St. Bonaventure Game Notes (PDF)

TV: NBC Sports Network with Mike Corey (pxp) and Dalen Cuff

Radio: WPIG 95.7 FM, ESPN Radio 1450 AM (Olean, NY) with Gary Nease (pxp) and Don Scholla
NBC Sports Streaming
Twitter: @BonniesMBB
Tickets and Other Promotions: Super Hero Sunday: Any fan wearing a super hero themed costume, hat, or shirt will receive a game ticket for just $5.  Also - $5 kids tickets (age 17 and under) with full-price accompanying ticket. The first 1,500 fans entering the arena receive a free Super Hero-themed poster of seniors Dion Wright and Marcus Posley.

The Starting Five Notes
1.  St. Bonaventure is home for a Sunday matinee, the first of two meetings this season with Saint Louis.  The Bonnies, who are 9-2 at the Reilly Center this season, hope to sustain the momentum from wins over Richmond and Saint Joseph's that moved them into a tie for fourth place in the Atlantic 10 standings. The Billikens have been idle since a Jan. 30 home loss to Duquesne. The game will air nationally on NBC Sports Network.
2.  The "big three" of senior forward Dion Wright, senior guard Marcus Posley and sophomore guard Jaylen Adams is the second-highest scoring trio in the A-10 (Davidson is first, and Richmond is third). The three combine to average 53.8 points per game. They all rank in the top 14 scorers in the Atlantic 10 with Posley (19.1) fifth, Adams (18.5) seventh and Wright (16.2) 14th.
3.  While he was very good as a freshman, Adams has made a significant improvement this season. His three-point shooting percentage has improved from .324 to .446, contributing to his 8.5 points-per game jump in scoring. Adams scored a career high 31 points to lead the Bonnies to their 83-73 win at Saint Joseph's on Wednesday.
4.  With little fanfare, Dion Wright continues to be one of the most effective and productive players in the A-10. He leads all A-10 players with 10 double-doubles and is the second-leading rebounder (9.2) and 14th-leading scorer (16.2) in the conference. He recently became just the 24th player in the program's history to reach 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in his career.
5.  Posley continues to prove he is an elite-level scorer, averaging 24.5 points per game over the last four games. He now has 898 points over his 51 career games at St. Bonaventure. 

St. Bonaventure vs. Saint Louis: The Last Meeting
March 4, 2015 at Chaifetz Arena: St. Bonaventure 64, Saint Louis 48
St. Bonaventure turned in one of its best defensive efforts of the season to earn a 64-48 win. The Bonnies improved to 9-8 in the Atlantic 10 Conference and also earned their eighth road win this season, a new program record. St. Bonaventure led 26-18 at halftime after limiting the Billikens to 27 percent shooting over the first half. The second half was much the same as Saint Louis went 10-26 to end the game shooting only 33 percent from the field. The 48 points scored by the Billikens was the lowest total the Bonnies have allowed in a game this year. Andell Cumberbatch led the Bonnies with 17 points while Dion Wright added 16 and Marcus Posley had 10.

Series History:
This will be the 17th meeting in a series that Saint Louis leads 10-6. The Bonnies and Billikens meet twice this year. Saint Louis' last visit to the Reilly Center on Jan. 26, 2013.

Saint Louis Quick Notes:
• The Billikens are tied for ninth place in the Atlantic 10 with a mark of 3-6. Saint Louis has been idle since Jan. 30, when it lost at home to Duquesne 78-67. SLU's conference wins were at UMass and at home over George Washington and Davidson.
• A young team overall, SLU has six sophomores and three freshmen on its roster, many who play significant roles. There is Buffalo native on the Saint Louis team, senior forward Reggie Agbeko.
• The Billikens rank next to last in the A-10 in scoring at 66 points per game and 12th in three-point shooting.

St. Bonaventure's Last Game: Bonnies 83, Saint Joseph's 73
St. Bonaventure got its most impressive win of the season Wednesday night in Philadelphia, topping Saint Joseph's 83-73 behind a career high 31 points from sophomore point guard Jaylen Adams.
•  On the home court of the Atlantic 10's best defensive team, the Bonnies opened a 78-60 lead with 3:57 left on the strength of a 17-4 run. Adams drained three three-pointers in the decisive surge.
•  St. Bonaventure made a season high 13 three-pointers (of 34) and was 14-15 at the free throw line. Dion Wright recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Idris Taqqee scored a career best 13 points.
•  The Bonnies, who had only two turnovers on the night, improved to 14-6 overall and 6-3 in the A-10. 

Taqqee Helps Spark Win at St. Joe's
Sophomore Idris Taqqee brings a hard-nosed, selfless approach to the court. In the preseason, he was named one of the team's co-captains – a rare occurence in any program for a sophomore. Taqqee has started every game this season and is averaging 4.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. He opened many eyes when he scored a career high 13 points, making three of four shots from long range, to help spark the win at Saint Joseph's Feb.3. That was right after Taqqee had one of his best all-around games in the win over Richmond with six points, four rebounds and two blocks in 31 minutes.

Schmidt Moving Up Wins Chart
Now in his ninth season as head coach at St. Bonaventure, Mark Schmidt has 138 wins with the Bonnies, which ranks fourth on the program's all-time coaching wins list. He recently passed Jim Baron and Mike Reilly and is only two wins away from Eddie Donovan. Schmidt is the fourth-longest tenured coach in the Atlantic 10 behind St. Joseph's Phil Martelli (now in his 20th season), LaSalle's John Giannini (12th) and Richmond's Chris Mooney (10th).