BROOKLYN, N.Y. – In recent seasons, St. Bonaventure has been at its best against the biggest schools under the brightest lights.

That trait remained true Thursday night in Barclays Center as the Bonnies held off Oklahoma State, 66-64, in the first round of the Legends Classic.

The triumph gives the Bonnies seven wins in their last 10 games against Power 6 opponents and they have won nine straight games in multiple-team events dating back to 2019.

From the start, it was apparent Thursday's game was destined to come down to the wire.

And it would be a memorable finish – as the Bonnies led by a bucket and the clock expired, an attempt at a game-winning step-back three from Oklahoma State's Javon Small hit nearly every part of the rim before going around and out to allow the Bonnies to escape with another big win.

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— Bonnies Men's Basketball (@BonniesMBB) November 17, 2023

Oklahoma State (1-2) opened the night on a 10-2 run, but the Bonnies counterpunched by making five straight from the floor to begin a 26-10 break for a six-point lead late in the first.

The Cowboys responded with the next seven, but the Bonnies would press ahead by one, 30-29, at intermission.

The Bonnies (2-1) led by four, 35-31, as the second half got underway, but the Cowboys would turn the tide again on a 14-0 sprint that seemingly put the Oklahomans in control, 45-37, as the clock ticked down to 12 minutes.

To compound matters, Bonnies starting center Chad Venning was forced to the bench with three fouls while his backup, Noel Brown, as well as Charles Pride each battled their own foul trouble. The Bonnies already entered the game having a short bench with both Kyrell Luc and Moses Flowers inactive with ankle injuries.

The adversity didn't slow the Bonnies, however, as they answered back with an emphatic 14-1 run to pull ahead once more, 49-46.

Just as it seemed the Bonnies would surge ahead by a comfortable margin, they were slowed again when both Venning and Pride were whistled for their fourth fouls with 8:03 to go.

Mika Adams-Woods had his breakout party as a Bonnie down the stretch.

The fifth-year transfer guard led all scorers with 17 points, giving his squad a bit of breathing room with a three-point play, 58-54, with 4:50 left.

OSU responded again, scoring eight straight to move ahead, 62-58, with 2:07 to play.

From there, the pendulum swung the way of the Bonnies.

Assa Essamvous hit two at the line. Adams-Woods then tied the game with two of his own at the stripe for a 62-all tally.

Quion Williams would give the Cowboys the lead again, 64-62, with his driving layup and 38 seconds showing on the clock.

Following a timeout, Daryl Banks III drew a foul while attempting a trey and he would calmly knock down all three at the line for a 65-64 lead.

A layup missed by the Cowboys allowed Brown to wrestle the rebound away from multiple OSU players, drawing a foul in the process. Brown made one of two at the line with seven seconds left, paving the way for the finish.

Adams-Woods went 6-for-13 from the floor, adding five rebounds. Banks posted 14 points and four assists while Essamvous finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. Venning gave the Bonnies a fourth scorer in double figures as he chipped in 10 points.

Eric Dailey Jr. paced OSU with 15 points. 

With the win, the Bonnies advance to play Auburn in the Legends Classic Championship Game Friday night at 7 p.m. Auburn defeated Notre Dame in the late game Thursday. Friday's title game will air nationally on ESPN2.

GAME NOTES

• Barry Evans had important minutes off the bench, posting seven rebounds, two assists and three steals. 
• Bona won the battle of the boards, 32-31, though the Cowboys owned a 32-22 in paint scoring. 
• The Bonnies went 18-for-21 at the foul line and were an excellent 13-14 in the second half. 
• Bona shot 42 percent from the floor for the night while the Cowboys finished at a 44 percent clip.
• St. Bonaventure has won nine in a row in MTEs dating back to 2019: SBU won last year's Gotham Classic title (3-0), the 2021 Charleston Classic crown (3-0), and the 2019 Boca Beach Classic championship (2-0).
• The Bonnies are 7-3 against P6 teams in the last three seasons. Included in that run are victories over the ACC (3-1), Big 12 (2-0), Pac-12 (1-0) and Big East (1-2).
• SBU has won its last two games over Big 12 opponents, also winning at Oklahoma in the 2022 NIT. 
• The Bonnies improved to 6-6 all-time at Barclays Center and snapped a three-game skid there dating to 2019.
• When the Bonnies play Auburn Friday night, it will be the first meeting between the two programs since the 1967 Tampa Invitational when the Bonnies won on the way to an undefeated regular season. 
• St. Bonaventure has scored two big wins over Oklahoma State in recent years - while the programs had never previously met in the sport of men's basketball, the last time a Bonnies team played OSU was the 2016 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament when Bona's scored a First Round victory.