NEW YORK -- — Melvin Council Jr.'s 24 points helped Saint Bonaventure defeat Fordham 86-66 on Saturday.

Council also contributed eight assists and five steals for the Bonnies (14-1, 2-0 Atlantic 10 Conference). Jonah Hinton scored 17 points while going 6 of 11 (4 for 9 from 3-point range) and added seven rebounds. Lajae Jones had 16 points and shot 5 of 10 from the field, including 3 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 3 for 3 from the line. The Bonnies picked up their eighth straight win.

Jackie Johnson III led the way for the Rams (8-7, 0-2) with 21 points and two steals. Romad Dean added 13 points and six rebounds for Fordham. Japhet Medor finished with 13 points and five assists.

Saint Bonaventure took the lead with 16:23 remaining in the first half and did not give it up. Council led their team in scoring with 16 points in the first half to help put them up 43-30 at the break. Saint Bonaventure extended its lead to 70-50 during the second half, fueled by an 8-0 scoring run.

Both teams next play Wednesday. Saint Bonaventure visits Saint Louis and Fordham takes on VCU on the road.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.