ALBANY, N.Y. – On a night where the Bonnies were seemingly fighting uphill throughout, it seemed as though they would finally end up on top.

Moses Flowers gave the Bonnies a lead with a long two, just beating the shot clock, igniting the St. Bonaventure fans in attendance as the clock ticked under two minutes.

Alas, it was not to be, as during an evening of back-and-forth, things swung the way of the Saints in the final minute-plus as Siena captured a 76-70 win over the St. Bonaventure men's basketball team Monday night at MVP Arena in the annual Br. Ed Coughlin Franciscan Cup battle.

Following Flowers' far corner bucket, Siena forward Jackson Stormo started an 8-0 run with a traditional three-point play.

A Siena defensive stop later, Saints star guard Javian McCollum followed with a floater in the lane for a two-possession edge with 1:12 remaining.

All nine Bona players to log minutes worked into the scoring column, led by 14 points from Moses Flowers.

Yann Farell added 13 points while Chad Venning chipped in 12.

Kyrell Luc gave the Bonnies the game's first points with a drive of the lane, but Siena ran off the next 10 to force a Bona's timeout just over four minutes in.

The Bonnies and Saints would then exchange runs for the remainder of the half.

Bona (6-6) responded with an 8-0 break to get within a bucket before Siena rattled off the next six points.

The visitors took their first lead since the opening seconds following five straight points from Yann Farell, moving ahead 27-26 following a long ball from the freshman.

Unfortunately for the Bonnies, Siena made good on five of their final six tries from the floor before the break for a 38-31 advantage after 20 minutes.

It would be the Bonnies who were on the charge to start the second half, however.

Banks sank the first five points of the stanza and Bona would knot up the score at 45-apiece following work from distance by Flowers.

Bona finally pulled back in front with 10:45 to go as Anquan Hill came flying in for a put-back, 52-51. From there, the contest was never separated by more than five points until the final 90 seconds.

Siena, led by 23 points from McCollum, moves to 6-5 with the victory.

The teams exchanged 13 lead changes and shared six ties.

Bona shot 52 percent from the floor while Siena finished at a 50 percent clip. Both teams took care of the ball as the Bonnies finished with 11 turnovers to Siena's 12. 
 
GAME NOTES

• The trophy awarded to the victor of the annual meeting between St. Bonaventure and Siena was renamed in honor of Br. Ed Coughlin, OFM, who passed away July 30, 2019, following complications from heart surgery. Coughlin earned his bachelor's degree from St. Bonaventure and returned to the University in the late 1970s, working several assignments including serving twice as director of the college's Franciscan Institute, overseeing the research program's academic course offerings and publications, and working on the summer faculty. In 1996, he was named provincial secretary of the Holy Name Province of the Order of Friars Minor. Br. Ed, as he was known across both campuses, became Siena College president in November 2014. He also served on the Board of Trustees at both institutions.
• Siena entered the day 5-5 overall on the season including two wins over Power Six programs following November victories over Florida State and Seton Hall.
• The Franciscan Cup series now stands at 7-5 with the Bonnies holding the narrow advantage in the rivalry. The schools have alternated wins since 2018 with each team defending home court in that span.
• Monday was the 475^th game on the Bonnies sidelines for head coach Mark Schmidt.
• Banks finished with 11 points.

 
UP NEXT
St. Bonaventure finishes non-conference play by traveling back to the Midwest, this time to play at Northern Iowa Thursday night. Tip time is scheduled for 7 p.m. Central / 8 p.m. Eastern.
 
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