St. Bonaventure Men's Basketball Game Preview: Massachusetts
Date: Saturday, January 11
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Location: Mullins Center – Amherst, Mass.
St. Bonaventure Record: 11-4 (1-0) | UMass Record: 13-1 (1-0)
Bonnies Statistics | UMass Statistics
Atlantic 10 Standings
Complete Game Notes Pack
TV: NBC Sports Network | NBCSN channel finder
Listen (WPIG 95.7 FM, Olean, NY)
Twitter: @BonniesMBB
Opening Tip: Riding a four-game win streak, St. Bonaventure travels to Massachusetts for a nationally-televised game with the 19th-ranked Minutemen. These long-time Atlantic 10 Conference rivals square off for the 61st time; last season in Olean, the Bonnies took a 99-94 decision from UMass, and both teams are again capable of scoring. Wednesday, St. Bonaventure won its A-10 opener 84-70 at home over Richmond.
The Series: UMass leads, 39-21; the Bonnies are 3-4 against UMass since Mark Schmidt took over as head coach
The Last Meeting: Feb. 20, 2013 at St. Bonaventure 99, UMass 94
Eric Mosley scored a career high 39 points to power the Bonnies in a game where the teams combined for 124 points in the second half.
Coaches Comparison:
St. Bonaventure Coach Mark Schmidt
At SBU: 99-99 (7th season)
Overall: 181-189 (13th season)
Vs. UMass: 3-4
UMass Head Coach Derek Kellogg
At UMass: 98-78 (6th season) / Overall: same
UMass Scouting Report:
• UMass is ranked 19th in both the AP and ESPN/Coaches polls this week.
• Wednesday in their A-10 opener, the Minutemen came from behind to defeat Saint Joseph's, 66-62, at the Mullins Center. Senior point guard Chaz Williams led UMass with 22 points.
• This will be UMass' fourth consecutive home game. The Minutemen are 7-0 at home. Their only loss was a 60-55 decision to Florida State in Sunrise, Fla.
• Williams, a first team all-conference preseason pick, leads UMass in scoring (15.9 ppg), assists (104) and three-point field goals (29/.439).
• The Minutemen look to push tempo with Williams and their athletic big men. Cady Lalanne, a 6'9" forward, averages 13 points and a team-high 9.8 rebounds with 37 blocked shots. The other top scorers are center Sampson Carter (11.6), forward Raphiel Putney (10.6), guard Derrick Gordon (9.4) and reserves Maxie Esho (9.0) and Trey Davis (7.1).
Quick Hitters on The Bonnies:
- The Bonnies have won a season-high four games in a row.
- Seven Bonnies average at least 8.6 points per game.
- St. Bonaventure is an improved defensive team, ranking second in the A-10 in rebounding margin (+6.0), fifth in field goal % defense (.426) and eighth in scoring defense (67.8 ppg).
- Charlon Kloof has increased his scoring average 7.2 points per game over last season (5.3 to 12.5).
- Matthew Wright ranks 6th in the Atlantic 10 in scoring (16.5); he has increased his scoring average by 9.0 ppg from last season.
- Mark Schmidt, now in his seventh year as head coach, leads a program that is consistently competitive; he is one win away from 100 for his SBU tenure (exactly 99-99). In 2012, Schmidt led St. Bonaventure to the A-10 Championship and NCAA Tournament.
- Only 17% (70) of SBU's 409 field goals are 3-pointers, but the Bonnies shot 39% from long range over the last six games.
Last Time Out: Bonnies Top Richmond: Wednesday at the Reilly Center, St. Bonaventure opened Atlantic 10 Conference play with an 84-70 win over Richmond. The Bonnies led 40-27 at halftime, but the Spiders came back to take a 57-55 lead midway through the second half. St. Bonaventure responded with a 13-1 run to regain control, and went on to the win in part thanks to making 19 of 26 free throws in the second half. Matthew Wright led the Bonnies with 20 points while Youssou Ndoye had a career high 19 points and 11 rebounds. Jordan Gathers scored 11 points and handed out six assists. The Bonnies' 84 points were the most surrendered by Richmond this season.
St. Bonaventure vs. Ranked Teams: This is St. Bonaventure's first game this season against a ranked opponent. The Bonnies have lost 22 consecutive games to ranked teams, including a pair last season (#25 NC State and #24 VCU). St. Bonaventure's last win over a ranked opponent came on Jan. 15, 2000, when the Bonnies knocked off #20 Temple at the Reilly Center, 57-56. All-time, St. Bonaventure is 9-58 against ranked teams.
Scoring Options Increase: With the emergence of Dion Wright, Marquise Simmons and Jordan Gathers as capable scorers, 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 more than 8.0 points: Matthew Wright (16.5), Charlon Kloof (12.5), Andell Cumberbatch (11.3), Dion Wright (9.2), Gathers (9.1) and Youssou Ndoye (9.0) and Simmons (8.6). Every one of those players except Dion Wright has led the Bonnies in scoring at least once. The Bonnies rank fifth in the A-10 in scoring at 76.5 ppg.
The "Other Wright": After a year spent in a role typical for most freshmen, Dion Wright has emerged as a key player for the Bonnies as a sophomore. The 6'7" swingman from Carson, Calif., played in only 13 games last year, but this season he has become the Bonnies' most reliable player off the bench. He has played in every game and is averaging 9.4 points, which ranks fourth on the team. Wright, who is not related to teammate Matthew Wright, has six games of 12 points or more capped by a career-high 22 in the win at Iona. He keyed the win at Niagara with first double-double of his career, 14 points and 11 rebounds. Known for his ability to rebound and score in traffic, Wright also averages 4.9 rebounds, which ranks fourth on the team.
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 34 minutes per game and really only sits when he's had foul trouble, playing 36 minutes or more eight times with three games playing all 40 minutes. His offensive production is up this season by almost eight points and two assists per game; 10 of his 23 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.
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 leads the Bonnies in scoring at 16.5 points per game, which ranks sixth in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Toronto native suffered a sprained ankle at Buffalo which forced him to miss half that game as well as the Iona game, and really only returned to form after Christmas, when he scored a game-high 23 points in the win over Delaware. In all, Wright has scored in double figures 10 times topped by a 32-point outburst against S. Illinois. He opened A-10 play by scoring 20 points in the win over Richmond and averaged 19.6 points over the last three games.
Most Non-Conference Wins Since 1997: The Bonnies' Jan. 4 victory over Cornell gave them the most non-conference wins in a season (10) by a St. Bonaventure team since 1997. Prior to this year, the Bonnies' best non-conference win total under head coach Mark Schmidt was 9-4 in 2008. The 1997 team was 10-3 in non-conference games and 17-15 overall and wound up making the NIT.
Close Losses: Even including a 15-point loss at Wake Forest, the Bonnies' four losses came by an average of just 6.5 points. In three of those losses, St. Bonaventure could have come away with wins if it had made more free throws. The Bonnies missed 12 free throws in a 72-70 decision at Siena, 11 in a 76-72 loss to Louisiana Tech, and 14 in a 78-73 final at Buffalo.
Improved 3-Point: While the Bonnies are not and likely will not be one of the top three-point shooting teams in the A-10, they have shown improvement in this area. Over the last six games, St. Bonaventure went 40-103 (.388) from behind the three-point line, raising its season percentage up to .324. Three of the team's best games in terms of three-pointers made have come in the last six games: 10 vs. Cornell, eight vs. Niagara and eight against Iona.
