Bonaventure (5-2) @ Arkansas State (4-3)
Saturday, Dec. 8 | 3 PM (EST) | Convocation Center (10,563)
Game Notes: St. Bona | Arkansas State | Atlantic 10
Twitter: @BonniesMBB | #Bonnies
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The game will be streamed live in the Rathskeller on campus. Doors open at 2 p.m., and the bar and kitchen will both be open.
Opening Tip
St. Bonaventure looks to avenge a loss last year to Arkansas State and pick up its third win in a row when it travels south to take on the Red Wolves Saturday afternoon. With a victory, the Bonnies would have their first three-game winning streak in December since the 2008-09 season, when they opened the month by winning their first four contests.
Last Time Out
Despite shooting a season-low 35.1 percent from the field,
including a putrid 2-20 (10 percent) from 3-point range, Bonaventure was still able to claim a 15-point win – its largest of the season – over Siena, 58-43 on Tuesday. Marquise Simmons recorded his second career double-double, and second in the last four games, with 12 points and a team-best 10 rebounds in just 28 minutes of work. The Brown and White made up for their offensive shortcomings by hitting 16-17 free throws (94.1 percent) and turning the ball over just five times, including only two in the final 33 minutes of the game. The five turnovers are the fewest in a game by a Bona team since the 2009-10 season when they committed just three giveaways against Fordham on Feb. 10, 2010.
Best Start In A Decade?
With a win against Arkansas State, St. Bonaventure would start a year with a 6-2 record for the first time since the 2001-02 season. That team finished 17-13 and – until last year’s NCAA Tournament appearance – was Bonaventure’s last postseason appearance (2011 CBI excluded) as the Bonnies went to the NIT.
Locking Down On D
The 43 points SBU held Siena to on Tuesday night represents the fewest points a Bonaventure opponent has scored in a game since Nov. 20, 2009, when Binghamton could muster just 40 in a 66-40 defeat. The Bonnies were particularly stingy in the second half as they allowed the Saints to score just five points over the final 12 minutes and 30 seconds of the game.
SBU In Arkansas
While Saturday’s contest will mark just the just the second meeting between St. Bonaventure and Arkansas State, it will also be just the fourth time the Bonnies have played in the state of Arkansas. SBU owns a 2-1 record in the previous three appearances. The first came in 2004-05 against Arkansas-Little Rock (L, 76-56), with the other two coming in 2008-09 to Central Arkansas (W, 68-58) and 2010-11 once again versus Arkansas-Little Rock (W, 68-55). All-time against Arkansas-based schools, Bonaventure is 5-2 (Arkansas-Little Rock: 3-1; Central Arkansas: 2-0; Arkansas State: 0-1).
Another Double-Double Threat To Defend
For the second game in a row, Bonaventure will need to defend a player who is averaging a double-double on the season. Against Siena on Tuesday, the Bonnies went up against O.D. Anosike, who led the nation in double-doubles with seven and ranked second in rebounding. Anosike got his rebounds – a game-high 14 – but SBU allowed him to score just seven points. It will look to do the same against Arkansas State’s Brandon Peterson, who comes in averaging 11 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, good enough to rank in the top-25 nationally in double-doubles and rebounding.
Roller Coaster Free-Throw Ride
One year after finishing as the 16th-best free-throw shooting team in the nation (76.1 percent), St. Bonaventure has experienced an up-and-down season at the free-throw line to this point. In each of its first two games, the Bonnies shot in the 60-percent range (68, 61.9). They then regrouped and shot in the 80-percent range in each of their next two games (80, 85.7). SBU then struggled with a pair of 50-percent range games (56, 57.9) before knocking down 94.1 percent of their attempts on Tuesday against Siena. If the trend holds, Bonaventure will shoot in 90-percent range against Arkansas State.
Closing In On 500 Boards
Senior Demitrius Conger enters Saturday’s game just 15 rebounds shy of 500 for his career. The Brooklyn native’s career high for rebounds in a single game is 14, set two years ago against Cornell.
