ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – For the first time in 615 days, the St. Bonaventure men's basketball team played in front of a crowd inside the Reilly Center and the Bonnies did not disappoint, rushing past visiting Alfred, 95-54, Thursday night in exhibition action.

Ten different Bonnies broke into the scoring column while six posted double figures, led by junior college transfer Linton Brown who poured in 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, also adding eight rebounds.

Another newcomer, transfer guard Quadry Adams posted 13 points along with five assists while Osun Osunniyi added 12 points and five boards.

The nationally-ranked Bonnies shot nearly 61 percent from the floor (40-for-66) including better than 63 percent during the second half.

Alfred proved pesky in the early going as a young Bonnies lineup worked to find a rhythm during the opening minutes.

The Saxons pulled within 27-24 before a 19-0 explosion from the hosts stretched the lead to 20 with two minutes remaining in the half. During the hot stretch, the Bonnies went 7-for-8 from the floor, proving too much for the visitors.

St. Bonaventure pulled away to a 50-28 at intermission, buoyed by shooting 58 percent (21-for-36) from the field. Eight different players scored during the Bona outburst before the half as the Bonnies displayed some of their newfound depth which has excited fans throughout the offseason.

The Bonnies continued their push, scoring nine of the second half's first 11 points to extend their advantage to 59-31 and never looked back.

Bonnies head coach Mark Schmidt's son Mike posted 10 points for Alfred, adding three assists.

GAME NOTES

• Seniors Kyle Lofton and Jalen Adaway did not play as a precautionary measure following injuries in preseason practices.
• Between the 8:48 mark of the first half and the 12:09 mark of the second half, the Bonnies went on a 51-11 run, hitting 20 of 30 field goal attempts during that stretch.
• SBU's last game with fans inside the Reilly Center came on March 4, 2020, a win over Saint Joseph's which came just eight days before the pandemic sports shutdown.
• Over 2,600 people were in attendance for Thursday's game.
• Eight players made their Bonnies debuts: Adams, Brown, Abdoul Karim Coulibaly (11 points, seven rebounds), Justin Ndjock-Tadjore (eight points, five rebounds), Joryam Saizonou (seven points, two assists), Oluwasegun Durosinmi (two points), Pedro Rossi (two points) and Anouar Mellouk. 
• Mike Schmidt played 21 minutes for the Saxons while Casey Curran, son of Bonnies associate head coach Steve Curran, played nine minutes off the bench while hauling in four rebounds. 

QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH MARK SCHMIDT
"I thought it was a good start, the exhibition we play for a number of reasons: one, for my son and it's a game we want to win and we want to play everybody. Our new guys played and got their feet wet playing under the lights at the Reilly Center. There were some good things and some bad things, but some things for the young guys to use to get confidence. We shared the ball really well. As the game moved along we put things together. Give Alfred credit for coming in here and playing well."

"Kudos to the students, the place was packed. It was awesome to see the community and the stands full. We missed it and I know against Siena there will be no empty seats."

"Some guys are a little further than others. The young guys are coming along and getting better. Everybody is finding out where they are at. We will get better."

UP NEXT

• The Bonnies open the regular season Tuesday night vs. Siena at 7 p.m. Prior to the game, the Bonnies will hold a banner ceremony to honor the 2020-21 Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament champions as well as unveil the newest NCAA Tournament banner to the Reilly Center rafters. Approximately 300 tickets remain for that game, click here for tickets.

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