The Matchup
St. Bonaventure travels to Rhode Island to take on the Rams in a matchup of teams looking for their second Atlantic 10 Conference win of the season. The game will be televised by Time Warner Rochester and Buffalo, FIOS Buffalo and Syracuse, Comcast New England, Cox Rhode Island and Comcast Sports Southeast (join in progress at 5 p.m.).
Last Time Out
No. 19/23 Temple (12-3, 3-0 A-10) used a 32-11 run to end the first half and maintained the lead from there in an 83-55 win over St. Bonaventure (9-6, 1-1) Wednesday night at the Liacouras Center. Michael Davenport made 3-of-4 3-pointers and finished with a team-high 13 points, while Andrew Nicholson notched 11 to stretch his 10+ points scoring streak to 20 games. Ogo Adegboye and Demitrius Conger were 4-of-9 from the field and chipped in 11 apiece.
Next Game
The Bonnies return to the Reilly Center to host perennial A-10 power Xavier in another game televised by CBS College Sports Regional.
Scouting the Rams
The Rams, who make just shy of eight 3s per game, are coming off a 78-74 win at Richmond after an A-10 opening loss to Xavier. At Richmond, Nikola Malesevic registered his first career double-double as Rhode Island used a hot shooting touch from the outside (12-27) to earn the win. Senior post man Delroy James leads URI in scoring (18.2/gm) and rebounding (7.3/gm), while Malesevic ranks second (11.2 pts/gm) and is converting 58.2 percent of his 3-pointers on the year. Sophomore G Akeem Richmond is third in scoring at 10.2 per game. Marquis Jones (9.7 pts/3.7 rebs/58 asts) and Will Martell (7.9/5.9) have started every game for the Rams, who have nine players average at least 12 minutes a game.
Last Meeting
St. Bonaventure's 21-of-23 performance at the charity stripe, including a perfect 14-for-14 performance in the second half, helped it survive a second half run by Rhode Island for an 81-74 Atlantic 10 upset at the Reilly Center. The win moved the Brown and White's A-10 win streak to three games, it's longest since the 2001-02 season. The Bonnies' four victories in February improved their record to 13-14 overall, 6-8 A-10 headed into the final week of the regular season.
Head Coach: Jim Baron
Over the last four seasons under ninth-year coach Jim Baron (a Bona letterwinner and head coach 1992-01), the Rams have won 89 games - the most victories in program history in a four-year time span. The success on the court has seen URI average over 22 wins a season, including three trips to the National Invitation Tournament and a spot in the finals of the 2007 Atlantic 10 Championship. In 2009-10, the Runnin' Rams won 26 games - second-most in program history - and advanced to Madison Square Garden for the semifinals of the 2010 National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
Series Snapshot
The Bonnies are 23-34 all-time against the Rams, including 21-32 since URI joined the A-10 in 1980. Away from home, SBU is just 7-19 and has not beaten the Rams since Jan. 6, 2002 (96-74).
Windex Man
Although he still leads the team and ranks fifth in the A-10 at 8.1 boards per game, Andrew Nicholson is hauling in just 4.4 per game over his last five outings. The junior recorded double-digit rebounds in seven of the first nine games of the year, including a string of five straight, but has not grabbed more than seven in a span of six games.
Bouncing Back
After starting the season with a 1-for-11 3FG%, junior G Michael Davenport has lifted his percentage from deep to 40.4 percent (21-52). Over his last five games, the Cincinnati native is converting at a team-best 45.0 percent (9-20).
Leaders of the A-10 Pack
As league play begins, several Bonnies rank at or near the top of the A-10's statistical heap: scoring (Nicholson 21.7 ppg, 1st); minutes played (Adegboye 40.8/gm, 1st); minutes played (Conger 38.3/gm, t2nd) rebounding (Nicholson 8.1, 5th); As a team, SBU ranks 4th in scoring offense (71.3); 4th in FG% (.453) 4th in rebounding margin (+4.3).
A Chance to Tie Baron
Jim Baron, the last coach to lead the Bonnies to a postseason tournament (NIT, 2001), posted 48 wins in his first four campaigns. Now in his fourth season on the Bona sidelines, Schmidt and his staff (all of whom eventually worked under Schmidt at Robert Morris) have collected 47 wins…and counting. By number of victories in their first four seasons, here's how it breaks down:
75 Ed Melvin (1948-52)
72 Jim Satalin (1973-77)
67 Jim O'Brien (1982-86)
58 Larry Weise (1961-65)
53 Eddie Donovan (1953-57)
48 Jim Baron (1992-96)
Mike Reilly (1928-32)
47+ Mark Schmidt (2007-Pres.)
