ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – For a senior class as celebrated and successful as the St. Bonaventure men's basketball Class of 2022, there was really only one way for this group to finish their Senior Night.

With a win.

The Bonnies did just that, getting past Richmond, 72-65 in front of another national TV audience. By taking care of business, Bona's allowed for some extra celebration during the post-game senior festivities with a few more very big accomplishments as well.

First and foremost, the Bonnies secured the No. 4 seed and a double-bye in the upcoming Atlantic 10 Tournament. Friday's win also gave this group something it had never previously achieved, due in large part to pandemic cancellations: a 20-win campaign.

And, in the category of yet another personal milestone from Bona's amazing group of seniors, Osun Osunniyi set the program's all-time career blocks record with his 290^th swat.

"It was a special night to honor a special group," St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt said. "Twenty wins is the magical number. We wanted to win it outright and get in the top four based on what we did here tonight. We didn't want to sneak in or go in the back door, we wanted to do it ourselves."

All 72 points came from Bona's senior starters, led by another 20-point performance from Jalen Adaway who posted 21 points and seven rebounds. Osunniyi logged 16 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals on his night for history.

Kyle Lofton posted 15 points and three assists; Jaren Holmes delivered 13 points and four steals; Dominick Welch finished with seven points.

St. Bonaventure completes the regular season at 20-8 overall including a 12-5 mark in A-10 action, evening the season series with a Richmond squad that settles into the No. 6 spot in the tournament bracket at 19-12, 10-8.

Each member of the Bonnies senior class has the option to return for a fifth season, thanks to the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA to all players following the pandemic. The talk of the future can be curbed until after the postseason, though, and for Friday night it was all about celebrating the past and the present.

When the Bonnies emptied the bench in the waning seconds, one by one the seniors kissed the Bonnies logo at mid-court and each player waved to a crowd showing its appreciation for four unforgettable seasons.

A fitting finish at home for a group that will forever live as one of Bonaventure's best. 

Consider some of the accomplishments: 2021 Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament championships, a feat never before seen in program history, the first national ranking since 1971, a conference winning percentage of better than 68 percent, and a conference runner-up finish in 2019. 

Buoyed by the return of Osunniyi, who missed the last game due to ankle injury, the Bonnies started out hot, opening the game on a 7-0 run.

The first half was the definition of back-and-forth as each team took seven leads and shared 11 ties. Despite clearly playing through pain, Osunniyi sent the teams to halftime tied, 35-35, with his dunk in the final seconds.

Osunniyi wrote his name atop the Bonnies blocks chart by officially becoming St. Bonaventure's King of Swat after registering his 290^th denial with 13:17 left in the game, blocking an attempt from Grant Golden in a matchup between two of the A-10's best big men in recent memory. 

Richmond led in the early going of the second half, though never by more than three. Back-to-back buckets from Adaway brought the crowd to a fever pitch as the Bonnies pulled ahead, 55-52, with nine minutes left.

The Spiders would score the next four, however, before an Adaway three-ball sparked a game-changing 10-0 run from the home squad.

Richmond got back within 65-58, but Holmes ceased the Spiders rally with a drive to the bucket and a nine-point lead with 2:45 left.

The Bonnies never relinquished control.

Tyler Burton paced the Spiders with 21 points and eight rebounds. 

GAME NOTES

• Osunniyi broke the career blocks record held for the past 22 years by Caswell Cyrus, '00. Osunniyi posted his 56^th career game of three or more blocks.
• Only the graduating classes of 2019 (86), 2018 (86) and 1980 (80) own more victories than this year's group.
• Each member of the Bonnies senior class has one year of eligibility remaining due to COVID-19 if they elect to use it. 
• The Bonnies secured their seventh straight season of finishing top-5 in the final A-10 standings.
• St. Bonaventure's senior class broke a tie with the Class of 2016 for victories with their 73^rd in Bonnies uniforms. Bona's seniors are now 73-41 overall and 51-23 against Atlantic 10 competition.   
• SBU shot 54 percent from the floor (30-55) including 60 percent during the second half (15-25).
• Bona's finishes the year 13-2 at home, winning their last six at The RC. Bona's seniors compiled a 39-13 home record. 
• The two teams exchanged 14 lead changes and 14 ties on the evening. 

UP NEXT
The Bonnies will play in the Atlantic 10 Tournament in Washington, D.C. next week. The official bracket will be released Saturday night.