The Saint Joseph's Hawks fell to St. Bonaventure, 71-68, on Friday afternoon at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City during the Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinals on Friday.
Saint Joe's trailed 33-30 at halftime, but took their first lead at the 17:35 mark of the second half on a Langston Galloway three-pointer. The Bonnies built a small lead near the midway point of the half but the Hawks were able to go back in front with 9:25 to play and then the teams traded the lead down the stretch. Ultimately, the Bonnies made enough free throws to hold off the Hawks.
St. Bonaventure dominated the glass and shot better than 50% from the field for the game. However, behind the arc, the Hawks were 9-22 while the Bonnies were just 1-8. Saint Joe's also turned the Bonnies over 11 times while only turning the ball over three times themselves. The Hawks converted those turnovers into 17 points. The big rebounding advantage for St. Bonaventure took its toll as the Bonnies racked up 46 points in the paint while the Hawks managed only 22 points in the paint.
Andrew Nicholson, the Atlantic 10 Conference player of the year, finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks for the Bonnies. Charlon Kloof chipped in 19 points for the Bonnies. St. Joes was led by 24 points from Carl Jones. Langston Galloway and Daryus Quarles chipped in 12 points apiece for the Hawks.
St. Bonaventure, the No. 4 seed, will move on to play the No. 8 seed UMass in the semifinals on at 1 p.m. on March 10. The Minutemen upset the No. 1 seed Temple Owls earlier today, 77-71.
For more on the Atlantic 10 Tournament, check back to this StoryStream. Meanwhile, SB Nation's college basketball hub will prepare you for the month of March and the madness it brings.