24 Anthony Solomon (2003-07)
Aren't You Guys Tired?
Coach Schmidt has deployed the same starting five all season long, and those five players have had the opportunity to play…a lot. Through 15 games, four of the five starters average more than 32 minutes per game and Da'Quan Cook – who leads the team in fouls (48) – averages 27.7. Ogo Adegboye leads the nation in minutes per game (40.8) and has played at least 31 minutes in each outing, including complete-game efforts against Buffalo, St. John's, Niagara, Ark.-Little Rock and Charlotte. Demitrius Conger has played 575 of a possible 640 minutes and is ranked fourth nationally (38.3/gm). Andrew Nicholson was in for the duration against Ohio (60 min, 4OT) and Charlotte (55 min, 3OT) and ranks 14th in the country (36.9).
Oh So Close
The Bonnies' 92-88 triple overtime win against Charlotte marked SBU's sixth victory by five or fewer points (6-0). When allowing just one more point (games decided by 6-10) St. Bonaventure is a paltry 0-4.
Gotta Have the Free Ones
The Bonnies sank a season-high 31 free throws in the 3OT win over Charlotte, including 9 of 10 in the third and final overtime period.
And-1 (More)
The Bonnies have actually played the equivalent of one extra game this season when accounting for overtime periods. By point differential (+5 Ohio 4OT, -8 VT OT, +4 Charlotte 3OT), SBU would pull out a one-point victory in that extra game, led by 22 points and six rebounds from Andrew Nicholson and 14 points and six boards from Ogo Adegboye.
Helping Hand
Senior G Ogo Adegboye dished out seven assists and had only three turnovers as the primary ball handler in 45 minutes against Charlotte. It marked the fifth time this season the London native has recorded an A:TO ratio of 2:1 or better. Over his last five games, he has 27 helpers and just eight turnovers.
Scoring the Rock
Andrew Nicholson ranks 12th nationally in scoring at 21.7 points per game and recorded the NCAA's third-highest scoring output this season with 44 points (on 14-of-19 FGs and 16-19 FTs) in the 4OT win versus Ohio. The junior has raised his scoring average every season in the Brown and White (12.5--16.4--21.7) and his current scoring clip would be the highest for a season since J.R. Bremer averaged 24.6 in 2001-02.
20 and Counting
Junior Andrew Nicholson has scored in double figures in 20 straight contests – the most by a current A-10 player - dating back to Feb. 27, 2010 against Rhode Island. Over the 19-game span, which includes seven double-doubles, Nicholson is averaging 20.7 points and 7.4 caroms per game.
Demitrius Goes Double
Demitrius Conger booked his fourth career double-double with a 21-point 10-rebound effort against the Trojans of Arkansas-Little Rock. A rising sophomore who showed flashes of talent last season, Conger has been one of the more consistent performers this season, recording at least eight points and three boards in every game since Nov. 19 at Cornell - where he notched his first career double-double (22 pts, 14 reb).
Going the Distance
St. Bonaventure played the longest game in its 91-year history Dec. 18 versus Ohio, as the Bonnies and Bearcats went to four overtimes (a full 1.5 games). The Bonnies had four players log more than 53 minutes (Adegboye, Conger, Davenport, Nicholson) and redshirt F/C Jake Houseknecht booked 36 minutes for a new career-high. Nicholson played the full 60 minutes – the second game in a row he was not subbed for – and Adegboye (59 mins) played all but one. Five days later, the Bonnies took Virginia Tech to a single OT period.
Return to Sender
Nicholson's rejection at the 6:31 mark of the second period against Ohio made him just the third player in school history to block 150 or more shots in a career. He owns the single-game record (9 vs. Bucknell) for the Bonnies and currently sits third on the SBU career blocks list (155).
#100 for Schmidt
Now in his fourth season at St. Bonaventure, head coach Mark Schmidt coached his 100th game at SBU against Ohio Dec. 18, 2010. Schmidt's .430 (43-56) win percentage entering the game was the highest by a Bonnies' mentor since Jim Baron's .502 (132-131) mark compiled from 1992-01. Schmidt and Baron are the only two coaches to post a win-loss percentage over .400 since the start of the 1987 season.
Seeing Double-Double
The Ohio game marked the fourth time this season that two players have recorded a double-double in the same contest (Cornell, Cleveland State, Niagara). In a counterintuitive twist, the Bonnies are 2-2 in those games. When just one player accomplishes the feat (both Ark.-Little Rock games, Binghamton, Buffalo, St. John's, VT), the team is 5-1.
