St. Bonaventure Men's Basketball Game Preview: University of Richmond Spiders
Date: Wednesday, February 5
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Robins Center
St. Bonaventure Record: 13-8 (3-4) | Richmond Record: 14-8 (4-3)
Bonnies Statistics | Richmond Statistics
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Opening Tip: After a bye last weekend, St. Bonaventure returns to action on Wednesday night when it visits Richmond for the second meeting of the season between the teams. Jan. 8 at St. Bonaventure, the Bonnies claimed an 84-70 win over the Spiders. St. Bonaventure's last game was a 78-65 decision over #21/19 UMass. This game is the start of a stretch where the Bonnies play three out of four on the road; the lone home game is this Saturday against Dayton.
The Series: Richmond leads, 12-5
The Last Meeting: Jan. 8, 2014 at the Reilly Center: St. Bonaventure 84, Richmond 70
Coaches Comparison:
St. Bonaventure Coach Mark Schmidt
At SBU: 101-103 (7th season)
Overall: 183-193 (13th season)
Richmond Head Coach Chris Mooney
At UR: 161-126 (9th season)
Overall: 179-138 (10th season)
Richmond Scouting Report:
• The Spiders come off an 81-70 loss at VCU on Saturday. Guard Kendall Anthony continued his recent scoring streak with a game-high 31 points against the Rams; he has averaged 23.7 points per game over the last three. Senior backcourt mate Cedric Lindsay scored 21 points against VCU.
• The Spiders rank second in the A-10 in both scoring defense (66 points per game) and field goal percentage defense (.411).
• Lindsay leads Richmond and ranks third in the A-10 in scoring at 19.3 points per game. Anthony stands 12th in the A-10 at 14.7 points per game on the season. Sophomore forward Terry Allen averages 8.2 points and 5.5 rebounds, while 6-9 sophomore forward Alonzo Nelson-Ododa is at 6.3 ppg and 5.1 rebounds to go with 53 blocked shots. Forward Trey Davis leads Richmond in rebounding at 6.5 per game while senior power forward Derrick Williams averages 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds.
Last Time Out - Bonnies Knock Off UMass: Last Wednesday at the Reilly Center, five players scored in double figures as St. Bonaventure defeated #21/19 Massachusetts, 78-65. The Bonnies used a 9-1 run to open up a 64-54 lead with 5:27 remaining and went on to the win, which snapped a streak of 24 consecutive losses to ranked opponents dating to Jan. 15, 2000. St. Bonaventure took advantage at the free throw line, going 30-34 compared to UMass' 8-15, and on the boards, outrebounding the Minutemen 45-35. Charlon Kloof led the Bonnies with 14 points; he was supported by Youssou Ndoye (12 points and three blocks), Dion Wright (12 points and six rebounds), Matthew Wright (11 points), Marquise Simmons (10 points and nine rebounds) and freshman Denzel Gregg (career-high eight points and seven rebounds).
Bench Press: St. Bonaventure's bench has outscored opponents in 16 of 21 games this season, including all seven A-10 games. The Bonnies' four main players coming off the bench contibute 22 points per game: Dion Wright (9.3), Jordan Gathers (8.7), Denzel Gregg (2.1) and Chris Dees (1.8).
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 10 times. Kloof's offensive production has more than doubled from last season (5.3 to 12.9 points per game), and 13 of his 26 career games scoring in double figures have been this season. Kloof's assists per game averaged is at 4.9 (second best in the A-10) compared to 2.0 per game last season, and he has 102 assists against 53 turnovers -- the sixth-best assist-to-TO ratio in the A-10. Kloof also helps key the Bonnies' improved defense, averaging 1.3 steals and 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.
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 .869. On the season, Wright has scored in double figures 13 times topped by a 32-point outburst against Southern Illinois. He also has been an effective distributor, handing out 66 assists so far (3.3 per game, 11th in the A-10). Best known for his three-point shooting, Wright has made 38 threes so far (38-115/.330), which is the eighth-best total among A-10 players.
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 (15.3), Charlon Kloof (12.9), Andell Cumberbatch (10.1), Dion Wright (9.3), Youssou Ndoye (8.9), Gathers (8.7) and Simmons (8.4). Every one of those players except Dion Wright have led the Bonnies in scoring at least once. The Bonnies rank fourth in the A-10 in scoring at 74.8 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. 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 eight 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 (he's called "The Worm" by teammates and coaches), Wright is third on the team in rebounding at 5.3 per game. In Atlantic 10 games, he is averaging 9.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and is 27-46 (.587) from the field.
