St. Bonaventure Men's Basketball Game Preview: George Washington Colonials
Date: Saturday, January 18
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Bob Lanier Court at the Reilly Center
St. Bonaventure Record: 11-6 (1-2) | GW Record: 14-3 (2-1)
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Opening Tip: After close losses to nationally-ranked UMass and Saint Louis on the road, St. Bonaventure returns home to host George Washington on Saturday night in the Reilly Center. The Bonnies will face yet another strong test in this game, as the Colonials come in at 14-3 and receiving votes in the national polls. A near-capacity crowd is expected in the first game since SBU students returned to campus from the between-semester break.
The Series: GW leads, 32-24
The Last Meeting: Jan. 9, 2013 at the Smith Center: GW 78, St. Bonaventure 59 (box score/stats on p. 28).
Coaches Comparison:
St. Bonaventure Coach Mark Schmidt
At SBU: 99-101 (7th season)
Overall: 181-191 (13th season)
Vs. GW: 2-4
GW Head Coach Mike Lonergan
Overall: 414-197 (21st season)
GW Scouting Report:
• George Washington received votes in both national polls this week, and that was before the Colonials defeated VCU on Tuesday 76-66. The Colonials' only losses came on a neutral court to #25 Marquette, at Kansas State and at LaSalle.
• GW is a balanced club on offense. Five players average in double figures and the Colonials average 75 points per game. Guard Maurice Creek leads GW in scoring at 14 points per game followed by Kethan Savage (13.2), Isiah Armwood (11.3), Kevin Larsen (11.2), Patricio Garino (10.1) and Joe McDonald (8.0). Creek is GW's top three-point shooter with 39 on the season; he shoots just under 40 percent from long range. Garino, who has played in only 10 games this year, scored 25 points in the win over VCU and is averaging a team-high 18.0 points per ga me in the Colonials' three conference contests. Armwood is one of the top post players in the A-10; he averages 8.2 rebounds and three blocked shots per game.
Last Time Out: Bonnies Fall Short at Saint Louis: Wednesday in St. Louis, Mo., the Bonnies played 24th-ranked Saint Louis tough on their home court but came up short by a 66-60 score. Jordan Gathers gave St. Bonaventure a 48-47 lead with a three-pointer with 10:11 remaining, but the Billikens went on a 12-1 run from that point to seize control. The Bonnies could not come any closer than five points the rest of the way. Matthew Wright led the Bonnies with 17 points while Dion Wright had a productive night with 16 points, five rebounds and three steals. Youssou Ndoye and Marquise Simmons were in foul trouble the whole game, which led to a 45-32 rebounding advantage for Saint Louis.
What A Stretch To Start: Talk about a challenging start to Atlantic 10 Conference play. The current combined record of the Bonnies' first four A-10 opponents – Richmond (11-6), UMass (15-1), Saint Louis (16-2) and George Washington (14-3) – is 56-12 (.823) overall and 9-2 in conference games. Both UMass (#16 this week) and Saint Louis (24) are ranked in the AP poll while GW is receiving votes.
Reilly Center Advantage: Under head coach Mark Schmidt, the Reilly Center is again a feared venue for Bonnies opponents. In addition to being 7-0 at home this season, the Bonnies have been at their best defensively on their home court, holding five of their seven opponents under 65 points and under 40 percent shooting. At the Reilly Center, St. Bonaventure has won 28 of its last 34 games against non-conference opponents dating to the beginning of the 2008-09 season.
Close Losses: Even including a 15-point loss at Wake Forest, the Bonnies' six losses have come by an average of just 6.2 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.
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 33.6 minutes per gam e and really only sits when he's had foul trouble, playing 36 minutes or more nine times with three games playing all 40 minutes. His offensive production is up this season by almost eight points and two assists per game; 11 of his 24 career games scoring in double figures have been this season. Kloof also helps key the Bonnies' improved defense, averaging 1.4 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 15.9 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 11 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 has averaged 16.8 points over the last five games.
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 (16.0), Charlon Kloof (12.2), Andell Cumberbatch (10.5), Gathers (9.3), Dion Wright (9.3), Youssou Ndoye (8.8) and Simmons (8.1). Every one of those players except Dion Wright have led the Bonnies in scoring at least once. The Bonnies rank sixth in the A-10 in scoring at 75 points per game.
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 9.3 points per game. Wright, who is not related to teammate Matthew Wright, has seven 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 4.8 rebounds, which ranks fourth on the team.
Milestone Watch:
• St. Bonaventure's next win will be Coach Mark Schmidt's 100th at SBU.
• Matthew Wright is 191 points away from 1,000 for his career.
• Youssou Ndoye holds fifth place on Bona's career blocks list with 93. He needs five to pass Jerome Spellman for fourth place.
• Wright has 118 three-pointers for his career; he needs one more to pass Eric Mosley for 10th place on the Bonnies' all-time list.
