St. Bonaventure off to best start in 55 years after beating Providence

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — St. Bonaventure continued one of the best starts in its storied basketball history with a showcase victory.

The Bonnies improved to 10-1 with a 74-70 win against Providence on Saturday in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.

St. Bonaventure's early record is its best since going 12-0 at the start of the 1969-70 season, which ended with a trip to the Final Four.

The win against Big East member Providence improved Bonaventure's record to 12-8 in games against opponents from major conferences over the past eight seasons. None of the games have bene played at Bona's Reilly Center.

"We have a good team and we play in a great league," St. Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt said. "Providence is a tremendous team and there are three Atlantic 10 teams who have beaten them. The A-10 doesn't have to take a backseat to anyone in this country. We have a phenomenal league and that will continue to show the rest of the season."

Rochester native Melvin Council Jr. led the Bonnies with 24 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists against the Friars (7-5).

"They made a run, their crowd got into it, and I thought our guys really handled it well," Schmidt said. "They answered the bell. When they made a run, we made a play. Melvin played phenomenal. But it was a really great effort against a really good team."

St. Bonaventure entered Saturday's game at No. 55 in the NCAA NET rankings, second among Atlantic 10 teams. Providence, at No. 72, is the best opponent Bona has beaten this season, and improved the Bonnies' record to 2-1 in Quad 1 and 2 games.

Bona concludes non-conference play with games at Siena on Tuesday night and home against Little Three rival Niagara on Saturday.