ROCK HILL, S.C. – Buddy Simmons II scored 16 second half points to lift the St. Bonaventure men's basketball team to a season-opening win over Bradley, 69-63, in the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon at the Rock Hill Sports and Events Center. Simmons II led all scorers with 24 points on the afternoon.
Two St. Bonaventure (1-0) players made an immediate impact in their first Division I action.
Cayden Charles – a Division II transfer – stuffed the stat sheet for the Bonnies with 15 points, eight rebounds, three steals and one block. Meanwhile, Juco transfer
Joe Grahovac scored 11 points and grabbed eight boards while shooting 5-for-8 from the field.
Off the bench, forward
Frank Mitchell posted a near double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Mitchell and Grahovac each had two blocks, pacing the Bonnies' seven blocks on the afternoon.
FIRST HALF After the two teams started a combined 0-for-6 from the field, St. Bonaventure took an early 19-12 lead behind nine points from Charles.
The Braves (0-1) would pull within five over the next three minutes, but a jumper by Grahovac and back-to-back three-pointers from Simmons II and Charles stretched the St. Bonaventure lead to 31-18, a 13-point margin that would be the Bonnies largest of the day.
The Bonnies were held without a field goal for final 5:08 of the half but still took a 34-26 lead into the break. Charles led all scorers with 14 points at halftime.
SECOND HALF After a fastbreak jam by Mitchell gave the Bonnies a 42-33 lead just over four minutes into the second half, Bradley roared back with a 22-7 run. The spurt put the Braves ahead by six with 9:20 to play.
After a free throw by freshman
Andrew Osasuyi, Simmons II willed the Bonnies back into the lead with a pair of three-pointers. A few minutes later with SBU in front, 59-57, Simmons II drained his third trey in just over two-and-a-half minutes, giving the Bonnies a five-point advantage.
The Bonnies maintained their 62-57 lead over the next 3:41 of game time. However, Bradley snapped its dry spell with a bucket in the paint by Alex Huibregtse and three free throws from Corey Thomas, tying the game at 62 with 1:23 remaining.
Simmons II took advantage of another opportunity to be the hero for the Bonnies, draining his fourth three-pointer of the second half in St. Bonaventure's next trip down the floor and giving SBU a 65-62 lead.
The Bonnies held Bradley without a field goal the rest of the way and closed the game with a series of free throws, securing a 69-63 win.
NOTES - Simmons II's 24 points are the most by a Bonnie in a season-opener since Osun Ossuniyi tallied 25 points in a lid-lifting win over Akron in 2020 (Dec. 15; 81-74).
- The matchup with Akron in 2020 was also the last time the Bonnies opened the season at a neutral site or on the road.
- The Bonnies outrebounded Bradley 44-29 and beat the Braves on the offensive boards 15-5.
- St. Bonaventure posted seven blocks as a team, a total that the Bonnies reached or exceeded just twice in 2024-25.
UP NEXT St. Bonaventure will host Canisius in its home opener on Saturday (Nov. 8) at the Reilly Center. Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m. ET and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
