Photo: St. Bonaventure Athletics
BY KYLE MAIER, SPORTS ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
In a game that went down to the final play, the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team defeated Davidson College 81-80 in an overtime thriller at the Reilly Center Saturday.
Trading buckets early, the Bonnies (16-9, 7-6 A10) went on an 8-0 run midway through the first half against the Wildcats (14-11,4-8 A10) to lead 23-13.
Davidson answered with a run of their own: senior guard Connor Kochera scored six straight, propelling the Wildcats to down one at 23-22 with seven minutes left in the half.
Despite shooting 68% from the field through 20, the brown and white found themselves tied 34-34 at the half with Davidson, who made five three-pointers compared to their one.
Kochera led the Wildcats with 16 at the break. Center Chad Venning, a redshirt junior, had 9 for the Bonnies.
Davidson opened the half with defensive tenacity, forcing turnovers and building a 43-36 early.
St. Bonaventure fought back quickly. A pair of three-pointers by redshirt senior guard Daryl Banks III and sophomore forward Assa Essamvous fueled a 10-3 push to tie the game 46-46 through eight minutes of play.
The following 12 minutes consisted of seven of the game’s 16 lead changes.
“(The game) was a roller coaster,” said St. Bonaventure Head Coach Mark Schmidt. “We make some really good plays, and then we make some really bad plays. That’s what’s frustrating. We have to close possessions; finish possessions.”
Another Essamvous three put the Bonnies up 59-55, igniting the crowd into a thunderous roar. With the fans on their feet, the Bonnies then outscored Davidson 7-4 to go up 66-59 with 3:22 left.
Davidson weathered the storm, scoring seven straight, twice off second-chance opportunities, and tying it at 66 in the final minutes.
Graduate guard Mika Adam-Woods drew a foul and hit both free throws to reclaim the lead at 68-66 with 50 seconds on the clock.
The following play, senior guard Grant Huffman finessed his way through the lane and banked a teardrop off the glass, tying the game 68-68 with 30 seconds left in regulation.
The Bonnies held the ball for the final seconds. Banks received the ball on the wing as the clock winded down and pulled up for a deep three.
The ball bounced off the rim—overtime in the Reilly Center.
Kochera scored first to start the period before St. Bonaventure surged to a 77-73 lead with less than a minute to go.
Forcing a missed Kochera three with 46 seconds to go, Adams-Wood secured the rebound but got immediately stripped by Huffman.
The commotion led to a wide-open Bobby Durkin, a freshman forward, who sank a three to cut the lead to 77-76.
Adams-Woods immediately got fouled the following possession and sank both free throws to go back up 3.
On the game’s final possession, sophomore guard Reed Bailey missed a three. Kochera snagged the board, dribbled out to the key, and sank a fadeaway three at the buzzer, silencing the St. Bonaventure faithful.
A three until it wasn’t, however. Following review, the refs concluded that Kochera’s foot was on the three-point line, sealing the victory for the Bonnies.
“We hit big shots. We found a way,” said Schmidt. “Thank God that line was a little bit thicker here at the Reilly Center. I think the Franciscans made that line a bit wider.”
Kochera finished with a game-high 29 for the Wildcats. Huffman followed with 15.
Five players scored in double-figures for the Bonnies. Essamvous, Venning, and graduate guard Charles Pride led the team with 15.
“I’ve been in the gym,” said Essamvous. “Coaches have been telling me to keep my head up and keep playing hard. I’m happy we got a win today.”
The Bonnies will return to action on Wednesday at La Salle University. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
