Photo courtesy of gobonnies.com
BY: SEAN WALLACE; SPORTS EDITOR
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — The St. Bonaventure University men’s basketball team defeated Point Park University 94-49 in their final exhibition game on Saturday, Oct. 24 in the Reilly Center.
Bonaventure opened the contest with eight unanswered points and extended its lead with a 12-2 run over the first 3:44 of play.
Senior guard Ryan Heath energized the crowd with a spin move and layup, extending Bonaventure’s lead to 28-8 with 9:28 remaining in the first half. The Bonnies held a 41-18 advantage at the final media timeout before taking a commanding 49-18 lead into halftime.
Junior guard Taj Au-Duke led Bonaventure with 12 points and four rebounds in the first half. He opened the second half scoring with a 3-pointer, extending the Bonnies’ lead to 34 points.
Redshirt freshman guard Akbar Waheed III drew cheers from the crowd with a breakaway dunk, extending the Bonnies’ lead to 79-32 with 7:29 remaining in regulation.
Senior guard and Olean native Jack DeRose entered the game with 5:51 remaining, earning a round of applause from the crowd.
Bonaventure head coach Mike MacDonald spoke on the team’s performance.
“I thought it was a really good team effort and another step in our development,” said MacDonald. “We did everything we had to do. Defensively, we were very aggressive. Offensively, we were unselfish. If we can do that, good things will happen.”
Junior forward Grant Welch led the Pioneers in scoring with 17 points. Au-Duke led Bonaventure with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. Waheed followed with 16 points, three rebounds and two assists.
Bonaventure opens its season with Youngstown State University on Monday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Reilly Center. The game will air on ESPN+ and the Bonnies Online Network.
