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Men's Basketball

Matthew Wright Leads @BonniesMBB Past Southern Illinois, 83-71

 

Final Score: St. Bonaventure 83, Southern Illinois 71

Location: Germain Arena, Estero, Fla.

Records: St. Bonaventure 4-1; Southern Illinois 1-4

BOX SCORE (pdf)

St. Bonaventure Starters: #3 Charlon Kloof, #24 Matthew Wright, #23 Andell Cumberbatch, #33 Marquise Simmons, #35 Youssou Ndoye

The Short Story: Matthew Wright scored a career high 32 points to lead St. Bonaventure to an 83-71 win over Southern Illinois on Monday night in the opening round of the Gulf Coast Showcase. The Bonnies advance to play Wagner, who beat Stetson 81-64, Tuesday at 8:30. St. Bonaventure used hot three-point shooting and solid defense to earn its fourth win in five games. Led by Wright, the Bonnies went 10-21 from long range, including 7-11 in the second half.

How it Happened:

  • St. Bonaventure established the tone early, scoring the first points of the game and opening a 21-10 lead midway through the first half.
  • SIU never came closer than seven points the rest of the opening half, and Matthew Wright ended the stanza on a positive with a baseline jumper with two seconds left that made it 40-30 at intermission.
  • Bonnies led 44-36 early in the second half when they went on a 9-5 run capped by a three-pointer from Matthew Wright to open up 53-41 lead.
  • St. Bonaventure's shooting started to heat up, fueling a 10-4 run that expanded lead to 16 points at 63-47 with 10:50 left. Jordan Gathers made a twisting layup plus was fouled, then Matthew Wright drained back-to-back three-pointers, the second drawing a foul that turned it into a four-point play.  
  • SIU responded with a 9-0 run that cut St. Bonaventure's lead to 63-56 with 9:00 left game, but Charlon Kloof held the Salukis at bay by scoring five straight points; he first drained a right wing three-pointer from in front of the Bonnies' bench, then made two free throws.
  • From that point on, the Salukis never came any closer than 10 points. The Bonnies' lead grew as large as 19.
  • Southern Illinois had only seven rebounds in the second half – none offensive.
  • After he went 0-3 from long range in the first half, Wright was 5-7 from three-point range in the second half. He finished the game making 11 of his 21 shots overall. Wright's prior career high of 27 points was set in the win over Canisius on Nov. 16.
  • Three other Bonnies joined Wright in double figures: Dion Wright, who tied his career best with 15 points, Kloof with 11 and Andell Cumberbatch with 11.
  • Kloof played a strong all-around game, shooting 3-5 from three-point range and ending with five assists and two steals.
  • The Bonnies went 15-20 at the free throw line.

Beyond the Box Score:

  • St. Bonaventure's 4-1 start is the program's best since the 2009-10 team opened 5-1.
  • Wright's 32 point performance was the first time a Bonnies player topped 30 points since Eric Mosley's 39-point epic against UMass last season.
  • Wright's five three-pointers were also career best.
  • Wright had been 2-16 on three-point field goals over the first four games; the Bonnies as a team were shooting only .233 from three-point range for the season coming into the Gulf Coast Showcase.
  • Dion Wright tied his career high in scoring with 15.
  • Andell Cumberbatch earned the first start of his young Bona career.
  • Monday night's game was the Bonnies' first in Florida since the 2011 postseason when they played at Central Florida in the CBI.
  • Among the St. Bonaventure alumni and fans in attendance were former players Sam Stith and Brendan McCann, both of whom played in the NBA.
  • The St. Bonaventure-Southern Illinois game was the final contest of the four-game slate on Monday which tipped off the inaugural Gulf Coast Showcase.

Quotes from St. Bonaventure Coach Mark Schmidt

  • "We knew coming in that Southern Illinois was going to play a zone, and that we'd have opportunities to shoot the three. We have good shooters, and it's good to see them step up and knock down shots. Matthew was terrific, going 5-10. He played with confidence, especially in the second half. It was also good to see Andell (Cumberbatch) and Charlon (Kloof) make shots."
  • "We knew that Southern Illinois wasn't going to go away quietly and so it was important for us to answer the runs that they made. Andell and Charlon and Matthew all made big, important shots that we needed at critical times." 

Up Next: The Bonnies will face Wagner on Tuesday night at 8:30 in the second day of the Gulf Coast Showcase, which runs through Wednesday.

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