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GAMEDAY CENTRAL
ST. BONAVENTURE (7-5) at MARSHALL (10-2)
DATE: Saturday, January 2, 2010
SITE: Cam Henderson Center (9,043)
TIP-OFF: 2:00 p.m. EST
RADIO: WPIG (95.7 FM) & WHDL (1450 AM) - Olean
TALENT: Gary Nease (Play-by-Play)
PRE-GAME CHAT: www.GOBONNIES.com
WEB AUDIO: www.GOBONNIES.com
WEB VIDEO: www.HERDZONE.com
SERIES: St. Bonaventure leads, 2-1
LAST MEETING: 1959-60 Season
St. Bonaventure 93, Marshall 80
UP NEXT: vs. George Washington
Wednesday, January 6, 2010.

AT A GLANCE
Still in search of its first true road win of the season, St. Bonaventure will ring in the New Year by taking on Conference USA foe Marshall in Huntington, W.Va. on Jan. 2. The Brown and White are 0-4 on the road this season, while the Thundering Herd are 7-0 at home and have won 12 straight at the Cam Henderson Center dating back to last year. The game will be the final non-conference tune-up for the Bonnies who begin Atlantic 10 play on Jan. 6 against George Washington at the Reilly Center.

MATCHUP TO WATCH
The most intriguing matchup of the day will come in the paint where reigning Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year ANDREW NICHOLSON will square-off against Marshall's super freshman Hassan Whiteside. The 6-foot-9 Nicholson will need to use all of his 7-foot-4 wingspan against the 7-foot freshman from Gastonia, N.C. Nicholson leads the Bonnies in scoring (16.2), field goal percentage (.661), rebounding (7.2), offensive rebounds (28) and blocks (20). Hassan, a two-time Conference USA Rookie of the Week, averages 12.3 points per game while leading his club in rebounding (9.3), offensive rebounds (41), field goal percentage (.594) and blocks (59).

THIS DAY IN BONA BASKETBALL
St. Bonaventure is 4-2 all-time when playing on January 2, dating back to the 1975-76 season in the Bona record books - the final season that has actual dates recorded. The Brown and White's last win on this date came in 2000 when they defeated Niagara 84-71 behind 14 points, seven assists and seven steals from senior point guard TIM WINN at the Reilly Center. Five different players scored in double figures for St. Bonaventure who went on to win 21 games and advance to the NCAA Tournament.

SCOUTING THE HERD
Off to its best start since the 1999-2000 season, Marshall sports a 10-2 record, including an unblemished 7-0 mark at home. Led by third-year head coach Donnie Jones, the Thundering Herd average 82.6 points per game and have broken the 100-point plateau three times this season. Out of Marshall's 10 wins, seven of them have come by double-digits, including +31.2 margin at home. The Herd leads all of Conference USA in field goal percentage defense (.378) and blocks per game (8.3). Marshall sports one of the most underrated frontcourt in the country that is bookended by freshman Hassan Whiteside and senior Tyler Wilkerson. The duo averages a combined 25.8 points, 16.3 rebounds and 6.4 blocks per game. Whiteside, a 7-foot freshman, has six double-doubles on the season, including the program's first-ever triple double (17 pts, 14 reb., 11 blks.) against Brescia. Whiteside leads Conference USA in blocks (59) and field goal percentage (.594), while sporting 12.3 points and 9.3 boards per game. A fifth-year senior, Wilkerson has two double-doubles of his own and has reached double figure points in the last 11 games. Sophomore guard Shaquille Johnson is third on the club in scoring at 11.8 per game and has a team-high 18 three-pointers.

DO IT ALL HALL
After becoming just the second player in program history to lead the team in points, rebounds and assists in the same year, senior JONATHAN HALL is quietly putting together another solid season. Hall ranks second on the club in nearly every statistical category; points (12.3), rebounds (4.8), assists (3.3), steals (17), blocks (7) and field goal percentage (.573). The Miami, Fla. native has scored in double figures a team-best 11 times, while leading the way on the backboard six times, including the last four games. Over his last two games, Hall has averaged 15 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists, highlighted by his fourth career double-double and a 20-point outing. Hall also has five of his seven blocks on the season over the past two contests. Hall ranks fourth in the A-10 in field goal percentage and ninth in assist/turnover ratio (+1.7).

THE CN TOWER
Sophomore ANDREW NICHOLSON is the center of attention for opposing teams. That hasn't stopped the reigning Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year from avoiding a sophomore slump, as the Canadian big man leads the team in both scoring (16.2) and rebounding (7.2). Nicholson leads the A-10 with a 66.1 percent (80-121) field goal percentage and is one of two players to rank in top 10 in the conference in both scoring (10th) and rebounding (7th). Nicholson poured in a game-high 26 points on 11-of-15 from the field against St. John's and then equaled a career-high with 29 points and a career-best 14 boards against Norfolk State. He has a team-high three 20-point games this season. Nicholson has led the team in scoring seven times and rebounding five times this season, including both in the same game on four occasions.

