Game Notes: St. Bona | A-10 | Saint Joe's
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In Brief
St. Bonaventure (16-10, 9-5) hosts Saint Joseph's (19-11, 9-6) in its final home game of the regular season, in a contest that all but decides a top-four seed and an Atlantic 10 Championship bye for both teams.
A-10 Player of the Year?
Having Emerged as the leading candidate for Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, Nicholson has come on strong of late, posting averages of 25.2 points, 11.7 boards and 2.5 blocks, while shooting 7-of-9 from beyond the arc and 65.9 percent from the field overall.
Last Time Out
Senior Andrew Nicholson continued to build a case for Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors Saturday night, with 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead St. Bonaventure to a 72-56 win over Charlotte. Nicholson did most of his damage in the first half, when he scored 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting for the Bonnies (16-10, 9-5), who have now won four of their last five. Matthew Wright chipped in with 13 points and Demitrius Conger added 12 for the suddenly surging Bonnies. Javarris Barnett and Demario Mayfield each had 13 points to lead Charlotte (13-14, 5-9), which has lost seven of its last 10 games. The 6-foot-9 Nicholson has been on a torrid pace of late. He came into the game averaging 25.2 points and 11.8 rebounds per game over the past five games. He's averaging more than 20 points per game this season in conference play.
What's In It For Me?
All seeds are unofficial until the Atlantic 10 announces the tournament field at the conclusion of all games on Saturday. That being said, an SBU win over SJU, paired with a UMass loss @ Temple assures SBU a top-four seed and a bye. Pending the outcome of Tuesday's XU @ SLU matchup, the Bonnies could slide into sole possession of third place with a win themselves and wins by SLU and TU. Saint Joseph's, on the other hand, is rooting for a TU win and a victory over the Bonnies to earn a top-four seed.
Next Up
The Bonnies conclude the regular season Saturday at La Salle (18-11, 7-7), before play in the Atlantic 10 Championship begins with opening round action at campus sites March 6.
Three-time Player of the Week
Nicholson averaged 27.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in 2-0 road sweep for the Bonnies, SBU's biggest back-to-back road wins (+42 points) since 1971. He shot 67.7percent from the floor (21-31), making three of his five 3-point attempts to go with four assists and three blocks on the week. The 6-foot-9 power forward finished 10-of-14 from the field with a pair of 3s and eight free throws for 30 markers in the win at Fordham on Wednesday, before closing out the week with his 23rd career double-double (25 points, 11 boards) in the victory at Charlotte on Saturday. Nicholson, just 38 points shy of 2,000 for his career, becomes just the third player in league history to earn three consecutive Player of the Week nods behind Xavier's Brian Thornton and David West, with the Mississauga native's trio of February citations marking the latest in a season that any player in the Atlantic 10 has been so honored.
With a Win …
Head coach Mark Schmidt would match his best win total in a season (17 @ Robert Morris in 06-07), and SBU would have double-digit Atlantic 10 wins for just the fourth time in its league history (since 1979-80) and first since 1999-00.
Saint Joe's: Last Time Out
Derrick Williams scored 17 points and Darien Brothers made a game-high seven free throws as Richmond held off a late rally to beat St. Joseph's 52-49 on Wednesday night. Brothers grabbed a team-high nine boards and scored 12 points for the Spiders (16-15, 6-8 Atlantic-10 Conference) who shot 40.9 percent from the field. Richmond trailed 24-23 at intermission but opened the second half with four 3-pointers to take a 40-29 lead with 14:35 left to play. St. Joseph's rallied to tie the game 49-all with 32 seconds remaining, but Brothers made three free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the win.
Nicholson Passes Lanier
With his 10-of-14 outing at Fordham Wednesday, Nicholson moved past Bob Lanier (57.6) for first place on the Bona all-time field goal percentage chart (see page 15). The senior is shooting an absurd 66.2 percent from the field, including 7-of-9 from 3 in his last five games.
The Answer is Simple
If asked to name all of the Atlantic 10 players who rank in the top four in conference scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and blocks, the answer is simple: Andrew Nicholson. He leads the A-10 at 19.9ppg, sits third in both rebounding (9.1) and FG% (63.7), while ranking fourth in blocks (28).
Nearing 2,000
Andrew Nicholson sits just 38 points shy of 2,000 for his highly-decorated career. If he averages 19.0 points per game over his final two outings, he accomplish the feat before the regular season ends. If he is able to break 2,000, the Bonnies would become the 17th school nationally and third in the Atlantic 10 (La Salle 6, Xavier 5) with at least five 2,000-point scorers.
Cook, He's a Monster
Senior Da'Quan Cook finished with 16 poinits and six boards to help the Bonnies dismantle Fordham for the second time this season. It was his first double-figure scoring game in four outings and just two off his season-high 18. He also scored 18 in the previous meeting with the Rams.
More on 2,000
Duke boasts 11 2,000-point scorers, the most in the country. Boston College (7) is second, with Georgia Tech, La Salle, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Tennessee and Villanova claiming six apiece. Indiana, Michigan, Murray State, Oklahoma, Virgina, Wake Forest and Xavier have five each.
Demitrius Goes Double
Junior swingman Demitrius Conger posted his sixth career double-double with 12 points and 11 boards in the win over Charlotte. He made both of his 3s, all four of his free throws and dished five assists in his first double-double since Dec. 30. It also marked his first such performance versus and A-10 opponent.
