St. Bonaventure Men's Basketball Game Preview: Delaware
Opponent: Delaware Blue Hens
Date: Monday, Dec. 30
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Location: Bob Lanier Court at the Reilly Center
St. Bonaventure Record: 8-4 | Delaware Record: 6-6
Bonnies Statistics | Delaware Statistics
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Opening Tip: St. Bonaventure returns home for the first time since Dec. 3 to host high-scoring Delaware in the Bonnies' final game of calendar year 2013. The Bonnies last game was a Dec. 21, a last-second, 74-72 win at Niagara, while Delaware also has not played since Dec. 21 when the Blue Hens defeated Bryant in overtime.
The Series: Delaware leads, 1-0
The Last Meeting: Nov. 21, 2008 at UD: Delaware 81, St. Bonaventure 71
Coaches Comparison:
St. Bonaventure Coach Mark Schmidt
At SBU: 96-99 (7th season)
Overall: 178-189 (13th season)
Delaware Head Coach Monte Ross
At Delaware: 96-137 (seventh season)
Overall: same
Delaware Scouting Report:
• The Blue Hens have been road warriors this season. This game will be their 10th away from home; three of their six losses came at #3 Ohio State, at Villanova and at Notre Dame. Delaware's last game was a 108-107 overtime win against Bryant on Dec. 21 at Madison Square Garden.
• Delaware averages 82 points per game but also allows 80 per outing.
• Senior guard and captain Devon Saddler sat out the first seven games due to a violation of team and University policies, but is averaging a team-high 22 points per game over his five games in the lineup. He has been the Blue Hens' leading scorer three times.
• Four of the Blue Hens' five starters average over 11 points per game led by Jarvis Threatt, who is at 18.3 points per game, and Davon Usher at 17.8. Kyle Anderson averages 13.5 points per night and Carl Baptiste is at 11.3. Baptiste (7.4) and Usher (6.6) are the team's top rebounders. Anderson shoots 51 percent from three-point range.
• Head coach Monte Ross is very familiar with St. Bonaventure and the Reilly Center; prior to taking over at Delaware he was an assistant coach under Phil Martelli at Saint Joseph's for 10 seasons.
Last Time Out: Kloof Lifts Bonnies By Niagara: Dec. 21 at Niagara, Charlon Kloof drove the length of the floor and made a twisting, left-handed layup just prior to the buzzer to give St. Bonaventure a 74-72 win over the Purple Eagles. Kloof's heroics were set up by Jordan Gathers and his teammates, who forced a shot clock violation by Niagara star Antoine Mason on the previous possession. Kloof led four Bonnies in double figures with 18 points. Dion Wright recorded the first double-double of his career with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Gathers had 14 points and Andell Cumberbatch totalled 11. The Bonnies dominated the interior with a 45-31 rebounding margin.
Road Swing Ends; Six of Next Nine at Home: The Niagara game was the end of a stretch where St. Bonaventure 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 went 4-4 over the eight road/neutral games. Now, St. Bonaventure will enjoy six out of its next nine games at home, where it is 4-0 to date. The Delaware game starts a three-game homestand, which is tied for the longest of the season.
Looking To End Non-Conference Strong: At 8-4 with two games left in their non-conference schedule, the Bonnies have already surpassed their non-conference win total from last season (7-6) and have a chance to tie or surpass their best non-conference win total under head coach Mark Schmidt (nine in 2008). No St. Bonaventure team has won 10 non-conference games since 1997. Bona's non-conference records the past five seasons:
2012-13: 7-6
2011-12: 7-5
2010-11: 8-5
2009-10: 7-6
2008-09: 9-4
Kloof Leads 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 eight times with two games playing all 40 minutes. His offensive production is up this season by almost eight points and two assists per game; nine of his 22 career games scoring in double figures have been this season. Kloof also helps key the Bonnies' improved defense, averaging 1.5 steals. He also has proven to be a clutch player, scoring the winning basket on a buzzer-beating, length of the court drive at Niagara Dec. 21.
Batch's Hot Streak: Junior swingman Andell Cumberbatch is on a hot streak. Over the past five games, Cumberbatch averaged 16.8 points and 7.6 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 25th in the A-10 in scoring at 12.7 points per game.
Scoring Options Increase: With the emergence of Dion Wright, Marquise Simmons and Jordan Gathers as capable scorers this season, St. Bonaventure has more offensive options than it did last year, when Demitrius Conger, Chris Johnson and Eric Mosely accounted for nearly half of the team's scoring. The Bonnies now have seven players averaging 7.9 points or better: Matthew Wright (15.6), Charlon Kloof (13.2), Andell Cumberbatch (12.7), Simmons (9.4), Dion Wright (9.1), Youssou Ndoye (8.1) and Gathers (7.9). Of those seven players, all but Dion Wright and Gathers have led the Bonnies in scoring least one game this season.
