The Matchup
St. Bonaventure (13-10, 5-5 A-10) concludes a three-game homestand Wednesday as the Billikens (8-16, 3-8) visit the Reilly Center in an Atlantic 10 matchup.
Last Time Out
Andrew Nicholson paced the Bonnies (13-10, 5-5 Atlantic 10) with 24 points, Marquise Simmons recorded a new career high 18 and Demitrius Conger added 15 in the second half as St. Bonaventure cruised to an 82-61 win over La Salle (12-14, 4-7) Saturday afternoon at the Reilly Center. Simmons notched nine points and tied a career high with nine rebounds in nine first-half minutes to pace the Bonnies to a 10-point lead, 37-27, at the break. Conger came alive in the final stanza - scoring 13 of the Bonnies' first 15 second-half points – to help SBU gain a key conference victory.
Coming Up
The Bonnies travel to Richmond on Sunday and will play three of their final five regular-season games on the road to conclude the year. SBU returns to the RC to host Fordham (Feb. 26) before back-to-back away contests at Saint Joseph's (Feb. 26) and Duquesne (Mar. 2). Rhode Island (Mar. 5) visits St. Bonaventure to conclude the regular-season.
Scouting the Billikens
Saint Louis has endured play without its top three scorers from last season, as Kwamain Mitchell and Willie Reed were suspended from the team and F Cody Ellis will miss the remainder of the season following shoulder surgery, as announced by Majerus on Monday. SLU (8-16, 3-8 Atlantic 10) is looking to end a three-game skid. The Billikens are led by junior guard Kyle Cassity, who scores 9.5 ppg. Cassity also has dished out a team-leading 80 assists. Freshman guard Mike McCall follows with 9.2 ppg and 65 assists. Junior forward Brian Conklin is third on the squad with 8.3 ppg and second with 3.9 rpg. Freshman guard Jordair Jett scores 7.8 ppg and leads the Billikens with 32 steals. Freshman forward Dwayne Evans (7.6 ppg), who notched a double-double with career highs of 21 points and 15 rebounds against Richmond, leads the team with 5.7 rpg. Freshman forward Rob Loe puts up 5.8 ppg. The Billikens shoot 43.1 percent from the floor, 32.9 percent from 3-point territory and 65.8 percent from the line.
Last Meeting
Sophomore Kwamain Mitchell's basket with 1.4 seconds to go capped a 16-point half for the sophomore guard and helped Saint Louis fend off a late St. Bonaventure rally for a dramatic 67-65 win Feb. 3, 2010 at Chaifetz Arena. Trailing by 60-49 with 4:37 remaining, the Bonnies stormed back to tie the game at 65-65 on a three-pointer by senior Jonathan Hall with 26 seconds to play. The 16-5 run that Brown and White produced to tie the game for the ninth time featured a trio of three-pointers. Holding for the last shot, the Billikens got the ball into their leading scorer Mitchell, who drove down the right side of the lane and floated a shot over the out-stretched arms of 6-foot-9 forward Da'Quan Cook and off the glass into the hoop for the game-winner.
Head Coach: Rick Majerus
Majerus is in his fourth season at Saint Louis – the fourth head coaching stop of his decorated career. Majerus guided the Bills to a 23-15 record and a runner-up showing in the CBI in 2009-10. Prior to SLU, Majerus spent 15 seasons at Utah, guiding the Utes to 10 NCAA appearances and an NIT semifinal, including a national runner-up finish and No. 2 ranking in the 1997-98 campaign. He also guided Ball State (NCAA, 1988-89) and Marquette to four combined postseason appearances in previous coaching stints.
Series Snapshot
Saint Louis holds a 7-3 lead in the all-time series, but the Bonnies have won each of the last two meetings in the Reilly Center (Jan. 3, 2007; Feb. 25, 2009) and three of the last four meetings overall. The Bills banked in a floater with 1.4 seconds to play to help defeat the Bonnies, 67-65, last season.
