Game Notes: St. Bonaventure | A-10 Gameday Notebook | Canisius
Canisius: Roster | Schedule & Results | Statistics
Twitter updates: @Go_Bonnies | #Bonnies
In Brief
St. Bonaventure (3-4) returns to the Reilly Center to host Little Three rival Canisius (1-6) in the 160th meeting between the two schools.
Leading From the Front
Senior All-America candidate Andrew Nicholson is in his final season with the Bonnies. The 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward from Mississauga, Ont. has racked up some impressive accolades thus far – A-10 Rookie of the Year, First and Second Team All-Conference selections, Wooden & Naismith Award nominations – and looks to continue that trend for one last run.
Last Time Out
No. 24/22 Illinois (9-0) overcame a nine-point deficit with 5:22 left to claim a 48-43 victory over St. Bonaventure (3-4) in front of 14,711 fans at Assembly Hall on Wednesday. The Bonnies held Illinois to just 31.9 percent from the floor and without a field goal for over six minutes of the second half to help turn a 31-29 lead into a 39-30 cushion with 5:22 left. Illinois junior Brandon Paul led the Illini with 17 points and tallied three field goals – two while being fouled - five free throws, an assist and a steal over the final four minutes as Illinois came from behind. Andrew Nicholson also had 17 and added a game-high eight boards for the Bonnies. Demitrius Conger and Matthew Wright had six apiece.
Familiar Foe
Tonight's meeting is the 160th between traditional rivals Canisius and St. Bonaventure. The Golden Griffins defeated SBU 80-70 in the season opener for both teams last season, but trail the Bonnies 96-63 in the all-time series. St. Bonaventure has played Canisius more than any other opponent in its history.
Points at a Premium
The Bonnies held 24/22 Illinois to just 48 points in a loss on Wednesday, the first time holding an opponent under 50 since a 62-49 victory at GW last season (Jan. 22). Conversely, SBU managed just 43 points, its lowest output since matching that total Jan. 6, 2001 at Temple (L, 63-43). The 91 combined points were the fewest since Bona defeated Massachusetts 43-39 Jan. 29, 1987 (82 points), a season before the 3-point line was a part of the college game.
Picking Pockets
Andrew Nicholson made three steals at Illinois to record a career high. He made two steals on seven separate occasions in his career.
Oh So Close
In three of their four losses, the Bonnies have held second-half leads. Cleveland State overcame a five-point deficit with 4:07 to play, Arkansas State trailed by 14 with 10:51 left and Illinois was behind 39-30 at the 5:22 mark.
Let Me Upgrade Ya
There's no debating that the Bonnies have significantly upgraded the schedule during Mark Schmidt 's tenure. Three of the four losses this season are to RPI-top 63 teams (CSU 59, VT 63, UI 29) and the Bonnies' 100 rating in the RPI this season (as of Dec. 5) would be its lowest since an NIT season in 2001-02 (81).
Ndoye Draws a Start
Freshman C Youssou Ndoye, 6-foot-11 Senegal native, earned his first career start against 24/22 Illinois on Wednesday. Ndoye helped limit Big 10 Player of the Week Meyers Leonard to just three shots, while logging 11 minutes of game action.
Nicholson Returns to Form
Andrew Nicholson shot just 6-of-22 from the floor in his previous two games, but bounced back in a big way at Buffalo, making 8-of-9 and leading the Bonnies with 23 points and eight rebounds. He recorded game-highs of 17 points and eight boards at Illinois.
Lineup Change
The Bonnies deployed a new cast of starters in the Buffalo game and Illinois games. SBU swapped Eric Mosley (point guard) and Michael Davenport (2-guard) for Charlon Kloof (point) and Matthew Wright (2) vs. UB, before Ndoye joined Kloof, Wright, Conger and Nicholson in the Illinois game.
Sharing the Sugar
Sophomore G Matthew Wright leads the team with 23 assists to just 10 turnovers through seven games this season. He was two short of tying his career-high seven dimes at Buffalo and has totaled three or more assists in all but two games (Cleveland State, Illinois).
No. 300 for Schmidt
The win over Buffalo was Mark Schmidt's 300th game as a head coach. Schmidt first coached Robert Morris from 2001-02 to 2006-07, before joining St. Bonaventure in 2007-08.
Ndoye Gives a Lift
Youssou Ndoye played a career-high 19 minutes for the Bonnies in the win over UB. The Senegal native grabbed three rebounds and made a foul-line jumper while blocking two shots and dishing out an assist to provide a spark off the bench.
All-Around Impact
Although Charlon Kloof may not have filled the stat sheet in his first start, his energy and steady play certainly helped SBU defeat the Bulls. Kloof finished with four points, four rebounds and four assists to go with two steals and a block.
It's Been How Long?
