TV: NBC Sports Network with Steve Schlanger (pxp) & Dalen Cuff
Radio: WPIG 95.7 FM, ESPN Radio 1450 AM (Olean, NY) with Gary Nease (pxp) and Don Scholla
The Starting Five Notes:
1. St. Bonaventure hosts Saint Joseph's in the first of two meetings this season between the longtime Atlantic 10 Conference rivals. The Bonnies hope to carry over the momentum from a 20-point win over George Mason on Wednesday in Rochester. Sunday will be the first-ever nationally televised doubleheader at the Reilly Center; the Bona women host Dayton at 5 p.m. and both games will be on NBCSN.
2. Junior guard Marcus Posley, who is in his first season at St. Bonaventure, is the second-leading scorer in the Atlantic 10 at 17.1 points per game. His seven 20-point games are tied for the most in the A-10. Posley scored 22 points against George Mason.
3. Senior center Youssou Ndoye is the centerpiece of the Bona defense. The 7-footer leads the A-10 in blocked shots and ranks second in rebounding (11.1). He also is coming off a breakout offensive game against George Mason in which he set a career high with 28 points.
4. Junior forward Dion Wright has become a consistent scorer and rebounder. A big part of why the Bonnies are one of the A-10's best rebounding teams, Wright stands second on the team in both scoring (12.0) and rebounding (7.3). His 3.5 offensive rebounds per game are fourth-best in the Atlantic 10 and 29th-best nationally.
5. St. Bonaventure is one of six Division I teams who have five players (not necessarily starters) averaging at least 10 points per game. The other five are Iowa State, Portland State, UT Martin, UNC Greensboro and Villanova.
Series Notes:
This will be the 68th meeting between the teams. The Hawks lead the series 49-17 and won both meetings last season.
Saint Joseph's Notes:
• The Hawks are a young squad that returned only two starters, point guard Chris Wilson and forward DeAndre Bembry, from last year's A-10 champion team. Saint Joseph's finished a challenging non-conference schedule 6-5; among its losses were games at Villanova and Gonzaga. The Hawks opened A-10 play 0-3, falling to George Washington, Duquesne and VCU, before posting a win over Fordham on Wednesday at home.
• Sophomore swingman DeAndre Bembry, a preseason all-conference choice, leads the Hawks in scoring (16 points per game), rebounding (6.7), assists (44) and steals (28).
• Senior Chris Wilson is second on the Hawks in assists with 41 and averages 8.7 points per game. The veteran point guard has increased his scoring in A-10 games to 13 points per game.
• Junior forward Isaiah Miles provides a force in the post at 6-7, 225 lbs. He is the Hawks' second-leading scorer (10.3) and rebounder (5.3). Junior guard Aaron Brown averages 10 points per game.
St. Bonaventure's Last Game: Bonnies 75, George Mason 55
Senior center Youssou Ndoye scored a career high 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead St. Bonaventure to a 75-55 win over George Mason on Wednesday night at Blue Cross Arena in Rocheser. Ndoye scored 19 points in the first half alone as the Bonnies took a 38-22 lead at the break. After the Patriots took an early 10-2 lead, St. Bonaventure outscored the visitors 36-12 over the rest of the first half. Marcus Posley added 22 points as he made a career-best five three-pointers. Andell Cumberbatch chipped in 12 points for the Bonnies.
Ndoye Leads Bonnies
While his scoring has fluctuated this season, 7-0 senior center Youssou Ndoye's defense and rebounding have remained a constant:
• Ndoye leads the A-10 in blocked shots (2.9 per game) and ranks second in the A-10 in rebounding (11.1). He ranks eighth in NCAA Division I in rebounding and 20th in blocked shots.
• Ndoye had a streak of 10 consecutive games with least 10 rebounds that was snapped in the Dayton game Jan. 8, when he grabbed nine boards. The streak tied for the longest such run in NCAA Division I this season with RaShid Gaston of Norfolk State.
• Ndoye's average of 7.6 defensive rebounds per game ranks fifth nationally.
• Four times, he has grabbed 13 rebounds – George Mason, UMass, Buffalo and Binghamton.
• Ndoye has also blocked at least one shot in every game this season with 10 games of three or more rejections.
• He has five double-doubles this year, one more than he had all of last season.
• With his 12 rebounds against Maryland Eastern Shore, Ndoye became only the fourth player in school history to record 500 rebounds (he now has 558) and 150 blocks.
Posley Is Impact Scorer
Marcus Posley has gained the confidence of Bonnies coaches and fans with his consistent play.
• After scoring at least 16 points in seven of the last eight games, he now ranks third in the Atlantic 10 in scoring at 16.7 points per game.
• Posley has seven 20-point games this season, topped by a career high 26 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore.
• He has scored in double figures in 13 of 15 games.
• Shoots 40 percent overall – 34 percent from three-point range. Posley is 40-116 on three-pointers, good for second in the A-10 in three-point field goals per game (2.7).
Dees Leading Improved Bench
While it is well-documented that the Bonnies rely heavily on their starting five, the team certainly will need strong contributions from its bench as the A-10 season continues. Senior forward Chris Dees has provided a lift in recent games, most clearly against George Mason when he contributed five rebounds and two assists over a season-high 26 minutes. He also had seven rebounds at Richmond. In Bona's four A-10 games, Dees is averaging almost 15 minutes per game, which is significantly up from his playing time before Christmas. Idris Taqqee (three rebounds, one assist) and Denzel Gregg (five rebounds, two blocks) also played key roles in the win over George Mason.