Cleaning the Glass
Bona owns a +5.9 edge on the glass this season, best in the A-10 and 33rd nationally (as of Feb. 28). The Bonnies have outrebounded eight of their last nine opponents and are 13-4 when grabbing more rebounds than the opposition.
Block Party
The Bonnies have blocked at least three shots in 14 of the last 15 games, and in 21 of 26 contests overall. SBU rejected a season-high nine shots against Fordham (Jan. 21) and blocked seven in the Cleveland State, George Washington and Dayton games.
Changing of the Guards
Head coach Mark Schmidt swapped Jordan Gathers in for Matthew Wright versus Rhode Island, adjusting the starting lineup for the first time in 12 games. It marked Gathers' first career start and was the fifth different cast deployed by the Bonnies this season.
Better Off the Bench
Matthew Wright earned the 2-guard spot in place of Michael Davenport earlier this season, but has come off the bench in in two straight, a decision that appears to have paid off for head coach Mark Schmidt. In 18 games as a starter, Wright averages 6.9 points and shoots 28.4 percent from 3 with a 1.4 A:TO ratio. Coming off the bench, Wright posts 8.5 points, shoots 40.5 percent from 3, and has a 4.1:1 A:TO ratio. Wright came off the bench for the first time in 18 games vs. URI and responded by knocking down his first two 3s and passing out eight assists with no turnovers.
Home Sweet Home
SBU had its eight-game home winstreak snapped with the loss to Temple, just its third loss in the last 17 home, regular-season A-10 games (14-3) since Feb. 27, 2010 vs. Rhode Island. In their 10 home victories overall (10-2), the Bonnies have posted a double-digit win in all but one (Dayton, +8), including a 44-point victory over Fordham Jan. 21.
Johnson Ranks 2nd in FT%
Chris Johnson is 52-58 from the charity stripe, good for an 89.7 percent clip, which currently ranks second all-time at SBU. He fails to qualify for the NCAAs free throw (2.5 makes/gm – 60) minimum but met for the school's single-season standard (50 attempts) in the loss at UMass.
Keys to Victory
Coach Mark Schmidt has stressed three keys to the Bonnies' success on the hardwood throughout the season: Rebound; Defend; Take Care of the Ball. To that end, SBU is 12-4 when outrebounding opponents, 9-1 when holding the opposition under 40 percent from the field and 9-1 when posting fewer turnovers.
Start Me Up
Andrew Nicholson and Demitrius Conger have been staples of the Bona starting five over the past three seasons. Nicholson has started in 69 straight since missing the Dayton game as a sophomore, while Conger has started 57 straight since the beginning of his second season.
Fine From the Line
The Bonnies rank 5th nationally in free throw percentage at 76.9 percent (443-576, as of Feb. 28). SBU has shot more free throws that its opponent in 13 of its 16 wins this season.
Against the Grain
SBU has put 3+ in double figures in 15th games this season. The Bonnies are 14-1 in those games, with the only loss being the Saint Louis game.
Closing it Out
The Bonnies got off to a tough 3-4 start to the season, and let late leads slip away in three of those four losses (Cleveland State, Arkansas State, Illinois). Following the Canisius game, however, St. Bonaventure has closed the door on the opposition - winning its last 12 games when holding a lead with 4:00 minutes to play (16-3).
Blowing the Doors Off
The Bonnies' 44-point margin of victory vs. Fordham is the biggest ever in conference play for SBU and just the second time with a 40+ point victory within the A-10. The other two biggest margins of victory have both come against Rhode Island: 1/29/00 (40, 84-44); 1/21/01 (36, 91-55).
He's a Hunter, That Gathers
Freshman guard Jordan Gathers had a breakout performance against Fordham, posting 12 points on 5-of-7 FGs (2-4 from 3) while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out three assists in 20 minutes. The Los Angeles, Calif. native booked career highs in each of those categories and stepped out of a 1-for-14 shooting funk to start his career, before breaking into the starting lineup vs. Rhode Island.
Andrew's Explosion
Andrew Nicholson's 30-point, 13-rebound, six-block effort against Dayton was just the third 30+/10+/5+ game in the nation over the last two seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information Senior Researcher Jason McCallum. He's the first Atlantic 10 player to do it since Ahmad Nivins in 2008. The last "Power 6" conference player with a 30-10-5 game? Kevin Durant. It marked his sixth career 30-point game (first this season), seventh career game with five or more blocks (first since 5 @UMass 1/20/10), and 20th career double-double (third this season).
Canadians Lead the U.S.
St. Bona boasts three Canadian players on its roster in Andrew Nicholson (Mississauga, Ontario), Matthew Wright (Toronto) and Chris Johnson (North Preston, Nova Scotia). The trio have combined for 44.7 percent of SBU's points (809-1,810) – the largest percentage of a team's points by Canadian players in the nation.
Let Me Upgrade Ya
There's no debating that the Bonnies (RPI: 100) have significantly upgraded the schedule - and the program - during Mark Schmidt 's tenure. By comparison, SBU ended the 2006-07 season (prior to the Schmidt era) ranked 278th in the RPI.
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 Lee Academy (Maine) teammate, freshman Youssou Ndoye.
