In a historic 50th-anniversary rewind, St. Bonaventure’s 1976-77 NIT champions lit up Madison Square Garden with electrifying grit and clutch plays. Led by the unstoppable duo of Essie Hollis and Greg Sanders—averaging over 20 points each—and orchestrated by Glenn Hagan’s masterful playmaking, the team stormed through a 24-6 season to claim the title. They edged Villanova in a thriller, stunned Rutgers with a last-second Hagan heroics, and capped it all with Sanders’ 40-point, 12-rebound masterpiece in the championship game. Sanders earned MVP and First Team honors, while Hagan joined him on the Second Team. Jim Baron’s defensive anchors held the line, and fans welcomed them home in a roaring celebration—even at midnight. Sanders remains the school’s all-time scoring leader, and Hagan’s assist record still ranks among the best. Their unforgettable run, highlighted by Hollis’ 37-point demolition of Syracuse, is forever etched in Bonnies lore as a golden era of grit, glory, and greatness.
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