ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – Just 15 games into his St. Bonaventure career, Daryl Banks III has already produced multiple memorable Reilly Center moments.
Less than a week ago, he drained 31 points in his Atlantic 10 debut and already has a 34-point effort under his belt as well.

Wednesday night, though, might stand out as his true Reilly Center moment.

With under a minute to play and a double-digit lead a thing of the past as visiting George Mason closed within a point, Banks brought The RC to a fever pitch with a step-back three as the shot clock ticked down for a 73-67 lead and 46 seconds remaining.

That shot highlighted a 27-point effort for the redshirt junior as the Bonnies moved to 2-0 in A-10 play with a 73-67 victory.

It also gave the Bonnies (8-7, 2-0) some breathing room after a nearly four-minute scoreless stretch allowed the Patriots (9-6, 1-1) to claw their way back from 10 down to a 68-67 score with two minutes to go.

In the end, Bona had just enough defense and Banks magic to prevail.

"We played really well," St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt said. "We're trying to figure it out, and we had some breakdowns and things we need to fix, but the effort was exceptional."

In addition to Banks' offensive fireworks (8-for-14 FG, 6-11 from 3), Kyrell Luc recorded a double-double of 10 points and 10 assists with just one turnover. Moses Flowers again gave the team a spark off the bench with 12 points and Chad Venning finished with eight points, nine rebounds and three blocks.

It was a sluggish start for the Bona offense, working the first three and a half minutes without a bucket before Banks snapped a 7-0 Patriots start.

The Bonnies took their first lead of the day at the 9:19 mark following a straight-away three ball from Anouar Mellouk, but a Mason 9-0 sprint followed.

Banks caught fire before the half, though, scoring 16 points by the break and sparking a 16-4 run from the hosts to take a 33-29 advantage to intermission.

Bona's lead grew to double digits following a traditional three-point play from Anquan Hill with 10 minutes left, but George Mason, winners of seven of its last eight entering the night, continued to hang around.

Never separated by more than eight points following Hill's bucket and a Mason answer on the next trip, the visitors closed to 65-64 following a turnaround jumper by Victor Bailey Jr. with 2:53 left. Banks responded with a 3-ball on the other end, however, for another four-point spread.

Mason got back within 68-67 before reigning A-10 Rookie of the Week Yann Farell made his only bucket of the night a big one, sinking a pull-up jump shot as the shot clock neared its buzzer with 1:43 to go. Banks would then put the game on ice, but only after two empty offensive trips from the Patriots.

For the night, the Bonnies shot 53 percent overall and held a 28-20 advantage in the paint despite the presence of All-Conference forward Josh Oduro who finished with 14 points and five assists. Bailey paced the Patriots with 21 points.

"Good players need to make those plays. You can diagram stuff, but when the play breaks down, they need to make their own stuff. Both Daryl and Kyrell can do that," Schmidt said. "That's what you have to have at this level."
 
GAME NOTES

• Banks turned in his fourth 20-point effort of the year and has his first two back-to-back such performances as a Bonnie.
• Luc had both his first career double-double and a new personal best in assists, besting his previous high of nine earlier this year. Wednesday was his 46^th career game.
• Banks is the first Bonnies player to score at least 25 points in consecutive games since Jaren Holmes did so back-to-back in January 2021.
• Bona's improved to 12-4 all-time vs. George Mason and avenged a loss in Fairfax last year.
• The Bonnies are 2-0 to start A-10 play for the second consecutive year and eighth time in program history.
• Anquan Hill had a team-best +/- rating of +15 in 16 minutes off the bench.
• The Bonnies finished with 17 assists on 27 made field goals. The hosts also had 17 fast-break points to none from the Patriots.
• Bona's bench turned in a second straight 20-point showing, this time with a season-high 22 points.

UP NEXT
St. Bonaventure will try to keep its momentum going as it hits the road for the first time in conference, playing at Saint Louis Saturday afternoon. Tip time is scheduled for 4 p.m. Eastern / 3 p.m. Central.
 
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