OLEAN, N.Y. — Canisius and St. Bonaventure men's basketball teams met on the floor for the 171st time Saturday night at the Reilly Center.
The Bonnies' home court has been a particularly tough place to play for the Golden Griffins, with their last win in the Southern Tier coming in 2016.
Reggie Witherspoon's group snapped that drought Saturday, using a strong second half to take down the Bonnies 70-67.
"It's a treasure anytime you come in here and get a win," Witherspoon said after the game.
Tre Dinkins led all Canisius (1-1) scorers with 16 points off the bench, while Frank Mitchell posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Griffs went 12 for 24 from 3-point range and shot 53.6% from the field in the second half.
Charles Pride scored a team-high 16 points for St. Bonaventure (1-1) while playing all 40 minutes of the game.
It marks the second straight year Canisius has won the rivalry matchup, with last year resulting in a 84-80 overtime victory in Buffalo.
In front of a sold out home crowd, it was St. Bonaventure who came out on the front foot by taking a 37-30 lead into the break.
But the Griffs stormed out of the half with an extended 27-6 run that gave Canisius a 14-point lead, a lead it would not surrender the rest of the way.
"Second half, we did a good job of coming out executing," Dinkins said. "Play style, we were getting a lot of rebounds, a lot of open looks, getting to the foul line. I think we played with much better poise, making the right reads. Just staying solid. It was a big time game, big time matchup. I think we did a better job in the second half."
The Bonnies did rally to get to within one score with a chance to tie it, but their half court attempt at the buzzer was off the mark.
"I thought our defense was poor and every time we gave them an open shot, they knocked it down," Mark Schmidt, the St. Bonaventure coach, said after the game. "The students came out, the community ... that's what a Saturday afternoon in the Reilly Center is all about. It was just disappointing we couldn't play the way we need to play in order to win."
Up next for Canisius is a trip to Cleveland State, while St. Bonaventure heads to Brooklyn to face Oklahoma State in the Vivid Seats Legends Classic.
Other Scores
NCAAM: South Alabama 70, Buffalo 56
—The Bulls fell at home to South Alabama in the MAC-SBC Challenge. Sy Chatman scored a game-high 16 points, but UB struggled from the field as a whole (36.7%) while the Jaguars scored efficiently (57.1% FG) while being paced by 15 points from Marcus Millender. The defeat marks UB's second straight loss at home to start the season after a 92-86 defeat to Fairleigh Dickinson on Monday. Buffalo is back on action at home against Roberts Wesleyan on Nov. 15.
NCAAM: Bucknell 73, Niagara 64
—Noah Williamson had 22 points and 11 rebounds in Bucknell's road win. Josh Bascoe shot 5 for 7, including 3 for 3 from beyond the arc to add 15 points. Elvin Edmonds IV finished with 15 points and six assists for the Bison (1-2). Ahmad Henderson II led the Purple Eagles (0-2) in scoring, finishing with 28 points and two steals. Niagara also got 11 points from Luke Bumbalough and 10 from Yaw Obeng-Mensah. Bucknell's next game is Tuesday against La Salle on the road, and Niagara travels to Hawaii for a game on Friday.
NCAAW: Canisius 78, St. Francis (PA) 62
—The Canisius women made it 2-for-2 on the day for the Golden Griffins' basketball programs, earning a 16 point win at home against St. Francis. Sophomore forward Sisi Eleko shined with a 24-point, 10-rebound double double, while senior guard Grace Heeps added 14 points for Canisius' first win of the season. The Griffs won the rebound battle 33-24 and made 11 more free throws than the Red Flash (14-3). Up next for Canisius is a visit to Colgate on Nov. 16.
NCAAW: St. Bonaventure 70, Robert Morris 52
—The Bonnies picked up their first win of the season with an 18-point victory at home in the Reilly Center in the first of St. Bonaventure's basketball doubleheader. Senior guard Dani Haskell dropped a game-high 23 points, Isabellah Middleton scored 14 points along with eight rebounds, and Claire Cody contributed 13 points off the bench. The Bonnies' defense made life difficult for the Colonials, forcing Robert Morris into 23 turnovers.
NCAAW: Duquesne 82, Niagara 79
—After starting the season with a win at home over St. Bonaventure, Niagara suffered its first loss of the season with three point defeat at home to Duquesne. The Purple Eagles had two scorers eclipse the 20-point mark with Destiny Strother's 23 points and Chardonnay Hartley's 21 points. However, in a tight game, the Dukes' advantage on the boards was too much to overcome, with Duquesne outrebounding Niagara 41-22. Up next for the Purple Eagles is a road game at Buffalo on Nov. 14.
NCAAW: Old Dominion 59, Buffalo 48
—The Bulls fell to 1-1 on the season with an 11-point loss on the road in Norfolk, Virginia. UB delivered a strong performance defensively, limiting Old Dominion to just 13 field goals on 61 attempts (21.3%). Instead, the Monarchs did their damage at the free throw line, where they went 27-41, taking 19 more free throws than the Bulls who went 14-22 from the charity stripe. Buffalo hosts Niagara on Nov. 14.
