The 2015 St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team opened its season in the Reilly Center Friday night with a 63-53 win against Binghamton University.
St. Bonaventure and Binghamton played a close game through both halves, with the Bonnies edging out the Bearcats in the last three minutes of play.
Dion Wright led the scoring for the Bonnies, scoring 20 points. After a slow start, Wright took control of the game for his team, netting 16 of his points in the second half. According to Wright, the team needs to improve, but is content with the 1-0 start.
“We just found a way to win. It was ugly, but I’ll be satisfied with the win over a loss any day,” Wright said. “We all have to play better.”
Other key players for the Bonnies included senior guard Marcus Posley, junior forward Denzel Gregg and freshman guard Nelson Kaputo.
“I thought Nelson Kaputo was the star of the game,” Head Coach Mark Schmidt said.
For both teams, offense revolved around transition play. The Bonnies scored 25 points off turnovers while the Bearcats struck for 11.
Despite its small lineup, Bonaventure out-rebounded Binghamton, grabbing 43 boards while giving up 37.
According to Schmidt, the Bonnies’ slow start might have been caused by the pressure of the opening-night game.
“Nobody had any rhythm,” Schmidt said. “I think there might have been some nerves involved.”
The Bonnies will next play in the Carrier Dome in Syracuse Tuesday against the Orange.
