PHILADELPHIA – The St. Bonaventure men's basketball team will wrap up its road trip to Philadelphia with a matchup against La Salle on Saturday (Jan. 17) at John E. Glaser Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised live on USA Network.
 
TO BE FRANK
St. Bonaventure forward Frank Mitchell has been one of the most productive players in the country this season. 
 
With 10 double-doubles on the season, Mitchell has the seventh most in the country and leads the Atlantic 10 as of Tuesday (Jan. 13). 
 
As of Thursday (Jan. 15), Mitchell is averaging 10.6 rebounds per game, which leads all players in the Atlantic 10 conference and ranks 10th nationally. He ranks ninth in the nation with 180 total rebounds.
 
A remarkable number of Mitchell's rebounds have come on the offensive end. His 84 total offensive rebounds (4.88 per game) lead all of Division I.
 
Most Offensive Rebounds in NCAA Division I
(Thursday, Jan. 15)
Rank                          Name                                          School                       #                  
1                                  Frank Mitchell                         St. Bonaventure   84 
2                                  Brandon Benjamin                 Fairfield                    76
3                                  Giovanni Emejuru                  East Carolina          75
4                                  JT Toppin                                   Texas Tech               75
5                                  Duke Brennan                          Villanova                  74
 
Mitchell has tallied double-digit offensive rebounds two games this season, with a season-best 11 against Colgate (Dec. 10) and 10 vs. Ohio (Dec. 13).
 
Mitchell's total rebounding percentage of 18.9 and offensive rebounding percentage of 17.3 would both be school records if the season ended today, with the latter being the highest in school history by 4.3 percentage points. 
 
Mitchell is no stranger to the top of the national rebounding leaderboards. In 2023-24 with Canisius, he averaged 11.6 rebounds per game, the fourth-most in Division I.
 
In the scoring column, Mitchell has scored in double figures in 16 of 17 games this season. He has scored 20-or-more points in five games this season, and in four of his last six.
 
BUDDY BALL
Buddy Simmons II has helped carry the St. Bonaventure offense so far in Atlantic 10 play.
 
In four A-10 games this season, Simmons II is averaging team-bests in points (19.5) while shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 53.8 percent (14-for-26) from beyond the arc. He is also averaging 3.25 assists per game, second-most among Bonnies players.
 
Simmons II has played all 40 minutes in each of St. Bonaventure's four Atlantic 10 games. 
 
The guard ranks third in points per game in Atlantic 10 play, trailing only Fordham's Dejour Reaves (20.4) and George Washington's Rafael Castro (19.6). He ranks second with 3.5 three-pointers made per game, behind George Washington's Tre Dinkins (3.6 3FG). He also leads the conference in three-point percentage among players who have 15-or-more attempts in conference play.
 
Simmons II has made twice as many three-pointers (44) as the next closest St. Bonaventure player (Daniel Egbuniwe, 22) while shooting 41.9 percent (44-for-105) from long range over the course of the season. 
 
The Detroit native also leads the Bonnies in free throw percentage, shooting 91.2 percent (31-for-34).
 
DASONTE DELIVERS
Dasonte Bowen has been an extremely effective playmaker this season, averaging 4.3 assists per game. The mark ranks third in the Atlantic 10. He has recorded three-or-more assists in 15-of-17 games this season.
 
Bowen leads the Atlantic 10 conference in Assist-to-turnover ratio with 73 assists to 25 turnovers (2.92 A/TO). 
 
Bowen's playmaking prowess was on full display in Wednesday (Jan. 14) night's game against Saint Joseph's. The redshirt junior posted eight assists and just one turnover in the loss.
 
The Boston native has undergone a significant uptick in offensive efficiency over the course of the season. After shooting just 27.1 percent from the field in his first six games, Bowen is 41-for-87 (47.1 percent) in his last 11 games, reaching double figures in eight games over that span.
 
Through 17 games, Bowen has set career-highs in points (152), assists (73) and rebounds (54) in a season.
 
COUNT ON CAYDEN
Cayden Charles has been pivotal to the Bonnies' offense in conference play. The 6-foot-3 guard is averaging 15.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent (21-for-42) from the field in St. Bonaventure's four Atlantic 10 games.
 
Charles is shooting 34.1 percent from three-point range on the season, but 40 percent  (6-for-15) from beyond the arc in A-10 competition.
 
On Wednesday at Saint Joseph's, Charles scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds. He made a career-best-tying three triples. All 17 of Charles' points came in the second half, leading an 18-point swing for the Bonnies that gave the team its first lead of the game.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
In the latest NET rankings published by the NCAA on Thursday (Jan. 14), the Bonnies ranked 140th. In TeamRankings.com's RPI rankings, St. Bonaventure was ranked 83rd in the country.
 
The Bonnies ranked 88th in FaktorSports' KPI rating, a metric used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.
 
LA SALLE NOTES:

• La Salle enters Saturday's game at 5-13, with a 1-4 record in the Atlantic 10. 
• Niagara transfer Jaeden Marshall leads the Explorers in scoring, averaging 12.4 points per game.
• Guard Jadon Johnson leads the Explorers with 4.2 assists per game. He has only played in La Salle's last five games this season.
• La Salle has won three of its last four games against the Bonnies.
• The Explorers won in overtime in last season's only matchup. Lajae Jones scored a game-high 24 points and added eight rebounds.
• La Salle leads the all-time series between the two schools, 21-19.