Atlantic 10 Championship Central
Game Notes: St. Bona | Saint Joseph's
SJU: Roster| Schedule & Results | Statistics
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In Brief
No. 4 seed St. Bonaventure (17-11) opens the Atlantic 10 Championship against No.5 Saint Joseph's (20-12), with the winner advancing to face the better of the No. 1 Temple/No. 8 UMass matchup at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
A-10 Player of the Year
Nicholson embarked on an unprecedented run down the stretch of the Atlantic 10 schedule, averaging 25.3 points and 11.5 rebounds over the final eight conference games. He became the first player ever in the Atlantic 10 to earn four straight Player of the Week awards, putting the finishing touches on a regular season that included his 2,000th career point, seven double-doubles, the first 20-20 game since Bob Lanier in 1967, his 200th career block and the Bonnies' best win percentage since 1999-00.
With a Win…
The Bonnies would advance to take on the winner of the No. 1 Temple/No. 8 UMass matchup at 1 p.m. on Saturday. It would be the Bonnies second win after the regular season since 2002 (1-6) and mark the most wins in a season since 2001 (18-12).
Last Meeting vs. SJU
Andrew Nicholson scored 32 points and pulled down 14 boards and Matthew Wright sank three 3-pointers to help St. Bonaventure rally twice, then hold off Saint Joseph's 98-93 in two overtimes on Wednesday night. Demitrius Conger added 16 points and 10 boards and Da'Quan Cook finished with 14 for St. Bonaventure. St. Bonaventure trailed 67-61 before Nicholson and Wright sank consecutive 3-pointers, part of a 7-2 run over the final 2:58 of regulation, to push the game into the first overtime. The Bonnies were behind again, this time 84-78, with 20 seconds remaining in the first overtime period but Nicholson and Wright converted consecutive treys again, sending the game into yet another overtime period. St. Bonaventure dominated the second overtime, opening the period with 3-pointers from Wright, Nicholson and Charlon Kloof.
What's On the Line
SBU looks to have positioned itself well for a run into the A-10 tournament, winning five of its last seven overall. The Bonnies could improve their postseason tournament resume as well, should a tournament title not be in the cards.
Coach of the Year
St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt was chosen by staff writers and editors at Sporting News as the Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year. The Bonnies' 17 wins this season tie for the most by a Schmidt-coached team. By comparison, SBU had won just 17 combined games in the three seasons prior to his arrival.
Climbing the Ladder
The Bonnies are the only team among 14 school in the A-10 to improve on their league win record in each of the last five campaigns. Bona ended the 2007-08 season 2-14, was 6-10 in 08-09, 7-9 in 09-10, 8-8 last season before winning 10 of 16 contests most recently.
Nicholson Passes Lanier
With his 10-of-14 outing at Fordham, 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 65 percent from the field, including 9-of-15 from 3 in his last five games.
And Carter, Too
Nicholson grabbed his 850th rebound at La Salle to conclude the regular season, enought to pass George Carter and move into fourth on the all-time list.
The Answer is Simple
If asked to name all of the Atlantic 10 players who ranked among top four in conference scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and blocks, the answer is simple: Andrew Nicholson. He lead the A-10 at 20.7ppg, sat second in rebounding (9.4), and third in FG% (63.3), while ranking fourth in blocks (28).
Breaking 2,000
The Bonnies became the 17th school nationally and third in the Atlantic 10 (La Salle 6, Xavier 5) with at least five 2,000-point scorers when Andrew Nicholson broke the barrier with an and-1 against La Salle.
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, Xavier and Bonas have five each.
Demitrius Goes Double, Too
Junior swingman Demitrius Conger talled 16 points and 10 boards in the win over Saint Joseph's, his second double-double in as many games. He posted his sixth career double-double with 12 points and 11 boards in the win at Charlotte and has scored in double figures in each of the last five contests, a feat he accomplished nearing the end of non-conference play as well.
Now It's Just Wright
After enduring a 6-for-37 slump from beyond the arc and losing his starting 2-guard spot from Dec. 23 to Feb. 18, Matthew Wright has emerged once more as the team's top perimeter threat - even if he comes off the bench. Wright buried three triples in three straight games of reserve duty (he still plays starter's minutes, though) and is converting at 46 percent from distance in his last five.
Hit the Road
St. Bonaventure owns a 6-8 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). In Neutral site games, SBU is 0-1 with the only loss being a heartbreaker to NC State in Rochester.
Cleaning the Glass
Bona owns a +5.9 edge on the glass this season, best in the A-10. The Bonnies have outrebounded 11 of their last 12 opponents - including +18, +19, +24 outings - and are 14-5 when grabbing more rebounds than the opposition.
Block Party
After a stretch of blocking three or more shots in 14 of 16 games, SBU has failed to swat a shot in back-to-back games. Bona 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 three straight, a decision that appears to have paid off for head coach Mark Schmidt. In 18 games as a starter, Wright averaged 6.9 points and shoots 28.4 percent from 3 with a 1.4 A:TO ratio. Coming off the bench, Wright posts 8.8 points, shoots 41.9 percent from 3, and has a 3.8:1 A:TO ratio. He's made three 3s in in his last three games.
Home Sweet Home
The Bonnies likely played their final home game of the season against Saint Joseph's, ending the campaign with an 11-2 mark in the RC. SBU is 14-3 in its last 17 home, regular season A-10 games and boasts an overall 411-187 mark since 1967 in the Reilly Center.
Johnson Ranks 2nd in FT%
Chris Johnson is 55-62 from the charity stripe, good for an 88.7 percent clip, which currently ranks second all-time at SBU. He fails to qualify for the NCAAs free throw (2.5 makes/gm – 70) minimum but met 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 14-5 when outrebounding opponents, 10-1 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 71 straight since missing the Dayton game as a sophomore, while Conger has started 59 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 put 3+ in double figures in 16 games this season. The Bonnies are 15-1 in those games, with the only loss coming at Saint Louis.
YOU So Good
Freshman C Youssou Ndoye (YOU-sue EN-doy) used two dunks and went 3-of-3 from the line to record a career-high nine points (3-4 FGs) at Xavier. The Dakar, Senegal native was also active in the OT win over URI with a dunk, drawn charge, block, steal and rebound in the final 77 seconds.
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 44.8 percent of SBU's points (883-1969) – 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: 96) 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.
Out for the season
The Bonnies have endured the loss of two players this year in guard Micahel Davenport and forward Marquise Simmons. Simmons tore his Achilles tendon in the season opener versus Cornell; Davenport collided with another player while diving for a loose ball ruseulting in a season-ending shoulder injury. Both are expected to return next year.
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.
