St. Bonaventure Men's Basketball Game Preview: University of Dayton Flyers
Date: Saturday, Feb. 8
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Bob Lanier Court at the Reilly Center
St. Bonaventure Record: 13-9 (3-5) | Dayton Record: 15-8 (3-5)
Bonnies Statistics | Dayton Statistics
Complete Game Notes Pack
TV: Time Warner Sports Channel
Watch: FREE streaming video
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Twitter: @BonniesMBB
Opening Tip: Saturday afternoon, St. Bonaventure returns to the Reilly Center to start the second half of the A-10 schedule against A-10 rival Dayton. The Bonnies look to bounce back after a frustrating loss at Richmond on Wednesday. A near-capacity Homecoming Weekend crowd is expected with fewer than 700 tickets remaining as of Friday morning.
The Series: Dayton leads the series, 16-9, and has won 10 of the last 11 meetings. Two seasons ago at the Reilly Center, the Bonnies ended a nine-game losing streak to the Flyers with an 81-73 win. At the Reilly Center, the teams have split their eight games.
The Last Meeting: March 6, 2013 in Dayton, Ohio -- Dayton 75, St. Bonaventure 63
Coaches Comparison:
St. Bonaventure Coach Mark Schmidt
At SBU: 101-104 (7th season)
Overall: 183-194 (13th season)
Vs. Dayton: 1-5
Dayton Head Coach Archie Miller
At UD: 52-35 (3rd season)
Overall: same
Vs. SBU: 2-1
Dayton Scouting Report:
• The Flyers have won back-to-back games; they won 84-67 at George Mason on Wednesday and beat a depleted George Washington club 75-65 last Saturday. Dayton endured a four-game losing skid in January, falling to Richmond, VCU, Rhode Island and Saint Joseph's.
• The Flyers went 12-3 in non-conference action with wins over Gonzaga, Georgia Tech and Cal.
• Forward Devin Oliver is second on the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game, and he leads Dayton in rebounding (6.8), assists and steals.
• Dayton employs a nine-man rotation with no player averaging more than 30 minutes per game. The Flyers' other top scorers are guard Jordan Sibert (12.3), who shoots 43 percent from long range, forward Dyshawn Pierre (11.6), forward Vee Sanford (9.8) and guard Khari Price (7.6).
Last Time Out: Last-Second Loss at Richmond: Wednesday night, St. Bonaventure suffered a 64-62 setback in Richmond. Kendall Anthony made a jumper with 5.4 seconds left to give the Spiders the win; Anthony scored 16 of his 28 points in the second half. The Bonnies led 36-31 at hafltime but went 5-26 from the field in the second half. Matthew Wright led St. Bonaventure with 17 points while Youssou Ndoye had 15.
Reilly Center Advantage: Under head coach Mark Schmidt, the Reilly Center is again a superb home court advantage. This season at the RC, the Bonnies:
• Have a record of 9-1 with a win over #21 UMass and the only loss to George Washington
• Have won by seven points or more in all eight victories
• Have been at their best defensively, holding six of their 10 opponents under 65 points and under 40 percent shooting.
• Have limited their opponents to a combined 38 percent shooting from the field.
• Have shot 44 percent from the field and 76 percent at the free throw line.
• Have outrebounded their opponents by an average of eight per game.
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 8.3 points: Matthew Wright (15.3), Charlon Kloof (12.5), Andell Cumberbatch (9.8), Youssou Ndoye (9.2), Dion Wright (9.1), Gathers (8.5) and Simmons (8.3). 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 74.8 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 (42-122/.344), which is the seventh-best total among A-10 players. In A-10 play, Wright is shooting 40 percent from long range.
Bonnies Knock Off 21st-Ranked 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).
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 12.5 points per game), and 13 of his 26 career games scoring in double figures have been this season. Kloof averages 5.0 assists per game average (second best in the A-10) compared to 2.0 per game last season, and he has 110 assists against 56 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 22 games this season, including seven out of eight A-10 games. The Bonnies' four main players coming off the bench contibute nearly 22 points per game: Dion Wright (9.1), Jordan Gathers (8.5), Denzel Gregg (2.0) and Chris Dees (2.0).
Close Losses: The Bonnies' nine losses have come by an average of just 5.4 points per game. 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 four of its 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 and 10 in an 83-81 decision at Duquesne.
Ndoye's Progression: While he is in just his fifth season playing the game competitively, junior center Youssou Ndoye has shown growth in all facets. Now at 240 pounds, the Senegal native is about 20 pounds heavier (re: stronger) than when he entered St. Bonaventure after a year of prep school at Lee Academy in Maine. His freshman season, playing behind A10 Player of the Year Andrew Nicholson, Ndoye averaged 2.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in just over 10 minutes per game. Last season, the 7-footer had seven games in double figure scoring and averaged 6.9 points and 4.9 rebounds. This season, he's up to 9.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, with three of his four career double-doubles. His 47 blocks rank 10th on Bona's single-season blocked shot list.
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 9.1 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. 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 8.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and is 29-52 (.558) from the field.