Scouting Arkansas State
^ ASU’s Ed Townsel and Brandon Peterson have been recognized by collegehoopsdaily.com as Sun Belt Conference Players of the Month for their November 2012 performances
^ The Red Wolves are on a two-game losing streak, both conference games
^ Junior guard Townsel has provided a spark off the bench for ASU, averaging 30.6 minutes and leading the team in scoring with 15.3 points per game
^ Senior forward Peterson is averaging a double-double on the season with 11 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per outing
^ John Brady, in his 5th season at ASU, is looking to bring the Red Wolves to the NCAA Tournament – something he did at LSU as he took the Tigers to the tournament six times, including a Final Four appearance
^ The Bonnies are trying to become the second Atlantic 10 Conference team to beat Arkansas State this season as Dayton opened the Red Wolves’ year by handing them a 74-61 loss
Bonnies vs. The Sun Belt
# SBU is 12-6 all-time against teams from the Sun Belt
# Bonaventure is 3-2 against the Sun Belt in the last 10 seasons
# Bonaventure’s first Sun Belt win came against Western Kentucky in the 1950-51 season (65-62)
Arkansas-Little Rock: 3-1
Arkansas State: 0-1
Denver: 0-1
Florida International: 3-0
Middle Tennessee State: 1-0
North Texas: 1-0
Western Kentucky: 4-3
Season Highs
St. Bonaventure’s 15-point win over Siena not only represented its largest margin of victory this year, but the 15 points is also the largest lead SBU has had on an opponent at any time this season.
Home Court Advantage
Throughout much of its history, the Reilly Center has been feared by many opponents as one of the most difficult places to play in the country, so much so that in 2003 it prompted ESPN’s Jay Bilas to label it as one of his top-5 “Hostile Homes” in the nation. While that may not have been the case throughout much of the last decade, the RC is gradually becoming the feared venue it once was. With their win over Siena on Tuesday, the Bonnies have now won 13 of their last 14 regular-season home games, and 19 of 21 dating back to the 2010-11 campaign. One of those two losses came last year against Arkansas State.
Going Gold
For the first time this season, the Bonnies unveiled their gold jerseys for a national TV audience against Siena on Tuesday. SBU has three jerseys for the 2012-13 season, with the other two being its home whites and road browns.
Franciscan Cup
With its 58-43 victory over Siena on Tuesday, St. Bonaventure claimed the Franciscan Cup for the third straight year. As schools with shared Franciscan heritage, in 2010 St. Bonaventure president Sr. Margaret Carney and Siena president Fr. Kevin Mullen agreed that the schools should play for a traveling trophy, and SBU has won the first three games.
Double-Digit Attack
Bonaventure had its streak of four straight games with four double-figure scorers snapped against Siena on Tuesday as SBU finished just two Charlon Kloof points shy of making it five consecutive games. Despite that, the streak marked the first time in the Schmidt era (which began in 2007-08) that Bonaventure had four straight games with four double-figure scorers. The last time that occurred was from Dec. 16-30, 2006.
Battle Tested Already
The Bonnies had a streak of five straight games decided by five points or less snapped in their most recent outing against Siena. By having five of their first six games decided by five points or less, it marked the first time in history that a season began by having five of its first six games decided by five points or less. It also marked just the third time in the 93-year history of the program that five consecutive games – at any point of the season – have been decided by five points or less. Bonaventure has never had a stretch of six straight games decided by five points or less.
Previous Times It Has Occurred:
1945-46: five straight games, spanning from Alfred to Ithaca
1979-80: five straight games, spanning from Niagara to Detroit
Global Presence
In the first five games of the year, head coach Mark Schmidt’s starting lineup consisted of four players from countries other than the United States: Charlon Kloof (Suriname, South America), Chris Johnson (Canada),Youssou Ndoye (Senegal, Africa) and Matthew Wright (Canada). Bonaventure is one of only three Division I schools in the nation which has started four foreign players in a game this year, with the others being Gonzaga and Maine. Additionally, 47.1 percent of SBU’s scoring so far this season (231 of 490 points) has come from international players.
Next Up
After a week off for final exams, St. Bonaventure returns to action next Saturday at home against Cleveland State. A discounted $10 ticket is available as the Athletic Department is encouraging regional alumni to return to campus and sit in the student section. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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