By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
Verne Lundqvist’s call as time expired was a memorable accompaniment to the jubilance on the court and in the stands in Atlantic City.
“St. Bonaventure’s gonna dance,” the decorated CBS announcer boomed, “for the first time since the decade began.”
Andrew Nicholson handed out hugs while Charlon Kloof and Chris Johnson danced about with the ball, the euphoric feeling of securing the school’s first Atlantic 10 title setting in.
“How about that?” Lundqvist remarked as Mark Schmidt hugged great friend and former co-worker Chris Mack, while the Bona contingent jumped for joy.
It was an idyllic day for the team and program and remains the only time the Bonnies ran the A-10 Tournament bracket. Not that they haven’t been close.
From the win to a few heartbreaks and a no-doubter defeat, Bona has experienced four A-10 finals and is set to play a fifth.
March 10, 1984: West Virginia 59, St. Bonaventure 56
The Bonnies, led by Alvin Lott and Barry Mungar, nearly won the crown as the No. 7 seed in West Virginia’s own building in 1984. They were tasked with four games in four days, including upsetting No. 2 seed Saint Joseph’s in the quarterfinal on Mike Sheehey’s game-winning jumper with eight seconds left, as coach Jim O’Brien used a seven-man rotation.
A true road final didn’t faze Bona, which entered the contest on a six-game win streak. The brown and white led the Mountaineers for much of the first half and recovered from multiple scoring droughts, cutting a 13-point deficit with 11:36 remaining in the game to a one-point margin with 1:43 left.
WVU guard J.J. Crawl, however, made a pair of winning free throws late to end SBU’s bid for a fourth tournament win in 67 hours.
The initial goal for the week, O’Brien admitted afterward, was to win one game. Considering Bonaventure had lost 81-68 in Morgantown three weeks prior, the team didn’t leave entirely disappointed.
March 11, 2000: Temple 65, St. Bonaventure 44
Jim Baron’s charges had won five straight and seven of nine before the Temple rubber match. A Cookiegate redux, however, wasn’t to be; the Bonnies got blown out in the title game at Philadelphia’s Spectrum Center.
John Chaney’s Owls held Bona scoreless for the first five minutes and, shockingly, prevented SBU from even grabbing a rebound for the first 10:44. Temple led by as many as 28 points despite A-10 Player of the Year Pepe Sánchez being shut out.
Bonaventure quietly departed the tournament and headed home for an NCAA Selection Sunday viewing party. Even a 21-point loss didn’t stop Tim Winn, Cassell Cyrus and the Bonnies from securing a No. 12 seed in the dance.
March 11, 2012: St. Bonaventure 67, Xavier 56
The Bonnies earned the fourth double-bye ahead of the tournament at Boardwalk Hall, but they were not favored to win it all.
Top-seeded Temple was 13-3 in A-10 play, the victor in 12 of the last 13 regular season games. Rick Majerus’s No. 2 seed Saint Louis Billikens thumped Bona by 24 on Feb. 1, while No. 3 Xavier also defeated Nicholson and co. by double-digits.
The UMass Minutemen shook up the bracket, downing the Owls 77-71 in the quarterfinal behind 41 combined points from Jesse Morgan and Chaz Williams. With the No. 1 seed an early out, the path to a championship appearance opened up.
After narrowly getting past Saint Joe’s and UMass in the quarterfinal and final, respectively, the Bonnies dominated Xavier in the title game. Nicholson posted 26 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks, seizing MVP honors.
March 17, 2019: Saint Louis 55, St. Bonaventure 53
Bonaventure’s run was unpredictable after a 4-9 non-conference slate, but its loss stung all the same after leading by as many as 13 points in the second half.
The Billikens won the bid-stealing classic after holding the Bonnies to 19 second-half points and surviving two go-ahead 3-point attempts in the last 31 seconds.
The Bonnies partly avenged that day by topping SLU in this year’s A-10 semifinal. This time, Kyle Lofton said, Bona wants to “make it count” in the championship game.
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