ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure pulled away in the second half to score a 63-39 win in its final dress rehearsal for the 2024-25 season, defeating Alfred in exhibition action Wednesday night at the Reilly Center.
Ten different Bonnies logged points, led by senior transfer Melvin Council Jr. whose 10 points represented the only double-figure scoring tally on the roster. Council also swiped five steals.
Boasting a nearly entirely new roster, the new-look Bonnies saw valuable contributions from transfer guards Dasonte Bowen (eight points, five assists, five rebounds) and Jaxon Edwards (eight points) in the starting lineup along with Jonah Hinton's eight points off the bench.
St. Bonaventure was in cruise control in the early minutes as the Bonnies opened the game on a 13-0 run.
Bona's defense held the Saxons in the starting blocks to begin the night, holding Alfred off the scoreboard for over six minutes of game time.
Alfred closed within 15-10 after breaking into the scoring column before a Chance Moore dunk brought the Bonnies student section to life.
Edwards added a thunderous dunk before intermission in another standout moment of the opening stanza.
After owning a 25-17 edge at the break, the Bonnies started to work out the kinks in the second half.
The Bonnies employed a 15-3 run late to pull away.
In the second half, Bona shot 52 percent from the floor while Alfred connected at a 29 percent clip as the home team began to find traction offensively.
Oscar Wolter had a game-high 12 points for Alfred while Franlys Valenzuela finished with 10 points inside.Â
GAME NOTES
- St. Bonaventure's starting lineup: Jaxon Edwards, Dasonte Bowen, Lajae Jones, Melvin Council Jr. and Noel Brown.
- All 15 members of the Bonnies roster saw game action.
- Alfred's first points came on free throws 6:55 into the game and St. Bonaventure held the visitors without a field goal until 7:32 into the contest.Â
- Alfred held the advantage in second-chance points against St. Bonaventure, 11-8, and on the boards, 42-39. Jones paced the Bonnies on the glass with eight rebounds along with five points. Michael Folarin added seven boards.
- St. Bonaventure led Alfred in paint points, 48-18.
- Council recorded a team-leading five steals. His regular season career-high is four which he achieved twice while playing at Wagner last year. In all, the Bonnies recorded 12 steals.
- Bowen handed out a team-leading five assists. His regular season career high is five which he registered last year with Iowa against Michigan.
- Allegany native Tyler Curran, who spent a redshirt season with the Bonnies as a freshman, had two points and two assists for Alfred.Â
 QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH MARK SCHMIDT
"Our pace was decent at times. In the second half we started playing more cohesively. We were able to share the ball and start making some baskets in the second half. Give Alfred credit, Valenzuela gave our (centers) problems. We did a good job defensively, but we have to get better in all areas. Our goal is to be plus-10 on the boards and we got beat on the glass and you just can't do that if you want to win. We'll watch tape with the players tomorrow; we can teach now that they're seeing it all on film and we'll work on getting better for the opener Monday."
"We have 10 new guys and we're trying to get them all on the same page. It was good to play the first game under the lights; we played everybody and that's what an exhibition game is about. We got some nerves out of our system. I think the guys will be able to learn from what we did today."
"Our guys are always in the gym and they will improve. I think we have some good shooters. Jump shooting is fickle. You can't live beyond the arc. Success comes from getting the ball in the paint. You win when the ball gets inside. If we shot the ball decently, it will open up our inside game a little more. I know our guys will be back in the gym early tomorrow working on their shots."
UP NEXT
St. Bonaventure will officially open the 2024-25 season Monday night by hosting CSUN at the Reilly Center. Game time is set for 7 p.m. and tickets are available at GoBonnies.com/Tickets
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