Photo Credits, Mason Peiri — Sophomore forward Joe Grahovac lines up a wing three
By Carson Hayek, Sports Staffer
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The St. Bonaventure University men’s basketball team hasn’t lost to Big 4 rival University at Buffalo in three years — Saturday’s 2 p.m. matchup tests whether that streak survives the Bulls’ unbeaten start.
The Bonnies most recently defeated Division II Bloomsburg 83-43 on Wednesday, and have won their last three contests. In Wednesday’s victory, Bonaventure junior guard Darryl “Buddy” Simmons led the team with 19 points, while senior forward Frank Mitchell grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.
Defensively, the Bonnies posted 11 blocks and 11 steals. They held Bloomsburg to 16 first-half points, and limited them to 14-of-50 from the field overall.
Bonnies senior guard Cayden Charles, Simmons, and Mitchell all average over 10 points per game on the season. St. Bonaventure has 10 players who have averaged 10 or more minutes per game.
Meanwhile, the undefeated University at Buffalo comes off a 71-53 triumph over Canisius on Nov. 29. Bulls junior and sophomore guards Ryan Sabol and Daniel Freitag combined for 45 points, and Buffalo had six players record at least four rebounds.
The Bulls turned 12 turnovers into 23 points and tallied five blocks to pair with eight steals.
Through the first eight games, Freitag’s 20.1 points per game led the Bulls. Senior forward Noah Batchelor has been the team’s top rebounder with 5.1 per contest.
With both teams entering Saturday, combining for one loss, St. Bonaventure men’s basketball head coach Mark Schmidt acknowledged a competitive rivalry game stands as a massive opportunity.
“It’s a bigger game [than normal] because of the records,” Schmidt said. “It’s more exciting… and there is a different vibe because both teams are playing well. This is a good game, and they are playing really well with good players. This is a good test on the road [for us].”
For the Bonnies’ defense, Schmidt said keeping Buffalo’s offense out of the paint will be a key to victory.
“We have to keep the ball in front of us,” Schmidt said. “We have to defend ball screens, and if we can’t, they will get to the paint and kick out three pointers are the easiest [threes] to make. Transition defense and keeping them out of the paint are a part of defending them.”
The game will air on ESPN+. Radio coverage will be available on the Bonnies Online Network, 100.1 FM Bradford and Olean, 1340 AM Jamestown, The Varsity Network, Buffalo 1520, and Rochester 1280.
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