ST. BONAVENTURE — A hot start could not set the table for success Wednesday night as Fordham controlled the second half on the way to an 79-68 win over the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team at the Reilly Center.

Daryl Banks III was the exception to the rule for the Bonnies offense against Fordham, scoring a game-high 29 points.

Bona (10-11, 4-4 A-10) jumped out to a 12-5 start but quickly cooled, going scoreless for a nearly six-minute stretch that saw Fordham knot the score at 12-all before Flowers finally broke the drought with a 3-pointer.

Nearly all of the Bonnies early offense came from beyond the arc as four of their first six field goals came from distance.

Ultimately, the Bonnies would lead by a bucket at the half as Banks drained 12 of the team’s 30 points before halftime.

In the first portion of the second period, though, the Rams would bring the Bonnies offense to a halt.

The Rams (16-4, 4-3) pulled ahead 40-37 at the 13:51 mark before Yann Farell free throws brought the hosts back within a point.

Will Richardson received friendly bounces on back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the Rams lead — first banking in a trey from the wing after Farell’s free throws and then hitting every part of the rim on a shot than finally fell from straight away as the Rams ran ahead by nine.

Banks tried to keep the Bonnies in the game, getting his squad within a 54-48 margin following five straight points.

The whistles and the stops from the Rams continued to mount, though, as another 11-1 sprint from Fordham gave them a 15-point cushion with four minutes to play.

St. Bonaventure continued to battle in the waning minutes, closing to a 75-68 gap with 1:11 left following a 3-pointer from Anquan Hill.

The Bonnies were forced to foul, however, and Fordham would convert more than enough at the line down the stretch to lock the game down.

Luc finished with 10 points and six assists while Hill registered 9 points.

Khalid Moore poured in 19 points to lead Fordham.

NOTES: The teams combined for 53 total foul calls. St. Bonaventure went 25 for 31 at the foul line while Fordham finished 25 for 36. … Banks went 12 of 12 at the stripe, setting a career high. … Rebounds were equal, 34-34. Fordham shot 43% overall while the Bonnies shot at a 38% clip. … Prior to the game Moses Flowers was honored for surpassing 1,000 career points. He reached the milestone in a win last week over Duquesne. … Fordham snapped an 11-game losing streak vs. the Bonnies.

UP NEXT

St. Bonaventure starts a two-game road trip in Richmond, Virginia by taking on VCU Saturday night. Tip time is scheduled for 6 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.

Fordham 79, St. Bonaventure 68

FORDHAM (16-4)

Moore 6-7 6-8 19, Novitskyi 1-3 5-11 7, Charlton 1-8 1-2 3, Quisenberry 3-10 11-13 17, Richardson 6-8 0-0 16, Rose 1-3 2-2 5, Gray 3-7 0-0 7, Kelly 1-4 0-0 3, Tsimbila 0-1 0-0 0, Dean 0-0 0-0 0, Riley 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 23-53 25-36 79.

ST. BONAVENTURE (10-11)

B.Evans 1-4 0-2 2, Farell 1-7 4-4 7, Venning 4-7 0-0 8, Banks 7-12 12-12 29, Luc 2-8 5-9 10, Flowers 1-3 0-0 3, Hill 2-4 4-4 9, Amadasun 0-0 0-0 0, Mellouk 0-1 0-0 0, Rumpel 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-47 25-31 68.

Halftime–St. Bonaventure 30-28. 3-Point Goals–Fordham 8-24 (Richardson 4-5, Moore 1-1, Gray 1-3, Rose 1-3, Kelly 1-4, Tsimbila 0-1, Charlton 0-3, Quisenberry 0-4), St. Bonaventure 7-19 (Banks 3-7, Flowers 1-1, Hill 1-2, Luc 1-3, Farell 1-6). Fouled Out–Venning, Flowers. Rebounds–Fordham 31 (Novitskyi, Charlton 5), St. Bonaventure 30 (B.Evans, Farell, Venning 6). Assists–Fordham 12 (Novitskyi 5), St. Bonaventure 11 (Luc 6). Total Fouls–Fordham 25, St. Bonaventure 28. A–3,854 (5,480).