ST. BONAVENTURE BONNIES
0 Chance Moore G, Sr., 6-6/210, Brookhaven, GA
1 Duane Thompson F, R-Fr., 6-8/210, Boston, MA
2 Jaxon Edwards G, Jr., 6-5/195, Indianapolis, IN
3 Miles Rose G, So., 6-4/195, Rochester, NY
4 Ebrahim Kaba G/F, Fr., 6-9/200, East Orange, NJ
5 Dasonte Bowen G, Jr., 6-2/175, Boston, MA
7 Michael Folarin C, R-Jr., 6-11/225, London, ENG
8 Jonah Hinton G, R-So., 6-3/185, Chicago, IL
10 Lajae Jones G, Jr., 6-7/220, Jacksonville, FL
11 Melvin Council Jr. G, Sr., 6-4/180, Rochester, NY
15 Jack DeRose G, So., 6-0/175, Olean, NY
21 Xander Wedlow PF/C, Fr., 6-10/230, Detroit, MI
23 Noah Bolanga G, Fr., 6-8/180, Poitiers, FRA
24 Noel Brown C, Gr., 6-11/255, Leesburg, VA
30 Broek Ostrom G, Jr., 6-2/180, Holley, NY
DUQUESNE DUKES
0 Tre Dinkins III G, Sr., 6-2/190, Chester, PA
1 Cam Crawford G, R-Jr., 6-5/205, Birmingham, AL
2 David Dixon F, Jr., 6-9/215, Memphis, TN
3 Kareem Rozier G, Jr., 5-9/160, Detroit, MI
4 Jahsean Corbett G/F, Sr., 6-6/210, Orlando, FL
5 Chabi Barre F, Jr., 6-9/225, Cotonou, BEN
6 Alex Williams F, Sr., 6-5/235, Dayton, OH
7 Jakub Necas F, So., 6-8/210, Blansko, CZE
8 Maximus Edwards G, R-Jr., 6-5/215, Stratford, CT
14 Matúš Hronský F, Jr., 6-8/205, Poruba, SVK
22 Lucas Prolla G, So., 6-2/170, Porto Alegre, BRA
23 Jayden Brown F, Fr., 6-6/175, Upper Marlboro, MD
25 Eli Wilborn F, So., 6-8/215, Middletown, CT
30 Lucas Perusek G, So., 6-1/175, Willoughby Hills, OH
32
G, So., 6-1/170, Pittsburgh, PA
COACH: DRU JOYCE III
Seamus McDermott
Ethan Anish
Jake DiMichele
Brandon Hall G, Jr., 6-4/190, Chicago, IL
2024-25 St. Bonaventure bonnies
TEAM STATISTICS
2024-25 duquesne dukes
TEAM STATISTICS
GAME NOTES
OPENING TIP
St. Bonaventure returns from a brief break this week after finally enjoying a bye week to host Duquesne on Homecoming Weekend Saturday inside the Reilly Center. The Bonnies look to maintain momentum gained from a win at UMass last weekend and gain a season split with regional rival Duquesne after dropping a contest in Pittsburgh last month.
STARTING FIVE
• St. Bonaventure is looking to snap a five-game losing streak vs. Duquesne dating to February 2023. It is the longest winning streak for the Dukes in the series since also winning five in a row from 1985-87.
• Saturday is Senior Day for the Bonnies. The program will honor its three graduating seniors: Noel Brown, Melvin Council Jr. and Chance Moore. Council still has one year of eligibility remaining should he choose to use it.
• Saturday’s game is the penultimate home game of the season for the Bonnies. The home baskets have been kind to junior Lajae Jones who is shooting over 53 percent from 3-point land in home games this season (26-49).
• A win on Saturday would give the Bonnies 11 home wins this season. Bona has scored 11 or more wins on home court in each of the last three years and prior to that went 8-1 on home court during the shortened 2020-21 season.
• Chance Moore missed last Wednesday’s game at Rhode Island due to a foot injury but returned in the win at UMass and was key with a doubledouble of 15 points and 10 rebounds. He enters Saturday’s game with 998 career points.
