Men’s basketball (4-4) stole the show Saturday afternoon at Alumni Arena, handling Western New York rival St. Bonaventure (5-3) 83-66. In a season that has been anything but smooth for UB, the win brings the Bulls back to .500 heading into the holiday stretch.
Sophomore guard Curtis Jones continues to lead the way for the Bulls’ offensive attack, as he finished the game with a game-high 32 points. Jones got going early in the first half, bringing the UB fans to their feet after drilling a pair of three-pointers. Jones was also active defensively, finishing the game with three steals and contributing to the Bulls’ 20 fastbreak points. The Minneapolis native scored his 32 points at a 13-for-22 clip, shooting 5-for-10 from three-point range to add to his six rebounds and three assists.
Junior guard Zid Powell finished the game with 23 points while going a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line. Powell also rounded out his stat line with eight rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. Junior forwards Isaiah Adams and Jonnivius Smith fronted the Bulls' defense with three and two blocks respectively while scoring 10 points apiece.
While the Bulls put up 83 points, scoring came at a premium for the Bonnies. St. Bonaventure shot 9-for-19 from the free-throw line and an even worse 3-for-15 from three-point range. Freshman forward Yann Farell led the Bonnies’ scoring with 18 points and redshirt junior guard Daryl Banks III had 16 points.
This upcoming week is sure to be busy for the Bulls, as they start off Tuesday against St. John Fisher (3-4) at 6 p.m. at Alumni Arena. Then on Saturday, the Bulls will be in Atlanta to take on Tulane (5-3) at the Atlanta Hawks’ State Farm Arena. UB will wrap up the week in Morgantown, West Virginia on Sunday evening where they’ll try to take down the Mountaineers (6-2). Tuesday and Sunday’s games can be seen on ESPN+, while Saturday’s game against Tulane will air on one of ESPN’s networks.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
