St. Bonaventure Men's Basketball Game Preview: Niagara Purple Eagles
Date: Saturday, Dec. 21
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Location: Taps Gallagher Center, Niagara University, NY
St. Bonaventure Record: 7-4 | Niagara Record: 3-8
Bonnies Statistics | Niagara Statistics
Complete Game Notes Pack
TV: Time Warner Cable SportsNet
Listen (WPIG 95.7 FM, Olean, NY)
Twitter: @BonniesMBB
Opening Tip: St. Bonaventure makes the short trip north to face Big 4 rival Niagara for the 153rd time. The Bonnies come off a loss at Wake Forest on Tuesday, while the Purple Eagles' last game was Dec. 11, a win over Davidson at First Niagara Center. This rivalry dates back to 1920 and is St. Bonaventure's second-most played series only to Canisius.
The St. Bonaventure – Niagara Series: St. Bonaventure leads, 84-68
The Last Meeting: Nov. 24, 2012 at Blue Cross Arena (Rochester, NY) - St. Bonaventure 80, Niagara 75. Demitrius Conger had 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists while Chris Johnson had 19 points and Marquise Simmons had 12 points and 12 rebounds to power the Bonnies.
Last 10 Meetings: 8-2, Niagara
Last Five at Gallagher Center: 4-1, Niagara (Bonnies won 72-70 in 2011)
Coaches Comparison:
St. Bonaventure Coach Mark Schmidt
At SBU: 95-99 (7th season)
Overall: 177-189 (13th season)
Niagara Head Coach Chris Casey
At Niagara: 3-8 (first season)
Overall Record: 90-36 (fifth season)
Niagara Scouting Report
• The Purple Eagles have been off since an 83-72 win over Davidson on Dec. 11 at First Niagara Center. They are 2-1 at the Gallagher Center with wins over Buffalo and St. Peter's and a loss to Siena.
• Junior Antoine Mason, a 6-3, 210-lb. guard, leads NCAA Division I in scoring at 28.6 points per game. He accounts for 36 percent of Niagara's offense. Mason is shooting .458 from the field (.267 from three-point range) and 76 percent from the free throw line. He attempts an average of 12 free throws per game.
• In support of Mason are Marvin Jordan (9.7 points per game), Ramone Snowden (9.5), Rayvon Harris (8.1) and Marcus Ware (7.8).
• While scoring 78 points per game, Niagara is allowing 85 per outing.
Quick Hitters on The Bonnies:
- Andell Cumberbatch is hot, averaging 18.2 points and 8.7 rebounds over the past four games. He led St. Bonaventure in scoring both at Iona (career high 25) and Wake Forest (19), and posted double-doubles against Buffalo and UMass-Lowell.
- St. Bonaventure leads the Atlantic 10 in rebounding margin at +6.4 and ranks seventh in scoring defense (67.7 ppg).
- Charlon Kloof has increased his scoring average by almost eight points per game over last season (5.3 to 12.7). Kloof has scored in double figures eight times this season - two more than he did all of last season.
- Matthew Wright ranks sixth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring (16.5); he has increased his scoring average nearly 10 points per game from last season.
- Over the past five games, Marquise Simmons averaged 13.2 points and 6.0 rebounds with two double-doubles.
- Mark Schmidt, now in his seventh year as head coach, leads a program that has become a consistent winner; he is five wins away from 100 for his SBU tenure. Schmidt led St. Bonaventure to the A-10 Championship and NCAA Tournament in 2012.
- Only 14 percent (43) of the Bonnies' 291 field goals are 3-pointers.
Bonnies Versus MAAC Opponents:
• All-time, St. Bonaventure is 245-159 against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference members.
• This will be the Bonnies' fourth and final game against a MAAC opponent this season; St. Bonaventure topped Canisius and Iona but lost to Siena.
Last Time Out: Bonnies Fall At Wake Forest: Tuesday in Winston-Salem, N.C., St. Bonaventure fell to Wake Forest 77-62 in a game that was closer than the final score would indicate. The Bonnies led 36-28 at halftime after an impressive defensive effort in the first 20 minutes, but the Demon Deacons surged back in the second half with two key runs to take the victory. Wake Forest made 62 percent of its shots (18-29) in the second half including 3-5 from three-point range. Andell Cumberbatch led the Bonnies with 19 points, seven rebounds and six steals.
Batch's Hot Streak: Junior swingman Andell Cumberbatch is on an a hot streak. Over the past four games, the 6'4" Cumberbatch averaged 18.2 points and 8.7 rebounds. At Wake Forest, he led the Bonnies in scoring (19 points), rebounds (7) and steals (a career-best 6). In the win at Iona, he scored a career-high 25 points. He also had pair of double-doubles in the streak: 16 points and 10 rebounds vs. Buffalo, and 13 points and 11 rebounds vs. UMass-Lowell. Cumberbatch's surge pushed him to second on the team (and 23rd in the A-10) in scoring at 12.9 points per game.
Kloof Leading The Pack: To say that senior point guard Charlon Kloof's role has increased this season is a vast understatement. He is a leader on and off the court, and the Bonnies rely heavily on his production. Start with playing time - he's on the court almost 35 minutes per game and really only been out when he's had foul trouble, playing 36 minutes or more six times. His offensive production is up this season by almost eight points and two assists per game. Kloof also helps key the Bonnies' improved defense, averaging 1.5 steals.
The Wright Way: Consistency from Matthew Wright has been pointed to as a key to the Bonnies' success this season, and so far the senior shooting guard has delivered. He is averaging a team-high 16.5 points per game - fifth best in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Toronto native suffered a sprained ankle at Buffalo which forced him to miss half of that game as well as the Iona game, but he returned at Wake Forest to score nine points in 24 minutes off the bench. Wright scored a career-high 32 points against Southern Illinois on Nov. 25.
Road Swing: This game marks the end of a stretch where St. Bonaventure has played eight out of nine games on the road or at a neutral site. UMass-Lowell was the Bonnies' only home game in a span of 45 days (Nov. 16-Dec. 30). The Bonnies will play three straight at home now starting with Dec. 30 against Delaware.
