DAVIDSON, N.C. – Temperatures in North Carolina felt like late spring this week, but unfortunately for the St. Bonaventure men's basketball team, the offense stayed more reminiscent of the frosty winter weather the Bonnies left behind at home as they dropped a 74-61 decision Wednesday night at Belk Arena.
St. Bonaventure (13-16, 7-9 A-10) would attempt to rally in the second half, but could never get within single digits after a dominant first half by Davidson (13-14, 6-9).
Moses Flowers led the Bonnies with 16 points while Daryl Banks III chipped in 12.
The story was the combination of Davidson's Foster Loyer and Sam Mennenga, however, as they delivered 27 and 24 points respectively.
The Wildcats owned the opening 20 minutes, shooting 54 percent from the floor including 7-for-13 from long distance on the way to a 21-point cushion at intermission.
Davidson began the game on a 7-0 break before the Bonnies scored their first points of the night just over three minutes in.
Though the Wildcats entered the game averaging just over six made threes per game on the year, they had half that total in the first three minutes, going 3-for-3 beyond the stripe for a 13-4 advantage. Ultimately they would drain nine on the night.
The Bonnies would close within a 15-11 tally before the Wildcats went another sprint.
This time it was a 14-1 run as the hosts surged to a 29-12 advantage before Kyrell Luc finally ended the sprint with a banked-in runner in the lane just before the six-minute mark of the half.
As the second half wore down, the Bonnies warmed a bit on the offensive end and were able to pick up some stops defensively.
When Brett Rumpel juked his defender and found Flowers in the corner for a trey with 4:26 to play, the Bonnies narrowed their deficit to 62-50.
An empty possession following the media timeout set the stage for another Loyer 3-pointer, however, as the Wildcats held the Bonnies at a comfortable distance.
In all, the hosts never trailed on the night.
Davidson shot the ball at a 47 percent clip for the night overall while the Bonnies finished at 43 percent. The Wildcats owned the boards, 39-28, and doubled up the Bonnies in offensive rebounds, 10-5.
Both Yann Farell and Chad Venning had nine points apiece for Bonaventure, snapping a seven-game streak of double-figure scoring for Venning.
UP NEXT
St. Bonaventure returns home to host its home finale Sunday afternoon vs. Saint Joseph's. Tip time is scheduled for noon at the Reilly Center.
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