Toeing the Line
Bonnies' junior Andrew Nicholson has attempted 179 free throws this season, good for third on the school's single-season FT attempts list. He sits just nine attempts shy of the single-season record (188), set by J.R. Bremer in 2001-02.
Simmons Steps Up
Sophomore F Marquise Simmons – who missed the first 10 games of the season with a hand injury – netted a new career-high 18 points on 6-of-12 from the field against La Salle. He notched nine points and tied a career high with nine rebounds in nine first-half minutes to pace the Bonnies to a 10-point lead, 37-27, at the break. Against UMass, he hit for 14 points, including 8-of-8 from the free throw line. He played just three minutes in his debut against Va. Tech, but has been increasingly active on both ends of the floor with more playing time as he works his way back into the lineup.
Bouncing Back
After starting the season with a 1-for-11 3FG%, Davenport has lifted his percentage from deep to near-record levels. His 40.9 conversion rate from 3-point range would rank seventh in school single-season history if the season ended today.
Wednesday Woes/Weekend Warriors
In Wednesday games this season, the Bonnies are just 1-4. On weekends, however, SBU is 9-4 and has won its last four games.
Clutch When it Counts
The Bonnies have made five game-winning or game-tying shots on their final possession, including three with fewer than seven seconds remaining in regulation. Andrew Nicholson drained game-winning jump shots in consecutive games against Buffalo (6.8 seconds left) and St. John's (5.2), followed later in the season by Michael Davenport's winning 3-pointer with 1.6 ticks showing against Duquesne. Against Virginia Tech in the Blue Cross Arena, senior G Ogo Adegboye knocked down a triple with 20 seconds left on SBU's final possession, sending the game into overtime. Davenport also converted from beyond the arc with 22 seconds left in the second overtime period against Ohio, sending the game to a third extra frame.
Are We Going Streaking?
Last season, the Bonnies went on a late-season surge in A-10 play, winning five of their final seven league contests to capture the No. 8 seed and host their second-ever conference Championship game. With two games left against RPI 150-plus teams (Fordham 252, Saint Joseph's 203) and no team remaining with an RPI higher than 74 (@Richmond 74, @Duquesne 73, Rhode Island 82) – could the Bonnies be poised for another late-season push?
Hitting the Boards
Senior G Ogo Adegboye hauled in a career-high seven rebounds in Saturday's dramatic win over then-A-10 leader Duquesne and upped again in his next outing with eight caroms against La Salle. Against Duquesne, the London native grabbed five of his rebounds on the defensive end in the first half, and collected his seventh after a Nicholson rejection at the 10:28 mark of the final stanza.
Turning Things Around
With its win against La Salle, the Bonnies improved to 13-10 overall, marking the second time in nine years that a Bonaventure team has been at least two games above .500 through 23 games. Both such seasons have been under fourth-year coach Mark Schmidt, who was 12-10 through 22 games in his second season (2008-09). SBU endured seven straight seasons with a losing record through 22 games after favorable marks led to postseason berths in the 99-00 (NCAA), 00-01 (NIT), and 01-02 (NIT) seasons.
Run Up the Score
Based on the Bonnies season thus far, a high-scoring affair favors the Brown and White. When scoring 70 or more points, SBU is 7-1. Conversely, the Bonnies are just 6-9 if they score fewer than 70.
Matty Ice
Freshman G Matthew Wright – already a fan-favorite - continues to provide a spark in his first season. Wright – who was 1-for-21 from 3-point range in the non-conference season – has also shown a flair for timely baskets, including a triple with 1:21 left to highlight a 7-0 surge that gave SBU a three-point lead against Duquesne. The Toronto native is shooting 52.0 percent from the field (third on the team) and 42.1 percent from beyond the arc (second) in his last five A-10 games.
Sharing the Sugar
Senior PG Ogo Adegboye - a team captain in his second and final season in the Brown and White - handed out a game-high eight assists in the loss to Dayton on Wednesday. For his career, the London native has ten games with six or more helpers, including eight this season.
