 turnovers against the Bona defense.
Jalen Adaway helped orchestrate the surge at the start of the second half for St. Bonaventure, finishing with 14 points.
GAME NOTES
- The victory represents head coach Mark Schmidt's 250th win with St. Bonaventure.
- Marquette went 0-for-8 from the floor to open the second half and began the game 11-for-40 overall.
- Marquette was averaging over 44 percent from the floor for the season prior to Sunday, but finished at 30 percent (17-56) vs. the Bonnies.
- SBU owned a 40-36 edge on the boards and a massive 50-18 advantage in points in the paint.
- St. Bonaventure scored its first win over a Big East team since winning at St. John's Dec. 7, 2010, 67-66. The Bonnies defeated members of the ACC, Big East and Mountain West to claim the Charleston Classic crown this week.
- The Bonnies have won championships in each of their last two regular season tournaments. Bona clinched the Boca Beach Classic title in December 2019.
- St. Bonaventure is the second Atlantic 10 team to win the Charleston Classic championship, joining UMass in 2013. The Bonnies are just the second non-Power 6 conference team to win the Charleston Classic title; the tournament began in 2008.
UP NEXT
The Bonnies return home to the Reilly Center to play host to Northern Iowa Saturday. Game time is set for 2 p.m. and tickets are available at GoBonnies.com/Tickets.
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