Game Notes: St. Bonaventure | Duquesne | A-10

The Matchup
St. Bonaventure (15-12, 7-7) travels to Duquesne (17-10, 9-5) in the Bonnies' final road game of the regular season. In the first game of the season series, SBU secured a 64-62 victory over the Dukes on Michael Davenport's 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left (watch it again).

Last Time Out
Saint Joseph's shot 61.5 percent from the field to overcome 28 points from St. Bonaventure's Andrew Nicholson in a 79-65 win for the Hawks at Hagan Arena on Saturday. Saint Joesph's (8-20, 3-11 A-10) entered the contest as the Atlantic 10's worst shooting team at 40.2 percent, but made 66.7 percent from the field in the first half (12-18) and 12-of-21 in the second to help snap a three-game losing streak. They also shot 64.7 percent (11-17) from 3-point range for the game, including 5-of-7 in the second half. Guard Michael Davenport tallied 11 points to go with eight rebounds, while SJU freshman Langston Galloway and sophomore Carl Jones had 27 and 20, respectively. The Hawks led 38-34 after a back-and-forth first half that featured seven ties and 12 lead changes, but built the cushion to double digits midway through. St. Bonaventure pulled to within four on a hoop-and-harm dunk  from Nicholson with 6:36 left, but got no closer as SJU used an 11-3 run to go up 67-55 with 2:52 to play. The Hawks sealed it with 10 of their final 12 points from the free throw line.

Coming Up
The Bonnies return to the Reilly Center on Saturday in their regular-season finale in a contest televised by CBS College Sports Regional. St. Bonaventure will honor lone senior Ogo Adegboye prior to the game.

Scouting the Dukes
Freshman guards Mike McCall and Jordair Jett scored 18 and 14 points respectively as Saint Louis held Duquesne to a season-low 51 points in a 62-51 win over the Dukes at Chaifetz Arena on Sunday. Since the loss to the Bonnies snapped its 11-game win streak, Duquesne is just 1-5 and has lost three straight. Bill Clark leads the Dukes in scoring (16.6 ppg, 66 3-pointers) and is second in rebounding (6.3 rpg). Damian Saunders (12.7 ppg) is the team's top man on the glass (7.7 rpg). Duquesne ranks among the national leaders in turnover margin (1st, 7.1),  assists per game (2nd, 18.1), scoring offense (16th, 78.4) and scoring margin (19th, +11.7). T.J. McConnell is fourth nationally with 2.9 steals per game.

Last Meeting
The Bonnies used a 3-pointer from Michael Davenport with 1.6 seconds left to overcome a one-point deficit and sink Atlantic 10 leader Duquesne, 64-62, on Saturday night in front of a raucous Reilly Center. After Duquesne's B.J. Monteiro hit a layup with 11 seconds left the Bonnies inbounded the ball to sophomore Demitrius Conger, who found Davenport along the right elbow for the game winner. Davenport finished the game with a team-high 16 points while Montiero led all scorers with 17. Duquesne, who led the A-10 with a perfect 8-0 record coming into the game, falls to 16-6 (8-1) while the Bonnies improve to 12-10 and 4-5 in the conference. The loss halts the Dukes' 11-game win streak, which ranked as the fourth-longest in the nation.

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 55-50, but the Bonnies won the last three meetings 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. The Bonnies defeated the Dukes, 64-62, in their meeting earlier this season at the RC. SBU is 12-27 at Duquesne and has lost three straight and four of its last six.

They Were Due
Saint Joseph's shot an astounding 61.5 percent from the field, including 11-of-17 from 3-point range, in its 79-65 defeat of St. Bonaventure. The Hawks, who entered the game as the Atlantic 10's worst FG% percentage team (40.2 percent), posted the best FG% performance against the Bonnies since Xavier shot 64.2 percent (34-53) in a 99-66 victory at the Reilly Center Jan. 24, 2007.  

Building the Bench
Through the first 13 games of the season, the Bonnies got little production from the bench, failing to score in double figures in any game. Over the past 14 games, however, SBU has enjoyed 10 or more points off the bench in all but six contests, including a season-high 28 points against UMass.

Lock it Up
The Bonnies are 9-2 when holding opponents under 40% from the field this season and 6-10 when the opposition is converting at 40% or better. SBU has won its last five when limiting the opponent to under 40 percent dating back to a loss at Rhode Island in which the Rams were 21-of-59 (.356) from the field.

Oh, We're Halfway There
So far this season, the Bonnies are 11-2 when leading at the half. The only setbacks when ahead at the break came in back-to-back contests at Rhode Island and versus Xavier. St. Bonaventure is just 2-10 when trailing at halftime.

We Go as 'O' GOes
Senior captain Ogo Adegboye has 12 games this season with 13 or more points. St. Bonaventure is 10-2 so far this season when he goes for 13+; SBU has won six of its last seven when Adegboye reaches that number.

Hit the Road
St. Bonaventure boasts a 6-7 record in true road tilts this season, just one victory shy of the program record for wins set by the 2001-02 team (7-8) and tied in 2008-09 (7-6).

More Than Just Nicholson
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 (29 vs. Saint Louis), Demitrius Conger (22 pts. 14 rebs. vs. Cornell) and Da'Quan Cook (21 pts. 13 rebs. vs. Binghamton). Off the bench, 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. Fellow reserve Brett Roseboro scored a personal-best 12 points in the win over Fordham.

Welcome Back Conger
After being held scoreless against Saint Louis, talented sophomore Demitrius Conger turned in an impressive stat line against Richmond. The Brooklyn native notched 17 points, made all five free throws, hit 2-of-3 from beyond the arc and grabbed four rebounds in 37 minutes of work. He followed that up with 18 points, six assists (tying a career-high), and a personal-best five steals in the Bonnies 82-63 defeat of Fordham.

