PHOTO COURTESY OF GOBONNIES
BY JONNY WALKER, ADVISORY EDITOR
NEW YORK — Forward Assa Essamvous’ career-high 23 points lifted the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team over Fordham, 85-67, Wednesday night in Rose Hill Gymnasium.
Essamvous, a 6-foot-6 sophomore, hit seven of the Bonnies’ (15-9, 6-6 A-10) 12 made 3-pointers. The Rams (10-14, 4-7 A-10), who led by two early in the first half, trailed for over 90% of the game.
Essamvous hit all five of his first-half shot attempts, including four 3-pointers. His 14 first-half points propelled the Bonnies into the break up 17. In the second half, Bona led by as many as 26.
From the interior, Bona forward Noel Brown added 18 points off the bench. He and fellow big man Chad Venning combined for 33 points on 12-15 shooting as the Bonnies led in points in the paint and total rebounds.
The Rams had two scorers enter double figures. Guards Will Richardson and Kyle Rose led Fordham with 10 points apiece. However, in 33 minutes played, Richardson hit four of his game-high 14 shot attempts. His shooting splits were representative of a Fordham team that struggled to score efficiently, limping to 42% shooting from the field and 32% from deep.
Bona’s season continues Saturday, hosting Davidson in the Reilly Center. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and will stream live on CBS Sports Network.
