ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The St. Bonaventure Bonnies men’s basketball team defeated Big 4 rival Canisius Wednesday night 70-55, snapping a four game losing streak.
Senior forward Courtney Stockard made his season debut in a big way after being sidelined for the start of the season with an injury. The senior led the team with 19 points, tallied seven rebounds along with three assists in 20 minutes of action.
Stockard entered the game near the 12-minute mark of the first half with the Bonnies facing a 17-14 deficit, and it didn’t take long for the Stockard show to begin. Stockard went on a 9-0 run of his own, including a pair of three-point plays and a three pointer from the top of the key.
Bonnies head coach Mark Schmidt expressed the boost that Stockard gave his team tonight.
“I thought it was nice to have Courtney back,” said Schmidt. “I thought he gave our players courage and confidence. He gave us a good lift. It’s comforting for a coach to have a guy out there that’s done it. We have a lot of young guys out there that haven’t been in this situation before. Courtney has been in a lot of different situations before. He gives those guys courage, and that’s what we need.”
The Bonnies lead 37-20 by the end of the first half and outscored the Griffins 23-6 in the final 7 minutes of the half.
Senior guard Nelson Kaputo also turned in a solid performance for the Bonnies with 12 points, going 3-4 from three-point territory.
“Nelson did a really good job making threes,” said Schmidt. “I am a firm believer that you are as good as your seniors. If your seniors play well it gives your guys confidence, and Courtney and Nelson really stepped up. Especially in the first half.”
While Canisius was able to narrow the Bonnies lead to 41-31 in the first half, the Bonnies countered with a 10-0 run of their own to run away from the Griffins.
The run was led by freshmen center Osun Osunniyi, who ended with 12 points, 6 of them coming during the run, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.
“Anytime you can get easy baskets in the paint, it helps your offense,” said Schmidt. “Good offenses always go inside out. If we can have Osun do what he did today on a consistent basis, it’ll make it easier for our perimeter guys and strengthen our defense. Osun isn’t a selfish player, he will still kick it out. He’s still learning and still young, but it is a good first step.”
Four Bonnies players, including Stockard, Kaputo and Ossuniyi, finished in double digits. Freshman guard Kyle Lofton turned in another stellar performance, tallying 13 points and a game-high 9 assists in 40 minutes of play.
The Bonnies out rebounded the Griffins by 10 and scored 43 points off of the bench compared to the Griffins 28.
While Schmidt admits it was nice to return home and win, he and the team are looking to keep momentum going as they finish out non-conference play.
“We lost four in a row, three at the Cayman Island classic,” said Schmidt. “I say it all the time. In order to have a good season, you have to protect your home court. We have four opportunities here and you can’t get four until you get the first one. Our sights are set on our next game against Delaware State.”
The Bonnies will be back in action at home again on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 4 p.m. as they take on Delaware State.
By Mike Hogan, Sport’s Assignment Editor
hoganm17@bonaventure.edu
