Saint Joseph's (13-5, 3-1) @ RV/RV St. Bonaventure (18-2, 5-0)
Wednesday, Jan. 25 | 7 PM | Reilly Center (5,480)
Game Notes: St. Bonaventure | Saint Joseph's | Atlantic 10
Follow & Interact: @Go_Bonnies | #Bonnies
In addition to the audio link provided, which links to The Buzz's broadcast, the game will air in the greater Olean area on station 99.1 FM beginning at 6:50 p.m.
St. Bonaventure – which narrowly missed cracking into the top-25 in the Associated Press Poll this week – looks to remain perfect in Atlantic 10 play and extend its winning streak to eight straight games when it hosts Saint Joseph's Wednesday evening.
The Bonnies received 42 points in the AP Poll, finishing as the No. 27 team in the country just five votes out of the No. 25 position which is occupied by North Carolina. It is the third-straight week SBU has received votes in the poll, and for the first time this season it garnered votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, earning five points.
With a victory over Saint Joe's, Bonaventure would own the second-longest winning streak in program history at eight games, bested only by the 11-0 start to the 2009-10 season. This is the first time since joining Division I prior to the 1986-87 season that the Bonnies have had two separate seven-game winning streaks in the same season. A win would also be the seventh in the month of January, which would
set a program record for victories in the month.
Bona is alone in first place in the A-10 standings, and it has already defeated three teams picked ahead of it in the preseason voting. The Bonnies were tabbed for a sixth-place finish, but have claimed wins versus Duquesne (3rd), at Temple (T-1st) and at Charlotte (4th). The matchup with Saint Joseph's will be the fourth opponent of the season
already which was picked to finish ahead of the Bonnies as the Hawks were predicted for a 5th-place showing.
Senior Jessica Jenkins broke the A-10 and school record for career 3-pointers Saturday night at Charlotte as she knocked down six and now owns 293, surpassing the previous record of 291. For her work, Jenkins was named the A-10 Player of the Week and also the Women's National Player of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. She's also been getting the job done at the free-throw line as she's made 22 straight attempts, including 21-21 in A-10 games.
The current senior class of Jenkins, Armelia Horton, Megan Van Tatenhove and Jennie Ashton owns 85 victories, tying it with last year's senior class for the most in program history. A victory over Saint Joe's would break that mark, and ensure that the group graduates having been a part of the best four seasons in Bonaventure women's basketball history. The 19 wins in a season would already be the fourth-most in program history, bested only by 2008-09 (23 wins), 2009-10 (23 wins) and 2010-11 (21 wins).
In its win over Charlotte on Saturday, SBU knocked the 49ers from the ranks of league unbeaten as it erased a 13-point second-half deficit. The comeback is tied for the largest of the season (St. John's) and is the most points overcome in the second half of a game this year.
Scouting Saint Joseph's
~ The Hawks have won three straight road contests to even their mark away from Hagan Arena at 4-4 on the year
~ SJU is 13th in the nation in fewest turnovers per game, averaging just 13.8 per outing; Bona is first at 11.9 per game
~ Saint Joe's is currently connecting at a 37.6-percent clip from the 3-point line, good for 12th-best in the country
~ Katie Kuester is currently SJU's all-time leader in free-throw percentage as she has knocked down 124-146 career attempts (84.9 percent)
~ The Hawks are the lone A-10 team without a player to score at least 20 points in a game this season
~ Kelly Cavallo is fourth in the league in rebounding as she grabs 8.4 per contest
Not Quite A 'Minute' Detail
Senior Jessica Jenkins has been – by comparison to her teammates – a workhorse for the Bonnies this year as she averages a team-high 31 minutes a game. Alaina Walker is the next closest, and she averages 27.5 minutes per game. In A-10 games the disparity is even more drastic as Jenkins plays 34.8 minutes a contest, while Walker is once again the next closest at 26.8 minutes.
Can't Teach Experience
Jessica Jenkins has played in more games than any other true senior in the A-10. The Ohio native has logged action in every single game since her freshman year, and currently has 120 appearances. Here are the closest games-played competitors for true seniors in the conference:
Casey Nance: Dayton – 118
Kristen McCarthy: Temple – 116
Becky Peters: Fordham – 114
Michelle Baker: Saint Joseph's – 113
Janisha Gearlds: Saint Louis – 109
Next Up
St. Bonaventure's week of Philadelphia-based schools continues as it heads to the City of Brotherly Love for the second time in as many weeks to battle La Salle on national TV Saturday afternoon. The game will air on CBS Sports Network and is set to tip from Tom Gola Arena at 1.
