ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The St. Bonaventure University men's basketball team began the second half of Wednesday's night game on a 15-2 run which propelled the Bonnies to a 76-48 victory against Alfred in the traditional exhibition game at the Reilly Center.
 
Fans were treated to a new era of Bonnies basketball as a plethora of new faces suited up on the Reilly Center floor for the first time. 
 
One of the newcomers to the Brown and White who brings high-level experience to the program after a thrilling run in the NCAA Tournament last spring is redshirt junior Daryl Banks III who led all scorers Wednesday with 18 points on 5-13 shooting from the field, adding seven assists in his first game in a Bonnies' jersey.
 
The Saxons played St. Bonaventure tough in Wednesday's exhibition, ending the first half only down by nine points. Both teams completed the first 20 minutes of play shooting around 37 percent from the field.
 
Alfred was able to cut the Bona lead to four points, 28-24, with 3:18 left in the first frame, until sophomore Kyrell Luc ignited the home squad.
 
Luc capitalized from a Bonaventure full court press with a steal, which led to him knocking down a three-pointer off a feed from Banks.
 
The Dorchester, Mass. native, a transfer from Holy Cross who was the 2022 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, ended the first half by scoring the last seven points. Those tallies included a three-pointer, a driving layup, and a couple made free throws.
 
Luc finished the night with 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 behind the arc. He dished out four helpers and made his presence known on the defensive side of the ball, collecting five steals.
 
St. Bonaventure recorded 21 total steals compared to Alfred's two, which helped the Bonnies score 24 points off turnovers.
 
Freshman Yann Farell tallied a double-double in his first collegiate action, scoring 10 points and coming down with 11 rebounds.
 
Fellow freshman Barry Evans notched 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field while pulling down eight rebounds.
 
Farell and Evans' efforts on the glass helped the Bonnies edge the Saxons in the rebound category, 40-35.
 
Sophomore Anquan Hill, who is another new face for Bona's, was able to show off his length by contributing four steals in the game. Banks (three steals), Farell (two steals), Evans (two steals), and Anouar Mellouk (two steals) also had active hands for the Bonnies on the defensive end.
 
Brewster Marshall led the Saxons with eight points and five rebounds, while Kevin Durkin and Adam Enders each added seven points.
 
Familiar names made up the Alfred lineup as Mike Schmidt, son of Bona's head coach Mark Schmidt, tallied four points and four assists. Casey Curran, son of SBU associate head coach Steve Curran, recorded two points and four rebounds. Casey's younger brother Tyler made his Bonnies debut with a bucket, an assist and a steal as well. 
 
St. Bonaventure has now won the last five matchups in the annual exhibition against Alfred that dates back to 2016.
 
The Bonnies will begin the regular season in the Reilly Center with a matchup against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Monday, Nov. 7. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
 
 
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