Photo courtesy of gobonnies.com
BY: WILL NUNN; CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, SPORTS EDITOR
The St. Bonaventure University men’s basketball team utilized its defensive prowess and timely shot making to defeat Bradley University 69-63 in its season opening game Monday at the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon in Rock Hill, S.C.
Junior guard Darryl Simmons II led the Bonnies with 24 points, adding five rebounds, four assists and shooting 5 of 11 from beyond the arc. Simmons made a number of clutch threes down the stretch, including a go-ahead shot with just over one minute remaining to give the Bonnies the lead for good.
Despite the crunch time heroics, the Bonnies struggled offensively throughout the day. Bonaventure shot just 40% from the field, 36.4% from three and turned the ball over 13 times. The Braves also outscored the Bonnies 34-24 in the paint.
Bonaventure earned their opening day victory on the defensive end and on the boards. The Bonnies outrebounded the Braves 44-29 and grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, leading to 11 second chance points. Bradley was entirely neutralized on the offensive glass, hauling in just five offensive rebounds and going without a second chance bucket in the contest.
A key piece of the Bonnies defensive intensity Monday was senior guard Cayden Charles. A transfer from Division II University of North Georgia, Charles made an immediate impact in his first Division I game, tallying 15 points, eight rebounds, and three steals. Standing at just six feet, three inches, Charles led the Bonnies with four offensive rebounds.
The Bonnies gave the start at center to freshman Andrew Osasuyi in his first collegiate game. Senior Frank Mitchell manned the center position for nearly 31 minutes during the game, and despite recording 12 points and nine rebounds, turned the ball over three times.
Despite Osasuyi only playing nine minutes and scoring just three points and grabbing four rebounds, the Bonnies outscored Bradley 19-8 in Osasuyi’s limited time on the floor. Bradley had a 55-50 advantage during the 31 minutes Mitchell was in the game.
Senior forward Daniel Egbuniwe also had an impact in his limited game time, despite not making a field goal. The Bonnies outscored the Braves 18-8 in the nearly eight minutes that Egbuniwe was on the court, none of which overlapped with Osasuyi’s minutes.
As a team, the Bonnies recorded seven steals, three each from Simmons and Charles, and seven blocks, including two each from Mitchell and sophomore forward Joe Grahovac. Last season, the Bonnies blocked seven or more shots just twice, once in a win over Le Moyne College and once in a loss to Utah State University.
Bradley, a team that boasted a 28-9 record and made an appearance in the quarterfinals of the NIT last season, was held to just 63 points and 27.3% from three. These marks fall far short of their 76.3 points per game and 39.8 three-point percentage from a season ago. The Bonnies also forced 14 Braves turnovers, an increase from their average of 11.5 turnovers per game last season.
The Bonnies return to action Saturday at 4 p.m. in the Reilly Center when they host Canisius University. The Golden Griffins lost their season opening contest 88-48 to The University of Dayton.