BONNIES SENIORS
• Noel Brown is the veteran-most member of the Bonnies roster, suiting up in 128 career games over the past five seasons. He started his collegiate career at George Washington, playing three seasons there. He has shined since transferring to St. Bonaventure prior to last year, doubling his previous career scoring average by posting 6.1 ppg last year. He’s doubled that again this year in his first season as a starter, averaging 12.6 points and 5.6 rebounds this year. In 60 career games with the Bonnies, he has recorded a 62 percent field goal percentage which is among the best in recent program history.
• Council is in his first season with the Bonnies after beginning his collegiate career with two seasons at Monroe junior college where he was an NJCAA Division I First Team All-American before moving to Wagner last year where he was First Team All-NEC. He has scored 877 career points in two seasons at the Division I level, including ranking as one of the Atlantic 10’s leaders this season in assists and steals while pacing the Bonnies at 14.2 ppg.
• Moore started his Division I career at Arkansas and was a member of an Elite Eight run before transferring to Missouri State where he was named to the Missouri Valley All-Bench Team after scoring 10.6 ppg as a sophomore and 10.7 ppg as a junior. This year, he’s averaged over 13 ppg in a career season while pacing the Bonnies on the boards at nearly seven rebounds per game. He will eclipse the 1,000-point scoring total for his college career as he enters this week with 998 career points.
Continued on Page 9
2024-25 St. bonaventure
GAME SCHEDULE
OCTOBER
30 vs. Alfred (Exhibition) W, 63-39
NOVEMBER
4 vs. CSUN ........................ W, 70-56
9 at Canisius W, 87-78
13 at FGCU W, 74-65
16 vs. Le Moyne ................ W, 71-52
20 vs. Mansfield W, 76-54
24 vs. Bryant .........................W, 85-70
ESPN NIT SEASON TIP-OFF
28 vs. Utah State L, 67–72
29 vs. Northern Iowa W, 68-56
All game start times are listed in Eastern Time and are subject to change.
Home games in bold # = Legends Classic
% = Basketball Hall of Fame Classic
decEMBER
4 at Bucknell ...................... W, 64-47 7 vs. Buffalo W, 65-55
BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME SHOWCASE 14 vs. Providence W, 74-70
17 at Siena W, 65-48
21 vs. Niagara W, 71-52
31 vs. VCU W, 77-75
january
4 at Fordham ...................... W, 86-66
8 at Saint Louis L, 73-68
11 vs. La Salle L, 83-82 (OT)
15 vs. Richmond ............... W, 63-49
18 at Duquesne L, 75-57
21 vs. George Mason............L, 75-62
24 at VCU L, 75-61
28 vs. Dayton W, 75-53
february
1 vs. Fordham.................. W, 74-72
4 at Loyola Chicago L, 77-53
9 vs. George W. L, 62-52
12 at Rhode Island ...................L, 68-64
15 at Massachusetts W, 73-59
22 vs. Duquesne ................ 4:00 pm
26 at Saint Joseph's 7:00 pm
march
5 vs. Massachusetts 7:00 pm
8 at Davidson ........................ 2:00 pm
12 Atlantic 10 Tournament TBD
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 136th meeting between the longtime A-10 rivals. St. Bonaventure leads the series, 70-65. St. Bonaventure dominated the series for years, winning 21 of 24 matchups from 2012-23, but the Dukes have turned the tables in the last two seasons with five straight wins. Bona’s last win in the series came at home Jan. 18, 2023.
The games between the two teams are often tight: 12 of the last 20 meetings have been decided by six or fewer points, including the first two meetings last year.
Duquesne swept the three games the teams played last year, winning by a 5450 decision in the Steel City last January before scoring a 75-69 victory in the Reilly Center the next month. The squads then met in the Atlantic 10 semifinals where Duquesne captured a 70-60 win on the way to the conference title. The Dukes recorded their first season sweep of the Bonnies since 2009.
In 104 seasons of basketball, the Bonnies have only played Western New York rivals Canisius (172 meetings) and Niagara (162) more than Duquesne.
ABOUT DUQUESNE
• Duquesne entered this week ranked 14th in the Atlantic 10 in offense at 68.6 ppg and fourth in defense, holding opponents to under 67 points per contest, a mark that also ranks 44th nationally.
• The Dukes have often spread the wealth, ranking 39th nationally in bench points at nearly 28 points off the bench per game.
