Game Notes: St. Bonaventure | Duquesne | Atlantic 10
Saturday's Matchup
Both Duquesne (13-2) and St. Bonaventure (10-5) kick off their respective Atlantic 10 Conference schedules Saturday afternoon at 2 when the Bonnies face the Dukes, who are receiving votes in the national polls this week, in the A.J. Palumbo Center. Both teams played the maximum amount of non-conference games the NCAA allows, 15, with the Bonnies finishing 10-5 and Duquesne closing shop at 13-2 after downing BIG EAST member Pittsburgh on Wednesday night. The two teams each played West Virginia and Canisius in their non-league docket. Both lost to top-10 WVU – Duquesne by 11, SBU by 9 – and both defeated Canisius – Duquesne by 24 and SBU by 33. After finishing tied for fourth each of the last two seasons in the A-10, the Bonnies were picked to finish eighth this year, while Duquesne was tabbed to finish in sixth.
Last Time Out
For the second time this season, the women's basketball team put four scorers into double figures as it wrapped up its fifth straight year of double-digit non-conference wins with a 67-52 victory Sunday afternoon over Kent State (9-3) in the Reilly Center.
Difference Makers
This will be the third consecutive opponent the Bonnies will face which comes in averaging more than 70 points per game on the offensive end, and giving up fewer than 60 points on the defensive end, as the Dukes average 70.2 and 57.2, respectively. In their previous two matchups against such teams, St. Bonaventure held West Virginia to 62 points – eight below its average – in a 62-53 loss, and held Kent State to 52 points – 20 below its average – in a 67-52 win. The Bonnies have allowed just one team all year to eclipse the 70-point threshold, while the Dukes have allowed that to happen just once as well.
Scouting Duquesne
-- The Dukes were tabbed to finish sixth the preseason A-10 rankings
-- Duquesne defeated then-No. 12 Ohio State on Dec. 28 for its seventh straight road win – a program record which was extended to eight on Jan. 2 with a win at Ball State
-- While the Bonnies have held an opponent below 40 points this year, Duquesne has as well as it allowed Robert Morris to score just 34 points on Nov. 28 in a 61-34 win
-- The Dukes have out-scored their opponents, 517-383, in the first half, and in their only two losses this year they have trailed at the half
-- This year's senior class of Kelly Britcher, Samantha Pollino and Diana Voynova is the winningest class in program history
St. Bonaventure vs. Duquesne
Series Quick Facts
Overall: Duquesne Leads, 28-14
At St. Bonaventure: Tied, 9-9
At Duquesne: Duquesne Leads, 14-4
At Neutral Site: Duquesne Leads, 5-1
Most St. Bonaventure Points: 85 (Feb. 26, 1991: 85-66)
Most Duquesne Points: 86 (Jan. 22, 1998: 86-82)
Fewest St. Bonaventure Points: 46 (Jan. 9, 2007: 55-46)
Fewest Duquesne Points: 46 (Feb. 20, 2010: 70-46)
Largest St. Bonaventure Margin: 32 (Mar. 4, 1992: 79-47)
Largest Duquesne Margin: 26 (Feb. 2, 1989: 85-59)
Women's Basketball Hall of Famer and Pittsburgh native Suzie McConnell-Serio, one of the most highly-decorated players in the history of women's basketball, owner of over 300 wins as a high school head coach and former WNBA Coach of the Year, was named the ninth head coach in the history of the Duquesne women's basketball program in April of 2007.
The team who the coaches and media picked to finish 13th in the Atlantic 10 Conference, surprised everybody last season by finishing tied for seventh place in the A-10 with a record of 6-8 and 15-15 overall. McConnell-Serio, who inherited a team coming off the worst since 1993 (7-20 in 2007) guided the Dukes to their second most improved season in school history (6.5 games). Additionally, DU improved 79 positions in the RPI, which was the most since 2001.
McConnell-Serio's success on the floor was recognized by league officials as Kristi Little was named Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year as well as being named to the A-10 Third Team All-Conference and All Defensive Team. The success continued into McConnell-Serio's second season, as Duquesne set a program record with 20 wins, six consecutive A-10 victories and their first-ever post-season berth when DU was selected to host a WNIT game. The Dukes' winning percentage of .625 was the best since 1998. Additionally, the 2009 squad set a program-high with 2,208 points scored and tied the school record with 487 assists. Little became the only A-10 player to win back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Mirror Image
After finishing in the top-10 in the nation in four different statistical categories last year, the Bonnies are looking at repeating those finishes in exactly the same categories again this year. St. Bonaventure is 3rd in the nation in free throw shooting (79.8 percent), 12th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (38.3), 16th in the nation in scoring defense (52.4 points per game) and 19th in the nation in turnovers per game (14.7).
A Bona Fide Schedule
Heading into this afternoon's matchup, St. Bonaventure is ranked 73rd in the RPI, its highest ranking of the year, and as it looks up the charts will see a lot of familiar names. There are 11 teams ranked in the top 70 of the RPI that St. Bonaventure has already played, or will play, this year, including today's matchup with 23rd-ranked Duquesne. Five of those 11 teams are ranked in the top 25, and three of those are A-10 members (Xavier, 9, and Saint Joseph's, 24). Today's game against Duquesne also represents the fifth time in the last 11 contests that St. Bonaventure will be facing a team that is ranked, or is receiving votes, in the national polls.
Not Your Typical Quadruple-Double
For the second time all year, St. Bonaventure put four scorers into double figures in its last game against Kent State, a 67-52 win, on Jan. 2. Jessica Jenkins led the way with 15 points – all on 3-pointers – followed by season highs from Cara Gustafson (12) and Alaina Walker (11). Chelsea Bowker rounded out the scoring with 11 of her own. The only other time this year the Bonnies have had four double-figure scorers was against Canisius in a 74-41 victory on Dec. 7.
Oh, Snap
With her 11-point performance against Kent State, Chelsea Bowker snapped a streak of double-digit career highs. Four times this year she has reached double figures in scoring, and each time it represented a career high for her. She established career highs in scoring against Quinnipiac (16), Lafayette (16), Marist (17) and Buffalo (21). However, in all 11 other games, she has been held to single figures or zero points. The 11 points symbolizes the first time this year she has reached double figures in points and not broken a career high.
10+ Yet Again
With its win over Kent State, St. Bonaventure won its 10th non-conference game of the year, and in the process claimed its fifth straight year of double-digit non-league victories, continuing the longest streak in program history. The only other season aside from the previous four years that St. Bonaventure claimed double-digit non-conference wins was 1992-93 when it won 11.
Deadly From Distance
Jessica Jenkins is rapidly moving up the St. Bonaventure career 3-point list. The junior currently sits in fourth place on the all-time list with 170 made 3's, and if she continues at the pace she has the last two seasons, will head into her senior year in sole possession of third place.
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