Found His Stroke
Senior G Ogo Adegboye – a career 65.9 percent free throw shooter –made 12 consecutive free throws in the three-game span from Saint Louis to Fordham, a streak that came to an end at the 13:04 mark of the second half against the Rams. Adegboye was a perfect 9-for-9 from the stripe against Saint Louis and made both attempts against Richmond.

Toeing the Line
Bonnies' junior Andrew Nicholson hit six of his eight free throw attempts against Saint Joe's, extending his single-season record to 205. J.R. Bremer's 188 were the previous record, set in 2001-02. Nicholson is the first player in school history to shoot 200+ free throws in a season.

Strong to the Finish
In his games against Saint Louis and Richmond, Andrew Nicholson got going in the second half after slow starts. He was 0-for-2 from the floor with just two points in the opening half versus the Billikens, but came alive for 20 points on 8-of-11 in the second. The Mississauga native repeated the feat against Richmond, booking 14 of his 16 points and eight of his 11 boards in the last frame.

Talk About High-Percentage!
In the second half against Saint Louis, the Bonnies shot a blistering 73.1 percent (17-23) as a team, including a perfect 3-of-3 from behind the arc. Only four players (Adegboye, Nicholson, Davenport, Cook) attempted a shot. St. Bonaventure – which made 10 of its first 12 shots to start the half - also made good on 14 of 17 free throws. Continuing the trend, the Bonnies shot a lights-out 59.2 percent for the game against Fordham.

Cook, He's a Monster
Redshirt junior Da'Quan Cook tied his career-high 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor against Saint Louis. The forward's previous high came at Binghamton, a game in which Cook also scored 21 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds.
 
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 three campaigns (his second through fourth seasons). St. Bonaventure has not finished a season over .500 since 2001-02 (17-13).

Pack Mentality
In the win over Saint Louis Feb. 16, three Bonnies scored over 20 points. Senior G Ogo Adegboye led the way with 29 points, followed by Andrew Nicholson's 22(20 in second half) and Da'Quan Cook's 21. It was the first time three players scored 20+ since Feb. 3, 2007 against Duquesne. In that 111-92 loss against the Dukes, Michael Lee and guard Zarryon Fereti each scored 23 points and A.J. Hawkins tallied 20.

More than One Per Minute
After working against double- and triple-teams in the first half, Andrew Nicholson scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half against Saint Louis, much of which came against a single defender. The junior played 19 minutes, but shot 8-of-11 from field and 4-of-5 from the line. He came close to duplicating the feat with a 16-point in 18-minute effort against Fordham, where he was saddled with foul trouble.

An 'Atta-boy' for Adegboye
Senior captain Ogo Adegboye hit six 3-pointers on the way to a career-high 29 points in the victory against Saint Louis. He also erupted to score eight and nine straight points against the Billikens. The senior has eight games with three or more triples this season, including seven – one shy of the school record - from deep against Buffalo.

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 1-for-11 from beyond the arc, Davenport has lifted his 3FG% to near-record levels. His 39.8 conversion rate from 3-point range would tie for tenth in school single-season history if the season ended today.

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.

Hitting the Boards
Senior G Ogo Adegboye hauled in a career-high seven rebounds in a dramatic win over then-A-10 leader Duquesne Feb. 5, and upped his best 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
In each year since 2004-05, the Bonnies have lowered their RPI. The 2004-05 season saw SBU finish with a ratings percentage index of 312 among 330 teams, followed by season-ending ratings of 290 and 278 in 2006 and 07, respectively. Under Schmidt, the Bonnies RPI has fallen from 264 in 2008 to 193 and 154 in the last two campaigns. As of Feb. 21, St. Bonaventure has a 101 RPI through 25 games.

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 9-1. Conversely, the Bonnies are just 6-11 if they score fewer than 70.

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 Feb. 2. For his career, the London native has 11 games with six or more helpers, including nine this season.

It's Up, and Good!
Nicholson made a career-high 15 field goals in his 35-point outburst at Dayton, arguably one of his best games in a Bona uniform. In the opening 20 minutes, he went 6-of-9 from the floor en route to 15 of the 23 Bona points in the first half. He finished off the second-highest scoring game of his career with a 9-of-14 effort 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 (174). 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 three teams nationally to use the same starters in every game: Cleveland State (31 games); Missouri State (30) and St. Bonaventure (27). James Madison (changed after 27 games) and Evansville (21) were previously on the list but have now used different starting lineups.

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 2-5.

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 53…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)
         Mark Schmidt (2007-Pres.)
48    Jim Baron (1992-96)
         Mike Reilly (1928-32)
24    Anthony Solomon (2003-07)

Aren't You Guys Tired?
Through 25 games, four of the five starters average more than 31 minutes per game and Da'Quan Cook averages 25.7. Ogo Adegboye ranks second the nation in minutes per game (38.6) 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, Charlotte (3OT) and Dayton. Demitrius Conger has played nearly 90 percent of possible minutes and is among the national minutes leaders (36.7/gm). Andrew Nicholson was in for the duration against Ohio (60 min, 4OT) and Charlotte (55 min, 3OT).

Scoring the Rock
As of Feb. 28, Andrew Nicholson ranks 21st nationally in scoring at 20.2 points per game and recorded the NCAA's fourth-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—20.2) 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 27 games SBU has outscored the opposing bench just four times and tied once (Temple, 8-7; UMass 28-17, Duquesne 19-7, Fordham 20-14, Saint Joseph's 17-17).

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.