ST. BONAVENTURE, NY – Daryl Simmons II scored 24 points to lead St. Bonaventure past Siena Basketball 75-66 in the annual Br. Ed Coughlin Franciscan Cup at the Reilly Center.
 
Simmons shot 9-13 from the field for St. Bonaventure (3-0) which connected at a 53% clip to secure its third straight Franciscan Cup win. Frank Mitchell contributed a double-double, scoring all 13 of his points in the second half while adding 10 rebounds for the Bonnies which held a 46-20 advantage in points in the paint.
 
Gavin Doty led all scorers with a career-high 25 points while adding eight rebounds and four assists for Siena (2-1) which fell to 1-24 all-time at St. Bonaventure. Brendan Coyle chipped in 14 points, shooting 4-7 from three.
 
The first half featured nine lead changes and six ties, although Siena led for the majority of the opening stanza and by as many as six. But the Bonnies ended the half on a 13-4 run to reclaim a 36-33 lead at the break.
 
Siena tied things one final time at 40-all with 16:02 remaining, but St. Bonaventure responded with a 10-2 run to claim their final advantage. The Saints stayed as close as a possession at 58-55 with 7:38 left, however the Bonnies grinded out a 14-4 run down the stretch to retain the Cup.
 
Cayden Charles rounded out the double figure scorers with 15 points on 5-7 shooting and nine rebounds for perennial Atlantic 10 contender St. Bonaventure which won 22 games a season ago while earning an NIT appearance.
 
Siena returns to the Capital Region for a mini two-game homestand next week, beginning with a matchup vs. perennial Patriot League power Colgate Monday at 7 p.m. at MVP Arena.