It's Up, and Good!
Nicholson made a career-high 15 field goals in his 35-point outburst at Dayton. In the opening 20 minutes, he went 6-of-9 from the floor en route to 15 of the 23 Bona points. He finished off the second-highest scoring game of his career 9-of-14 in the second half.
Return to Sender
Against Dayton, Bonnies' junior Andrew Nicholson blocked three shots to move into sole possession of second place on the career rejections list (171). Nicholson's block 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. The junior Mississauga native also owns the Bonnies' single-game record (9 vs. Bucknell).
Same Starting Five
Bonaventure is one of four teams nationally to use the same starters in every game: Cleveland State (27 games); James Madison (27); Missouri State (26) and St. Bonaventure (23). Evansville, who was previously on the list, used a different lineup in its 21st game of the season.
Oh So Close
When the final margin is five or fewer points, St. Bonaventure is an impressive 7-2, with the only losses coming at Rhode Island and Dayton. When the final margin is just four points bigger (margin between 6-10), the Bonnies are 1-5.
Home Sweet Home
With a 7-4 mark in the venerable Reilly Center so far in 2010-11, SBU improves to 397-184 (.683) in 44 seasons with the RC as the home floor. With three remaining home games, the Bonnies have a chance to get their 400th win in the Reilly Center this season.
He Did it Again
Andrew Nicholson booked his second straight double-double with 35 points and 11 rebounds at Dayton. He notched his eighth double-double of the season (25 points, 11 rebounds) as the Bonnies held on to defeat Fordham, 69-60, at Rose Hill. It marked his first double-double in 10 games after accomplishing the feat in seven of the first nine contests to start the year. For his career, the Mississauga, Ont. native has 15 games of 10+ points and 10+ rebounds.
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 (28 pts vs. Rhode Island), 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). Matthew Wright got into the act against GW, pouring in a career-high 18 on 6-of-7 from the field and Marquise Simmons upped his best to 18 points against La Salle.
Schmidt & Staff Pass Baron
Jim Baron, the last coach to lead the Bonnies to a postseason tournament (NIT, 2002), posted 48 wins in his first four campaigns. Now in their fourth season on the Bona sidelines, Schmidt and his staff (all of whom eventually worked under Schmidt at Robert Morris) have collected 50…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)
51+ Mark Schmidt (2007-Pres.)
48 Jim Baron (1992-96)
Mike Reilly (1928-32)
24 Anthony Solomon (2003-07)
Aren't You Guys Tired?
Through 22 games, four of the five starters average more than 32 minutes per game and Da'Quan Cook averages 26.3. Ogo Adegboye ranks second the nation in minutes per game (38.8) and has played at least 36 minutes in all but three contests, including complete-game efforts against Buffalo, St. John's, Niagara, Ark.-Little Rock and Charlotte (3OT) and Dayton. Demitrius Conger has played nearly 90 percent of possible minutes and is ranked 25th nationally (36.7/gm). Andrew Nicholson was in for the duration against Ohio (60 min, 4OT) and Charlotte (55 min, 3OT).
And-1 (More)
The Bonnies have actually played the equivalent of one extra game this season when accounting for EIGHT 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.
Scoring the Rock
As of Feb. 11, Andrew Nicholson ranks 18th nationally in scoring at 20.5 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. He also has the top three scoring totals in the A-10 this season (35 vs. Dayton, 34 vs. Charlotte). The junior has raised his scoring average every season in the Brown and White (12.5--16.4—20.5) and his current scoring clip would be the highest for a season since Marques Green averaged 21.3 in 2002-03.
Riding the Pine
The Bonnies are on the short side of the bench scoring matchup by a wide margin despite their favorable record. Through 23 games SBU has outscored the opposing bench just three times (Temple, 8-7; UMass 28-17, Duquesne 19-7). In 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); Rhode Island (-14); Xavier (-6); GW (-6); UMass (+11), Fordham (-5), Dayton (-18), Duquesne (+12), La Salle (-1).
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).
