ST. BONAVENTURE (12-13, 4-10 A-10) at RV RHODE ISLAND (21-4, 11-1 A-10)
Wednesday, Feb. 23 – 6:00 p.m.
Kingston, R.I. – Ryan Center
TV: ESPN+

The St. Bonaventure University women's basketball team travels to Rhode Island Wednesday, Feb. 23 in what will be the final road regular season game for the Bonnies. Tip is slated for 6:00 p.m.

OPENING TIP

• The Bonnies return to action following a 99-75 loss to Duquesne Sunday at the Reilly Center. Bona's led the Dukes, 42-38, at halftime but Duquesne's second-half offensive barrage was too much for the Bonnies to overcome.
• Asianae Johnson tallied a team-high 19 points to go along with three rebounds and three assists. Tianna Johnson registered a career-high 14 points with four rebounds and four assists. Maddie Dziezgowski chipped in 12 points and I'yanna Lops added 10 tallies and seven boards for the Bonnies.

BLOCK PARTY

• Junior forward I'yanna Lops has emerged as a top shot-blocker in the Atlantic 10 this season. Her 38 blocks currently rank fourth in the A-10 and her 1.5 blocks per game also ranks fourth.
• Lops has written her name in the Bonnies record book this year as well, sitting tied for third in single season blocks with Vachelle Manly, '92, Katie Healy, '16, and Gabby Richmond, '16. Healy holds the all-time single season blocks record with 52 rejections during the 2015-16 season.
• During her time at St. Bonaventure, Lops has rejected 55 shots which is good for 10^th all-time on the Bonnies career block list.

JOHNSON AMONG A-10'S BEST

• Asianae Johnson continues to be one of the A-10 best scorers this season. She currently ranks third in the A-10 in scoring, averaging 18.0 points per game. The Brooklyn native ranks sixth in the Atlantic 10 in field goal percentage, hitting 45.8 percent of her shots this season. At the free throw line, Johnson leads the A-10 with 94 free throws made and is third in free throw percentage, shooting 77.7 percent from line.
• During A-10 play, Johnson's 19.8 points per game ranks second in the conference. Johnson is also second in free throw percentage (79.4 percent) and fifth in field goal percentage (46.3 percent).
• The 5-8 guard currently sits 13^th on the Bonnies all-time scoring list with 1,387 career points. Johnson is also seventh in program history with 334 made free throws and eighth with 75 double-digit scoring performances.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Bonnies and the Rams are set to meet for the 56^th time Wednesday evening. Bona's leads the all-time series, 33-24, but Rhode Island has won the previous three matchups. The Bonnies last beat the Rams, 64-59, Jan. 26, 2020 at the Reilly Center. The Brown and White are 12-15 all-time playing on the road against the Rams.

SCOUTING THE RAMS

• Rhode Island enters Wednesday's contest with an overall record of 21-4 and is in second place in the Atlantic 10 with an 11-1 conference record. The Rams' only A-10 loss this season was against Dayton Feb. 16, falling 47-37. Prior to that loss, Rhode Island had won its previous 13 games.
• The Rams were picked to finish second in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll, receiving two first place votes. Emmanuelle Tahane was selected to the preseason All-Conference first team while Marie-Paule Foppossi earned second team honors. All-Big East First Team Seton Hall transfer Dez Elmore was named to the third team, rounding out preseason honors for Rhode Island.
• Rhode Island is coached by Tammi Reiss who is in her third season at the helm of the women's basketball team. In her two-plus seasons in Kingston, Reiss has flipped the script of the Rams program and touts a record of 45-28. She was selected as the 2020-21 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year after leading the Rams to their best conference record in program history.
• Tahane paces the Rams, averaging 14.2 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. She is one of three Rhode Island players that averages at least 10.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest. Elmore chips in 12.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while Foppossi averages 11.4 points and 8.0 rebounds. Dolly Cairns adds 11.5 points per game for the Rams.
• As a team, the Rams are one of the top defenses in the NCAA. Rhode Island currently ranks seventh in the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing teams to score just 52.2 points per game. The Rams also rank 18^th in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense with teams shooting just 35.4 percent from the field. Rhode Island's +12.8 scoring margin is the best in the Atlantic 10.

UP NEXT

• The Bonnies return home to close out the regular season Saturday, Feb. 26 against George Mason. Tip is slated for 12:00 p.m. Prior to tip, the Bonnies will honor seniors Asianae Johnson and Tori Harris.

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