DUNK YOU VERY MUCH
Blessed with a 7-foot-4 wingspan and plenty of bounce, sophomore ANDREW NICHOLSON'S career 62 percent shoot clip is aided by his ability to dunk the basketball. Through 42 career games, Nicholson has thrown down 62 dunks out of his 234 field goals. In 2008-09, Nicholson had 37 dunks and has followed with 25 already this season. Nicholson set a career-high with seven slams at Niagara on Dec. 22, besting his previous record of five at Duquesne last season. The Mississauga, Ontario product has a dunk in 26 career games, including 18 multi-dunk performances and 11 games of three or more dunks.

SOFT TOUCH
Who says big men can't shoot? According to the most recent NCAA statistics, sophomore ANDREW NICHOLSON is one of two players in the nation shooting 60 percent or better from the field and at least 80 percent from the free throw line. To be eligible for the rankings, the player has to make five field goals per game and an average of 2.5 free throws per contest. The 6-foot-9 second-year forward connected on his last 14 shots from the charity stripe and ranks third in the A-10 in free throw percentage (.850). He also leads the conference in field goal percentage (.661) after finishing second in 2008-09 and is 40 of his last 54 from the field over the past five games. Nicholson was joined by Lafayette's Jared Mintz on the exclusive list as of Dec. 20.

BOMBS AWAY
After going through the worst three-game scoring stretch of his career at St. Bonaventure to open the season, senior CHRIS MATTHEWS has found the shooting stroke that helped him sink 81 three-pointers a year ago. Matthews enjoyed a breakout tournament at the BTI Classic, averaging 21 points and six trifectas per game over three games. Matthews equaled the school record of eight three-pointers in the final game against Illinois State, while also tying his own career-best of 28 points. The Washington, D.C. product's 3.3 three-pointers per game currently lead the A-10 and rank 16th in the country, as of Dec. 20. Matthews has made three or more treys in a game seven times already this season helping him rank third on the team in scoring at 12.1 per game. In just 42 games as a Bonnie, Matthews has moved into 10th place on the all-time three-pointers list with 121.

PAINTING THE TOWN BROWN
St. Bonaventure has been extremely efficient on offense this season. The Bonnies have shot 50 percent or better in seven of the 12 games and are shooting at an impressive 49.9 percent clip (337-675) for the year - tops in the A-10. The easy buckets around the rim have led to a 450-388 edge in points in the paint. The 450 points in the paint account for 51 percent of the team's offense this season and 37.5 points per game.

A GIVE, BUT MOSTLY TAKE RELATIONSHIP
Through 12 games, the Bonnies have scored 232 points (19.3 per game) off opponents' turnovers and have held five opponents to 40 percent or less from the field. Over the three games prior to its loss at Niagara, St. Bonaventure forced 60 turnovers that led to 82 points.

EASY DOES IT
Thanks to solid interior play, easy buckets in transition and points off turnovers, St. Bonaventure has shot an impressive 49.9 percent from the field to lead the A-10 and rank seventh in the nation. The Bonnies have shot over 50 percent in seven of 12 games and 13 of 24 periods. The Brown and White's best shooting performance of the season came against Norfolk State when it finished 37-of-55 from the field for a 67 percent clip. The team's top percentage in a half came over the opening 20 minutes of the season against Cleveland State when it sank 77 percent (17-22) of its shots. Sophomore ANDREW NICHOLSON (.661) and senior JONATHAN HALL (.573) rank first and fourth in the A-10, respectively, and in the top 25 nationally in field goal percentage, while a total of five players are above the 50 percent clip. St. Bonaventure had finished with a 50 percent shooting percentage or better just eight times over two previous seasons.

GET READY, GET SET, GO!
Simultaneous with its 7-5 start to the season has been St. Bonaventure's ability to get off to great starts in the first half. The Bonnies have taken the lead into the locker room in nine of 12 games, including six leads of 13 points or more. St. Bonaventure out-scored those nine opponents 342-232, good for a +12.2 margin. As a team, the Bonnies are shooting 49.6 percent in the first stanza this season. Sophomore ANDREW NICHOLSON is averaging team bests of 9.8 points and 4.4 rebounds over the opening 20 minutes.

THE CINCINNATI KID
After a freshman season in which he averaged 3.3 points and played sparingly, MICHAEL DAVENPORT has shown major progress in his sophomore campaign. After scoring in double figures one time as a freshman, the Cincinnati, Ohio product has already produced five double-digit efforts this season. The Bonnies are 5-0 when the 6-foot-3 guard reaches double figures. Davenport began his second season in style, scoring a career-high 19 points on 7-of-10 from the field off the bench. Davenport is fourth on the team in scoring (8.8), second in assists (38) and third in rebounding (3.5). After coming off the bench over the first seven contests, Davenport has made five consecutive starts.