Andrew Nicholson grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and added six points versus Arkansas State. He battled bronchitis earlier this season and went nearly two calendar years since the last time he was held under double figures in back-to-back games (2pts vs. Illinois State 11/29/09; 4pts vs. Mississippi State 12/5/09). He has not been held under double digits in three straight since his freshman season.
The Kloof is on Fire
Sophomore G Charlon Kloof recorded a career-high 11 points on 3-of-7 from 3-point range in the Bonnies' loss to Arkansas State. Kloof hit all of his triples in the first 20 minutes to lead all scorers at the break.
Gotta Have the Freebies
Demitrius Conger missed his first free throw of the season against Arkansas State, dropping out of a group of just five players nationally not to have missed. A career 68.6 percent shooter from the line, Conger has raised his conversion rate each season and is 13-of-14 this year.
A Rare Occasion
Andrew Nicholson had an uncharacteristic outing against VT, scoring just nine points on 4-of-14 from the field. It marked the first time in 18 games and just the second time in the previous 40 that Nicholson did not crack double digits.
It Runs in the Family
Redshirt senior Da'Quan Cook ranks second on the team at 6.1 boards per game. While at LSU, Da'Quan's uncle Greg Cook averaged 6.55 rebounds over his 119-game career, including a trip to the 1981 Final Four. The elder Cook passed away in 2005, and Da'Quan has a large tattoo of the Sesame Street character Cookie Monster on his side in his uncle's memory.
Easy E
PG Eric Mosley, who joined SBU after spending seasons at Cincinnati State and Austin Peay, recorded a career-high 17 points and hit 3-of-6 from distance against Siena. The Louisville, Ky. native has been lights-out from beyond the arc so far, hitting 8-of-16 overall, to raise his season scoring average to 9.0 ppg.
Davenport Nearing 1,000
Senior G Michael Davenport is just 255 points away from reaching the 1,000-point milestone for his career. He would become the 39th player in school history to reach the barrier if he averages 12.1 points over the 21 remaining games.
Block Party
Nicholson rejected four shots in back-to-back games at Cleveland State and Siena, and already owns three of the school's highest single-season block totals (see page 15). He will likely become just the second player in school history to block 200 shots in his career (196).
Four Horsemen
Michael Davenport (G), Demitrius Conger (F), Da'Quan Cook (F) and Andrew Nicholson (F) started 36 games straight contests together before the Buffalo game. Nicholson has 69 consecutive starts overall.
Franciscan Cup
SBU improved to 2-0 in Franciscan Cup games against Siena with a 64-58 triumph. St. Bonaventure president Sr. Margaret Carney and Siena president Fr. Kevin Mullen agreed that the schools should play for a traveling trophy when the teams meet on the hardwood. SBU won the inaugural cup last season, 82-79.
House of Toupane
St. Bonaventure announced the signing of Jean Yves Toupane (Jawn two-PAIN) to a National Letter of Intent Nov. 16. The 6-foot-7 small forward from Senegal joins his fellow Lee Academy (Maine) teammate, freshman Youssou Ndoye. With long arms and good size, Toupane has the ability to shoot long range and drive towards the basket.
He's All Wright
Matthew Wright was a key factor in the Bonnies' 79-58 win over Cornell. After the Big Red held him to two points in the first half, Wright went off in the second stanza, scoring 11 points to complement a career-best seven rebounds. The Toronto product also dished out five assists to just one turnover.
Up Up and Away
Nicholson continued his career-long assault on the Bonaventure record books during his double-double performance against Siena Nov. 21. Nicholson moved past David Vanterpool (630 rebounds) and Greg Sanders (637 rebounds). His current standing on the rebounding ledger can be found on page 15.
Simmons Sees Early End
Redshirt junior Marquise Simmons suffered a torn Achilles in just his second minute of action Nov. 11 against Cornell, ending his 2011-12 season. Simmons suffered the injury while driving to the hoop and being fouled, but stayed in the game to hit both of his free throws before leaving.
Moving Up in the World
St. Bonaventure is picked to finish fourth in the league preseason poll, the highest since SBU was slotted second in the East division prior to the 2002-03 campaign. Last year, the Bonnies were picked second-to-last among 14 A-10 schools, but far exceeded expectations by finishing seventh, the biggest disparity between preseason prediction and postseason finish in the league.
Three-Headed Monster
Three seniors return for their final campaign in F Da'Quan Cook, G Mike Davenport and F Andrew Nicholson. Cook is in his fifth year at SBU and is the only remaining holdover from previous coach Anthony Solomon. Over their three years together, the duo have forged a 49-50 record and are already guaranteed to be the school's winningest class in 10 years.
Globe-Hopping
Sophomore transfer Charlon Kloof has had an interesting path to St. Bonaventure. The Paramaribo, Suriname native was born in South America, moved to Holland at age four and attended JUCO in North Carolina, all before a prep year at Canarias Basketball Academy in Spain's Canary Islands.
