UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Following the game, senior Melvin Council Jr. took home all the hardware.
First, there was the trophy representing the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase Most Valuable Player Award.
Then, there came the gold of the new Bonnies WWE championship belt and locker room celebration.
And while the WWE title strap bestowed upon the Bona Player of the Game is a new tradition, the Bonnies knocking off a marquee opponent in a showcase event is becoming old hat for the program.
St. Bonaventure scored another win over a power conference foe by taking down Providence, 74-70, Saturday afternoon in Mohegan Sun Arena in front of over 6,300 fans.
That makes 12 wins over Power 5 and Big East opponents since 2017-18.Â
Noel Brown starred as well with 16 points and eight rebounds while Lajae Jones was active throughout with 15 points, including a perfect 8-for-8 mark at the foul line. Chance Moore tallied his second double-double of the year with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
The Bonnies built a double-digit lead in the first half, then held on late as the partisan Friars crowd roared during a rally in the final minutes just over an hour from the Providence campus.
Council certainly earned his accolades, scoring a game-high 24 points including 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting in the second half, and he was seemingly everywhere down the stretch.
While some of his production came courtesy of his "Rochester Euro moves" as head coach Mark Schmidt coined it, he was just as important on the defensive end with three key steals after halftime.
With the win, the Bonnies improve to 10-1 on the season while Providence now stands 7-5.
Bona's lead grew to 13 at one point, but had been whittled away to 57-53 with still just under eight minutes to play.
Providence's crowd at a full roar, Jones rattled home a mid-range jumper for a six-point edge.
The Friars refused to go away, despite playing without First Team All-Big East pick Bryce Hopkins.
Each time Providence threatened to turn the tide, however, Council was there.
The Rochester native followed up a layup with a steal and a slam to push a four-point margin back to eight. Then, with 1:21 to play and the lead down to 69-66, Council got to the line and knocked down both shots to push the lead back to two possessions.
Providence got back within three with 21 seconds to play, but Moore made one of two free throws for a four-point lead. The Friars got a put-back layup on their next possession, but not before running the clock down to under two seconds. Brown then made two at the line before the final buzzer for put the game away.
Bonaventure's defense, which entered the day ranked 14th nationally in average points allowed, had Providence completely locked down to begin the contest.
The Friars couldn't buy a bucket in the opening minutes, starting 2-for-17 from the floor including 2-of-11 from distance.
As the Friars struggled to find their shots, the Bonnies built a double-digit lead, 24-11, with 6:50 remaining in the half.
Despite playing without starting point guard Dasonte Bowen who was out due to injury, the Bonnies offense was not sidetracked as Brown found double-figures with 10 points early while Moore and Jones had the Bona faithful humming with thunderous dunks in the opening 20 minutes.
SBU took a nine-point lead to intermission before the final act.
Wesley Cardet led the Friars with 13 points with Jayden Pierre chipping in 12.
Despite their late push, the Friars never led and the Bonnies held the lead for all but 1:07 of game time.
GAME NOTES
- St. Bonaventure improved to 12-8 vs. Power 5 and Big East opponents since 2017-18. It was Bona's second win over a Big East club in that span with the last coming vs. Marquette in the 2021 Charleston Classic Championship Game. None of those games have been played on SBU's home court.
- The contest was a Top-100 match-up in both NCAA NET and KenPom.
- Bona shot 42 percent for the game while Providence checked in at 36 percent, though the Friars got back into the game by going 7-for-17 from distance in the second half.
- The Bonnies held a 41-34 margin on the glass and outpaced the Friars 38-18 in the paint.
- Jonah Hinton earned his first career Division I start, finishing with seven points and four assists.
- Half of Moore's 12 boards came on the offense glass. In all, the Bonnies had 19 offensive rebounds leading to 20 second chance points.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH MARK SCHMIDT
"We won this game on the backboard. They're averaging 40 rebounds a game and to out-rebound them by seven, that was huge."
"They made a run, their crowd got into it, and I thought our guys really handled it well. They answered the bell. When they made a run, we made a play. Melvin played phenomenal. But it was a really great effort against a really good team."
"In games of this magnitude against an opponent of this caliber, you have to land the first punch. You have to attack; set the tone. I thought our guys did that, attacking the paint, going to the glass."
"We have a good team and we play in a great league. Providence is a tremendous team and there are three Atlantic 10 teams who have beaten them. The A-10 doesn't have to take a backseat to anyone in this country. We have a phenomenal league and that will continue to show the rest of the season."
Gallery: (12-14-2024) 2024 Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase
UP NEXT
The Bonnies remain on the road to play at Siena Tuesday night in the annual Br. Ed Coughlin Franciscan Cup. Tip time in Albany is slated for 7 p.m.
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