ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — The opening week of the 2026-27 season for the Bonnies has come and gone, and the team finished the week 1-1 after a 79-71 loss to Youngstown State and an 88-49 victory over Little Three rival Canisius.

Here are three storylines from the opening week:

1. Coach Mike MacDonald's first win with the Bonnies
MacDonald's first victory in the Brown and White fittingly came against one of his former employers Saturday. MacDonald coached at Canisius from 1997 to 2006, compiling a 108-153 record. Saturday's victory marked MacDonald's first Division I win since defeating Loyola on March 3, 2006.

MacDonald credited his team's focus in the victory.

"Life is 10 percent of what happens to you and 90 percent of how you react to it," MacDonald said. "I thought we reacted very well after getting beat Monday. I [liked] our focus in practice and intensity even from the jump ball, and even the way we warmed up was really good."

2. Philipkoski's immediate impact
After making the jump from Division II's Daemen, senior guard Zach Philipkoski wasted no time making an impact at the Division I level. In his first two games, Philipkoski shot 15-of-20 from the field, 8-for-12 from three, totaled 44 points, and had eight assists. He leads the team in scoring, three-point percentage, and steals.

MacDonald praised Philipkoski through two games.

"There's a lot to like," MacDonald said. "I like his presence on the court. He makes sure guys are in the right spots, and understanding how we want to play is really important for us. Zach lets guys know when we aren't doing something right."

3. Not so free throws
The Bonnies have shot just 52.3 percent from the free-throw line through two games, including shooting 9-of-21 against Youngstown State. Only one Bonnie is shooting better than 70 percent from the line, and five Bonnies have a free-throw percentage at or below 50 percent. When including the two exhibition games, the Bonnies have converted on 58.5 percent of their free throws.

While two games are a small sample size, free throw shooting is an area that could become costly in close games if the Bonnies don't find more success at the line.

Up Next: The Bonnies return to the Reilly Center twice next week, hosting Cornell on Wednesday at 7 p.m. and Lafayette on Saturday at 4 p.m.