Double Down
RS-Junior Da'Quan Cook – who wore #21 last season – posted his second double-double of the year against Niagara. Cook hauled in 10 boards and scored 11 points in that game after a 21-point, 13-rebound effort helped the Bonnies cruise past Binghamton Nov. 21. So far this season, the Bonnies have 15 double doubles from four different players: Nicholson (7), Conger (4), Cook (2), Adegboye (1) and Davenport (1). Earlier this season, Nicholson's streak of five straight double doubles tied for the second-longest streak in the country.
Climbing the Charts
Nicholson is climbing the St. Bonaventure career records list in his third season. The Mississauga, Ont. native is second on the school's career FG% leader (.572), ranks third in blocks (153), and now sits in 27th on the all-time scoring list with 1,193 points. He is the 22nd player in school annals to post 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career.
Deja 'Drew
Nicholson hit game-winning jumpers from nearly the same spot on the floor in the Bonnies' wins against UB and St. John's. The Buffalo game winner came with 6.8 seconds left to lift SBU to a 76-74 win, while the jab-step, stepback shot against the Red Storm gave a 67-66 edge with 5.2 left.
Stepping Up
Entering the season, coach Mark Schmidt commented that players other than Nicholson would have to step up for the Bonnies to find success. True to form, each of the other four starters have netted career highs including: Michael Davenport (22 pts vs. St. John's), Ogo Adegboye (17 vs. Ark.-Little Rock, 24 vs. Buffalo), Demitrius Conger (22 pts. 14 rebs. vs. Cornell) and Da'Quan Cook (21 pts. 13 rebs. vs. Binghamton).
Riding the Pine
The Bonnies are on the short side of the bench scoring matchup by a wide margin despite their favorable record. Through 15 games SBU has outscored the opposing bench just once (Temple, 8-7). In other all other games: Canisius (-17); Ark.-Little Rock (-10); Cornell (-10); Binghamton (-17); Cleveland State (-3); Buffalo (-9); St. John's (-31); Niagara (-15); Ohio (-18); Va. Tech (-10); Siena (-11); Marshall (-24); Ark.-Little Rock (-15); Charlotte (-10); Temple (+1).
Nostradamus on Nicholson
Should he record two more seasons similar to those already in the books, Nicholson will notch: 1,849 points (would rank sixth at SBU), 819 rebounds (fifth) and 272 blocks (second). It is also likely that he will become the 22nd player in school history with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds (needs one point and 52 rebounds).
NLI Signees
SBU added a pair of guards in the early signing period. Schenectady native Derrick Millinghaus, who currently attends Queen City Prep in Marshville, N.C., is a 1-2 combo guard with an open-court style. Millinghaus will have four years of eligibility, while fellow signee Eric Mosely will have two years remaining. Mosely currently attends Cincinnati State Technical and Community College and spent his freshman season at Austin Peay in 2008-09.
APR Improvement
Mark Schmidt ranks 13th in the nation in NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) improvement, as calculated by Fox Sports. Schmidt is among the top coaches nationally in cumulative improvement of his team APR, a metric used by NCAA officials to track the academic achievement of Division I teams during each academic term. Each student-athlete earns one point for staying in school and one point for being academically eligible. A team's total points are divided by points possible and multiplied by 1,000 to equal the team's APR score.
Ahead of Schedule?
Now in his fourth season at the helm of the Bonnies, head coach Mark Schmidt is ahead of schedule with respect to his previous head coaching stint at Robert Morris. During his third and fourth season at RMU, Schmidt posted back-to-back seasons with the same number of wins (14) before guiding the team to a record over .500 (15-14). At St. Bonaventure, Schmidt has guided the team to 15 wins in each of the last two campaigns in his second and third seasons with the program. St. Bonaventure has not finished a season over .500 since 2001-02 (17-13).
Chasing .500
After recording a 15-15 mark in 2008-09, SBU fell one game short of .500 last season by booking a 15-16 record. St. Bonaventure enjoyed a streak of 28 consecutive seasons of .500-or-better basketball from 1956-57 to 1983-84, but has just eight such seasons in the last 25. SBU has 63 seasons at or above .500 in 89 years.
A Look Back: 2009-10
The St. Bonaventure University men's basketball team ended the 2009-10 season with a 15-16 overall mark that included a 7-9 record in Atlantic 10 conference play. Third-year head coach Mark Schmidt guided the Bonnies to a No. 8 seed in the A-10 Championship. The Bonnies earned its first postseason win since 2002 by eliminating No. 9 Duquesne, 83-71, in an opening-round game on Bob Lanier Court at the Reilly Center. The Bonnies have now won 15 games in consecutive seasons after an 8-22 (2-14) showing in Schmidt's first season.
