St. Bonaventure Men's Basketball Game Preview: Fordham University Rams
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 12
Time: 9:00 p.m.
Location: Rose Hill Gym – Bronx, NY
St. Bonaventure Record: 13-10 (3-6) | Fordham Record: 9-13 (2-7)
Bonnies Statistics | Fordham Statistics
Complete Game Notes Pack
TV: SNY
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Twitter: @BonniesMBB
Opening Tip: Wednesday night, St. Bonaventure visits Fordham for the first of two road games this week and the only meeting between these teams this season. The Bonnies have been competitive in every A-10 game but have just a 3-6 record to show for it. St. Bonaventure features the inside-outside combination of center Youssou Ndoye, who has played very well in the last three games, and senior guards Charlon Kloof and Matthew Wright.
The Series: St. Bonaventure leads 18-17 and has won six of the last seven meetings. At Rose Hill, the schools have split the 16 meetings played there.
The Last Meeting: March 9, 2013 at the Reilly Center -- Fordham 76, St. Bonaventure 72. The Rams surprised the Bonnies on Senior Day as Mandell Thomas and Chris Gaston scored 22 points apiece; Thomas' three-pointer with 24 seconds left secured the win which ultimately knocked the Bonnies out of the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
Coaches Comparison:
St. Bonaventure Coach Mark Schmidt
At SBU: 101-105 (7th season)
Overall: 183-195 (13th season)
Fordham Head Coach Tom Pecora
At Fordham: 33-77 (4th season)
Overall: 188-203 (12th season)
Fordham Scouting Report:
• The Rams have lost three of their last four games, the win an 85-79 decision over Rhode Island on Feb. 1 at Rose Hill Gym. Fordham is 7-4 at home (2-2 in the A-10) and 2-9 on the road. The Rams' other A-10 win was Jan. 22 at home over George Mason.
• The backcourt of freshman Jon Severe (19.0 points per game), senior Branden Frazier (17.8) and sophomore Mandell Thomas (13.1) accounts for 67 percent of Fordham's offense. Each of them has taken over 100 three-pointers and made at least 30; Severe has the 3-point top shooting percentage on the team at .377 (66-175).
• Forward Ryan Rhoomes is Fordham's top rebounder at 7.6 per game; the Rams are allowing almost 40 rebounds per game to their opponents.
Last Time Out: Bonnies Fall 72-69 To Dayton: Saturday at the Reilly Center, the Bonnies suffered just their second home loss this season, a 72-69 decision to Dayton. St. Bonaventure led the entire second half until the Flyers reclaimed the lead with 2:03 left. Dayton made four free throws in the final 12 seconds to hold on for a hard-fought win. Youssou Ndoye and Charlon Kloof led the Bonnies with 17 points apiece; Ndoye, who was 6-6 from the field, added seven rebounds and five blocked shots. The Bonnies shot 50 percent from the field but were outrebounded 38-29 and had 12 turnovers.
Close Losses: The Bonnies' 10 losses have come by an average of just 5.2 points per game. The team's six A-10 losses have been by a combined 24 points. The Bonnies have lost three games by two points and all three of those came in the final seconds – at Siena (off-balance drive just before the horn sounded), at Duquesne (off-balance three-pointer at the buzzer) and at Richmond (jump shot with 5.4 seconds left). In five 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, 14 in a 78-73 final at Buffalo, 10 in an 83-81 decision at Duquesne, and seven in a 72-69 home loss to Dayton.
Ndoye's Progression: While he is in just his fifth season playing the game, junior center Youssou Ndoye has shown growth in all facets. His freshman season, playing behind A10 Player of the Year Andrew Nicholson, Ndoye averaged 2.6 points and 2.4 rebounds. Last season, the 7-footer improved to 6.9 points and 4.9 rebounds. This season, he's up to 9.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, with three of his four career double-doubles. In A-10 games, he has been even better, averaging 11.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and nearly 3.0 blocks. Over the last three games, Ndoye has averaged 14.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 blocks. His 52 blocks rank seventh on Bona's single-season blocked shot list.
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 8.1 points: Matthew Wright (15.2), Charlon Kloof (12.7), Andell Cumberbatch (9.5), Youssou Ndoye (9.5), Dion Wright (9.1), Gathers (8.1) 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 74.0 points per game.
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 15.3 points per game, which ranks ninth in the Atlantic 10 Conference. He also leads the A-10 in free throw shooting percentage at .851. Wright has scored in double figures 15 times topped by a 32-point outburst against Southern Illinois. He also has been an effective distributor, handing out 69 assists so far (3.3 per game, 11th in the A-10). Best known for his three-point shooting, Wright has made 42 threes (42-125/.336), which is the eighth-best total among A-10 players. In A-10
Kloof Leads The Pack: Senior point guard Charlon Kloof certainly has to be in the conversation about the most improved players in the Atlantic 10 Conference. After losing his starting spot last year, Kloof's playing time and production dropped, but this season he has been a completely different player. A leader on and off the court, the Bonnies rely heavily on his production. Start with playing time: he's on the court 33 minutes per game, playing 36 minutes or more 11 times. Kloof's offensive production has more than doubled from last season (5.3 to 12.7 points per game), and 15 of his 28 career games scoring in double figures have been this season. Kloof averages 4.9 assists per game average (second best in the A-10) compared to 2.0 per game last season, and he has 112 assists against 58 turnovers -- the sixth-best assist-to-TO ratio in the A-10. Kloof also helps key the Bonnies' improved defense, regularly taking on the defensive assignment against other top guards. In the Bonnies' win over UMass Jan. 29, he helped limit Chaz Williams to 11 points on 3-10 shooting; LaSalle's Tyreek Duren scored 16 points but went 5-14 from the field with just two assists; Saint Louis' Jordair Jett went 5-12 with four turnovers.
Bench Press: St. Bonaventure's bench has outscored opponents in 16 of 23 games this season, including seven out of nine A-10 games. The Bonnies' four main players coming off the bench contibute 21 points per game: Dion Wright (9.1), Jordan Gathers (8.1), Denzel Gregg (1.9) and Chris Dees (2.0).
