The Matchup
The Bonnies (11-10, 3-5 A-10) return to the Reilly Center to host conference leader Duquesne (16-5, 8-0) in a rematch of last year's Atlantic 10 Championship opening round game.
Last Time Out
Andrew Nicholson finished with game-highs of 35 points and 11 rebounds to lead St. Bonaventure, but Dayton (16-7, 4-4 A-10) held on down the stretch to earn a hard-fought 63-61 victory Wednesday night at UD Arena. Nicholson drained a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to cut the Dayton lead down to one, before Chris Johnson made the front end of a pair of free throws to give the Flyers a two-point lead. After the miss, Nicholson's three-quarter court heave fell short as the Bonnies suffered their ninth straight loss to Dayton.
Coming Up
SBU hosts Duquesne at the beginning of three-game homestand before enjoying a well-deserved bye week. The Bonnies will return to action next Saturday (Feb. 12) against La Salle for a homecoming doubleheader before wrapping up the three-game stand against Saint Louis (Feb. 16.). Overall, five of the Bonnies' final eight scheduled games of the 2010-11 season will be played at the Reilly Center.
Scouting the Dukes
Duquesne, whose school-best 8-0 start has it alone atop of the Atlantic 10, looks to extend its win streak to 12 when it travels to St. Bonaventure. The Dukes' 11-game win streak is the school's longest since 1970-71 (15 in a row) and is the fourth-longest current streak in the nation. DU, which has not experienced a road loss since Dec. 4 at Penn State, is looking to extend its road win streak to six and school record road conference streak to four. Duquesne, whose starting lineup goes 5-10, 6-0, 6-5, 6-5 & 6-7, has been led by senior 1,000-point scorers Bill Clark (1,477 points in 115 g,) and Damian Saunders (1,375 points in 116 g.). Five players have 53 or more assists. The Dukes, who averaged an Everhart Era "low" 70.3 ppg. last season, have returned to their running ways under their fifth-year head coach (81.9 ppg.). DU began the week ranked among the nation's top 20 in eight categories: assists (1st at 19.1), turnover ratio (1st at 6.9), steals (2nd at 10.2), scoring (10th at 81.8), scoring margin (14th at +14.9), assist/turnover ratio (14th at 1.4), blocked shots (16th at 5.6) and 3-point field goals per game (19th at 8.6). True freshmen T.J. McConnell, the five-time A-10 Rookie of the Week, and Mike Talley have started 17 times side-by-side in the backcourt. McConnell (27) and Talley (28), who rank second and third in 3-pointers made, have 150 assists and 70 turnovers (2.1-to-1 ratio) between them.
Last Meeting
Senior Chris Matthews equaled a career-high with 28 points and sophomore Andrew Nicholson turned in his third straight 20-point outing to lead St. Bonaventure to a 83-71 win over Duquesne Mar. 9, 2010 in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Championship at the Reilly Center. It marked the Bonnies' first postseason win since 2002 and second win in three games against the Dukes in the 2009-10 season.
Head Coach: Ron Everhart
Dukes' head man Ron Everhart is in his fifth season at Duquesne, where he has rebuilt a program that won just three games in the season prior to his arrival. He led DU to a 17-13 (7-9 A-10, t9th) record in just his second year – snapping a series of 13 straight losing campaigns – and an NIT berth in 2008-09 with a mark of 21-13 (9-7, t5th). Last season, the Fairmont, W. Va. native saw the Dukes finish 16-16 (7-9, t8th) and earn a bid to the College Basketball Invitational, marking the first time a Duquesne team finished with 15 or more wins in three consecutive seasons since 1968-73. Prior to Duquesne, Everhart held the head coaching position at Northeastern (NIT, 2005) for five years and at McNeese State (NIT, 2001) for seven.
Series Snapshot
Duquesne leads the all-time series 55-49, but the Bonnies won the last two of three meetings in 2009-10 to draw closer. After falling to the Dukes on the road Jan. 29 last year, SBU rebounded to defeat the Dukes at home (Mar. 3), 92-80, before earning an 83-71 win six days later in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Championship. As the home team in series history, SBU boasts a 33-21 advantage.
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 nine games with six or more helpers, including seven 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 carrer 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 (165). 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).
Remember Us?
