ST. LOUIS, Mo. – St. Bonaventure's Chad Venning provided a career-high 23 points but it would not be enough to overcome host Saint Louis as the Billikens took a 78-55 decision Saturday afternoon at Chaifetz Arena.

Along with Venning's performance, Moses Flowers chipped in with a double-digit day of his own, scoring 15 points.

"It was a tough game. They had lost at UMass and were looking to rebound and we knew we needed to play really well for us to have a chance," St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt said. "I thought we got off to a really good start, but when they came back we didn't answer."

The Bonnies scored the game's first four points, but that would be a prelude to a scoreless four-minute stretch to follow.

Bona rebounded from initial cold spell, taking a 15-11 advantage.

SLU (10-6, 2-1 A-10) seized control of the game, however, with a 16-0 run and sprinted to intermission with a 39-23 advantage.

St. Bonaventure (8-8, 2-1) did not make its first trip to the foul line until the 18:37 mark of the second half after SLU pushed its lead to 18.

Venning helped guide the Bonnies back within nine with still over 12 minutes to play, but it would be as close as the Bonnies could get.

Saint Louis, buoyed by all-conference guard Yuri Collins who directed the offense with 11 points and 14 assists as well as 13 points from Gibson Jimerson.

"Collins controlled the whole game and he's the known. It was like he was playing in slow motion," Schmidt said. "We didn't get to the foul line at all; we just weren't physical. Their physicality took us out of a lot of things. They did a good job on Daryl, denying things, and on Yann, not letting him screen and pop. They did a good job scouting. We decided to get the ball into Chad in the second half, but we just didn't have it tonight. They were the better team."

SLU went 20-for-24 at the foul stripe while Bona was just 6-for-10.

Saint Louis owned the boards, 35-25, and shot 49 percent for the game.

GAME NOTES

• Venning's previous career-best of 21 points came vs. Southern Indiana at home earlier this season. Saturday marked his second career 20-point game.
• Flowers continued his recent hot stretch with his best scoring day in a Bona uniform, topping a 14-point game at Siena last month. His career high is 28 points scored in December 2019 while at Hartford in a game against St. Francis Brooklyn.
• Saint Louis held Daryl Banks III to just one point, by far his lowest scoring total in a Bonnies uniform. He had previously scored in double figures in 14 of the season's first 15 games including an average of 29.0 ppg in his first two A-10 contests.
• St. Bonaventure still owns a 16-15 all-time series advantage, but falls to 6-9 in games at SLU.

 
UP NEXT
After playing the Western-most member of the Atlantic 10 Saturday, St. Bonaventure makes the trip to the A-10's East Coast with a date at Rhode Island on Wednesday night. Tip time is slated for 7 p.m.

---------
For the latest news on St. Bonaventure athletics, stay connected on social media. Follow the Bonnies on Twitter @GoBonnies and get men's basketball updates @BonniesMBB. Keep up with the Bonnies on Facebook /GoBonnies and on Instagram @GoBonnies.