Photo Credits: Mason Pieri
By Carson Hayek, Sports Staffer
ROCK HILL, S.C.- The St. Bonaventure University men’s basketball team will tip off their season against Bradley University on Monday at 11 a.m. in the Field of 68 Marathon.
The Bonnies finished last season with a 22-12 record, including 9-9 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Virginia Commonwealth University bounced the Bonnies out of the A-10 tournament in the quarterfinals by a score of 76-59.
St. Bonaventure lost its three leading scorers this past offseason, and only two scholarship players return. The Bonnies will return sophomore power forward Xander Wedlow and redshirt junior guard Dasonte Bowen. St. Bonaventure enters the season with 11 new players, seven of whom are transfers.
The Bonnies won their lone exhibition game, 101-40, against Division 3 Alfred University on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Junior guard Darryl “Buddy” Simmons II and senior guard Cayden Charles led the Bonnies in scoring with 24 and 21 points, respectively. Defensively, St. Bonaventure held the Saxons to a field goal percentage of 16.7% in the second half and just 16 points.
As for Bradley, the Braves finished 28-9 a season ago, with a Missouri Valley Conference record of 15-5. Bradley fell in the MVC championship game 63-48 to Drake and lost in the quarterfinal of the National Invitation Tournament 67-65 to Chattanooga University.
The Braves enter the season losing their top four scorers, and have five transfers and five freshmen on their roster.
Bradley defeated the University of Wisconsin Green Bay 83-78 in a scrimmage on Oct. 11 and fell to Saint Louis 98-77 in a scrimmage on Oct. 23.
The Bonnies and Braves matchup can be watched on The Field of 68: After Dark and listened to on the Bonnies Online Network, 100.1 FM Bradford & Olean, and 1340 AM Jamestown.
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