Nov. 29, 2008

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BUFFALO, N.Y. - You'd think after 157 meetings between St. Bonaventure and Canisius that eventually one game would play out like another.

On Saturday night at HSBC Arena, the annual rivalry was just as intense as the 156 prior to it, but totally unique, as Julius Coles buried a three-pointer from the left wing with 5.4 seconds remaining to vault the Golden Griffins to a dramatic 68-66 win over the Bonnies.

After trailing for the first 15 minutes of the second half, the Brown and White rallied to build a 66-61 lead with just 32 seconds remaining.

Canisius climbed right back into the contest with four points from junior Frank Turner on its next possession to make it a one-point game, 66-65 with 24 seconds left. Turner's first point came at the free throw line where he made the first of two shots. The second rimmed out, but the Griffs got the rebound and kicked it back out to Turner for the three-pointer.

Now forced to foul, Canisius didn't have to as junior Ray Blackburn's cross-court pass sailed to high and out of the reach of junior Chris Matthews, giving possession back to the Golden Griffins.

Canisius took full advantage of the Bona miscue, as Turner found Coles for the game-winning shot.

Still with a chance to tie or go-ahead, St. Bonaventure in-bounded the ball to Blackburn, who raced up the court and pulled up from just beyond the three-point line. Blackburn's shot hit the back of the rim as the buzzer sounded.

Each team's final statistics nearly mirrored one another, as the game featured 13 lead changes and six ties. Both teams committed 21 fouls, but neither could take advantage, evident by St. Bonaventure 57 percent (12-21) clip from the line and Canisius' 40 percent (8-20) night.

Junior Maurice Thomas posted his first double-double as a Bonnies and third of his career with a career-best 22 points and 12 rebounds. Thomas scored 19 of his game-high 22 in the first half, as he connected on 8-of-16 from the field and 6-of-8 from the free throw line.

Junior Jonathan Hall was the only player in double figures for the visitor's with 11 points and nine boards. Freshman Andrew Nicholson and sophomore Da'Quan Cook had eight and seven points, respectively.

Five different players finished in double-digit points for the Griffs, led by Turner's 15 in a full 40 minutes of work.

The opening four minutes yielded a 9-9 tie at the first media timeout despite the Bonnies holding a pair of four-point leads. Both teams ran into early foul trouble as the first 10 minutes of the game featured a combined 16 fouls.

For the Brown and White, the foul trouble came in the form of freshman Andrew Nicholson and junior Chris Matthews. Thomas picked up the slack in the major way, netting five straight points to break the tie and give St. Bonaventure a 14-9 lead with 14:08 to play in the first half.

The story the rest of the opening 20 minutes was the play of the junior forward, who made the first half the Maurice Thomas show from the Bona perspective. In all, Thomas finished the first frame with 19 of the team's final 23 points, including the final seven of the period.

Thomas' stellar on play on both ends, which all featured six offensive rebounds and eight in all, kept in a one-point game, 36-35, at the break in favor of Canisius. The frantic opening 20 minutes featured nine lead changes and three ties.

St. Bonaventure will now have a much-needed six days off from game action until it returns to Bob Lanier Court on Saturday, Dec. 6. The Bonnies will welcome Ivy League affiliate Princeton to the Reilly Center for a 7 p.m. tip.