The 24 hours immediately following Monday’s loss to St. Bonaventure were the longest of Kevin Broadus’ life, the Bearcats’ first-year head coach said Wednesday.

‘It was harder than when we lost the Final Four [at Georgetown],’ Broadus said. ‘I had thoughts of going to that bridge with the lights on and jumping off it.’

The 17-point loss was compounded by the fact that the team bus struck a deer on the way.

But winning certainly changed the coach’s attitude, and he said he was most happy for the fans ‘ especially the BU Zoo.

‘That was one of the best sections I’ve seen in a long time,’ Broadus said. ‘I take my hat off to them, and I want to make sure they get credit, because they helped us win the game.’

As far as his postgame ritual, Broadus had a different one planned Wednesday night.

‘I may just drive past the bridge tonight so I can get to sleep,’ he said.