Duquesne brings its unblemished record into the RC, the site of its last loss in conference play. The Bonnies handed the Dukes a 92-80 defeat Mar. 3, 2010 in the Bonnies' final home game of the 2009-10 season. The victory helped SBU earn the No. 8 seed into the A-10 Championship, where St. Bonaventure eliminated the ninth-seeded Dukes, 83-71.
Same Starting Five
St. Bonaventure is one of just four teams nationally to use the same starters in every game: Cleveland State (24 games); James Madison (24); Missouri State (23) and St. Bonaventure (21). Evansville, who was previously on the list, used a different lineup in its 21st game of the season. The Bona starting five: Ogo Adegboye (G), Michael Davenport (G), Demitrius Conger (F), Da'Quan Cook (F), Andrew Nicholson (F).
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, marking his first double-double in 10 games after accomplishing the feat in seven of the first nine games to start the year. For his career, the Mississauga, Ont. native has 15 games of 10+ points and 10+ rebounds.
Toeing the Line
Bonnies' junior Andrew Nicholson has attempted 169 free throws this season, good for fourth on the school's single-season FT attempts list. He has exactly six free throws in each of the last five games, and has attempted 10 or more five times in 2010-11.
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% ledger (.569), ranks second in blocks (165), and now sits in 22nd on the all-time scoring list with 1,299 points. He is the 22nd player in school annals to post 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career. The junior also cracked the top 10 in single season free throw attempts against URI and now ranks fourth (169).
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 14 points against UMass.
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 49…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)
49+ Mark Schmidt (2007-Pres.)
48 Jim Baron (1992-96)
Mike Reilly (1928-32)
24 Anthony Solomon (2003-07)
Welcome to the League
Freshman G Matthew Wright – who was 1-for-21 from 3-point range in the non-conference season – has gotten hot since the start of A-10 play. The Toronto native is shooting 57.1 percent from the field (second on the team) and 50.0 percent from beyond the arc (first) in his last four A-10 games.
Simmons Sighting
Sophomore F Marquise Simmons – who missed the first 10 games of the season with a hand injury – led the Bonnies against UMass with 14 points, including 8-of-8 from the free throw line. He played just three minutes in his return 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
Junior G Michael Davenport notched his third career double-double with 28 points and 12 boards to carry the Bonnies against Rhode Island. After starting the season with a 1-for-11 3FG%, he has lifted his percentage from deep to 40.3 percent (43-57). In conference games, the Cincinnati native is converting at 43.8 percent (14-32) from 3-point range while shooting 41.1 percent from the field.
Aren't You Guys Tired?
Through 21 games, four of the five starters average more than 32 minutes per game and Da'Quan Cook averages 25.1. Ogo Adegboye leads the nation in minutes per game (39.2) and has played at least 36 minutes in all but two 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).
Oh So Close
SBU defeated Fordham, 69-60, marking the first time in the 2010-11 season that the Bonnies have won a game decided by 6-10 points (1-5). When the final margin is five or fewer points, St. Bonaventure is 6-2, with the only losses coming at Rhode Island and Dayton.
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. 3, Andrew Nicholson ranks 17th nationally in scoring at 20.6 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—20.6) and his current scoring clip would be the highest for a season since Marques Green averaged 21.3 in 2002-03.
Mr. Consistency
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 17 straight games from Nov. 19 at Cornell - where he notched his first career double-double (22 pts, 14 reb) - to Jan. 26 versus Massachusetts.
#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, the longest game in school history. 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.
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.
Double Doubles
So far this season, the Bonnies have 18 double- doubles from four different players: Nicholson (9), Conger (4), Cook (2), Davenport (2) and Adegboye (1). Earlier this season, Nicholson's streak of five straight double doubles tied for the second-longest in the country.
Home Sweet Home
With a 5-4 mark in the venerable Reilly Center so far in 2010-11, SBU improves to 395-184 (.683) in 44 seasons with the RC as the home floor. With five remaining home games, the Bonnies have a chance to get their 400th win in the Reilly Center this season.
Riding the Pine
The Bonnies are on the short side of the bench scoring matchup by a wide margin despite their favorable record. Through 19 games SBU has outscored the opposing bench just twice (Temple, 8-7; UMass 28-17). 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).
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).