• Junior guard Kareem Rozier ranks fourth in the country in assist-toturnover ratio (4.09) while handing out 3.6 apg. Senior guard Tre Dinkins III, who started his collegiate career at Canisius, is a threat from beyond the arc, ranking eighth in the A-10 with 60 3-pointers on the season entering this week.
• The defending Atlantic 10 tournament champions, Duquesne is in its first
season under the leadership of Dru Joyce III who served on the staff of previous head coach Keith Dambrot the past two years. As a player, Joyce handed out 503 assists for Akron as the team’s point guard when Dambrot was head coach of the Zips.
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Hicks enters this week ranking 23rd among Division I players and leads the Atlantic 10 in saves per game, averaging 9.67 stops per contest. Her season save percentage of .537 ranks 14th among Division I goalies. The GoBonnies.com Student-Athletes of the Week presented by CPL are women's lacrosse sophomore Katelyn Hicks and baseball redshirt sophomore Jayce Tharnish.
Tharnish helped key the Bonnies to a series victory at Gardner-Webb as they won three of four games. He was named the Atlantic 10 Baseball Player of the Week on Monday.
The Devon, Pa. native slashed .550/.591/.950 in the series, going 11-for-20 at the plate. He recorded multiple hits in all four games, smacking two home runs with six RBIs and nine runs scored while also going 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts. It all equaled up to a 1.541 OPS for the four-game series.
He set the tone in a doubleheader sweep for the Bonnies Friday out of the leadoff spot as he posted four hits with a homer and two stolen bases.
In the deciding game Sunday, he homered on the first pitch of the game and finished with three hits and two RBIs as well as made a highlight reel catch in centerfield as part of an 11-10 Bona's triumph.
Hicks had a phenomenal week in cage for the Bonnies, making 21 saves and helping the team to a 1-1 record during the week. She was selected as the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week on Monday for her efforts.
The Islip, N.Y. native recorded a save percentage of .636 over the two games and allowed only six goals in both contests.
She made a career-high 12 saves in Bona's 18-6 win over Canisius. Hicks was also outstanding in a 6-5 setback vs. Niagara on Friday, making nine saves.
katelyn Hicks
jayce tharnish
2024-25 St. Bonaventure athletic
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BEHIND THE BONNIES
“Behind The Bonnies” is a GoBonnies.com feature series where we get to know student-athletes at St. Bonaventure University. In this edition, we meet senior Melvin Council Jr.
Melvin Council Jr. came to Bonaventure for the opportunity to play in front of his family inside the Reilly Center. A native of Rochester, Council played in last year's NCAA Tournament at Wagner.
This season, he ranks in the top-100 in the country in minutes per game (36:30,14th), steals (56, 21st), steals per game (2.07, 32nd), assist/turnover ratio (2.24, 87th), assists (112, 96th) and field goals (155, 92nd).
Before Council joined the Bonnies, he played with Wagner for the 2023-24 season and Monroe College from 2021-23. In Council’s time with Wagner, he earned First Team All-NEC accolades and appeared in all 33 games, averaging 15 points and nearly six rebounds. During Wagner’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win, he tallied 21 points and later registered 18 points in the second round vs. North Carolina.
Council was selected as an NJCAA Divison I First Team All-American as a sophomore at Monroe College.
The senior helped guide his high school (University Prep) to a Section V, Class AA title in 2020 with 25 points per game.
What is your favorite thing about playing basketball?
My favorite thing about basketball is going up and down the court, dribbling and passing the ball, and making my teammates better. I just love the game of basketball.
Favorite food? Crab legs
Favorite basketball player? Kobe Bryant
Do you have any hidden talents? Yes, I am good at tennis. How would you describe your game? I would describe my game as my father, Melvin Council Sr. My dad played a huge role in my life. People describe his game as Chauncey Billups and Chris Paul.
What is your favorite basketball memory? My favorite basketball memory was when I was with Wagner, we went to March Madness and played North Carolina.
How would you describe your personality? I am very funny, goofy, and people would love to have me around. I love to be that guy that brightens people’s day up.
How did playing close to home impact your decision to come to Bonaventure? I talked to my grandma, and she played a huge role in my life. To hear her say that she could attend every home game was one of the reasons why I came here.
