PITTSBURGH – After struggling to find life offensively nearly the entire game, a 14-1 run ignited the St. Bonaventure men's basketball team in the waning minutes.

Down three with the ball, a costly turnover stomped the momentum with under 50 seconds to play as Duquesne held on for a 54-50 victory Tuesday night.

After turning it over with 49 seconds left, Duquesne's Jimmy Clark III downed two at the line for a five-point advantage.  

It would be Bona's best chance down the stretch.

Charles Pride led all scorers with 14 points while Assa Essamvous added 12 points and eight rebounds, but Tuesday's game certainly wasn't about the offense.

The Bonnies (11-7, 2-4 A-10) shot 27 percent from the floor while Duquesne did not have a single player score in double figures, finishing at 30 percent on its shot attempts.

Chad Venning put home a hook shot on the first possession of the game, but from there the Bonnies would go 1-for their next 16 in a frosty opening.

Luckily for the Bonnies, Duquesne didn't have much better luck on the offensive end early as the hosts opened 3-for-13 with five turnovers in an 11-5 start.

Duquesne (10-8, 1-5) started to find a little traction late in the half as four of their first six field goals were from beyond the arc as they doubled up the Bonnies with a nine-point lead at the last media timeout of the period.

Pride kept the Bonnies in it during the first 20 minutes as he scored 10 of his team's 15 before the break as Duquesne crept ahead by seven at intermission.

Assa Essamvous gave the Bonnies some momentum with back-to-back three-pointers, the first of the day from the visitors, for a 35-28 score with 12:30 to play.

Duquesne pulled ahead by 16 with five minutes left, but the Bonnies forced a pair of turnovers with a full court press, resulting in layups from Essamvous and Barry Evans.

Two free throws from Kyrell Luc got the Bonnies back within nine with 3:20 left.

After another stop, a tip-in by Evans made it a 9-0 Bona run for a 49-42 score.

Clark finished with nine points to lead Duquesne.

 
GAME NOTES

• Kyrell Luc picked up his first start of the season. He had started the first 63 games of his career entering this year. He started in place of Mika Adams-Woods who was unavailable for the first time this season.
• Evans produced six points, five rebounds and two steals.
• Bona has won 20 of the last 25 matchups with Duquesne, but the Dukes pulled the all-time series to 70-62. Eleven of the last 17 games in the series have been decided by six points or less.
• The Bonnies went nearly eight minutes into the second half before draining their first three of the night, continuing a streak of 180 straight games with at least one trey.

UP NEXT
St. Bonaventure returns home to host Saint Joseph's as part of the ESPN Atlantic 10 Friday Night Showcase this Friday evening. Game time for the nationally televised contest through ESPN2 will tip off at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are available by clicking here.

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