By PAUL GOTHAM
If Mark Schmidt’s St. Bonaventure Bonnies (12-6/4-3) are to snap their current three-game losing skid, they will have to slow one of the nation’s more efficient offenses. The Richmond Spiders (12-8/3-4) rank top ten in the country for field goal percentage (49.8), 2-pt. field goal percentage (57.0) and effective field goal percentage (60.2/factors both 2-pt. shots and 3-pt. shots).
What appears to the onlooker as free-flowing and without form, Richmond’s structured Princeton offense, predicated on taking what the defense gives, scores 80 points a game up from just 66 a year ago.
UR counters defensive pressure on the wings with back-door cuts. At the same time, their shooting prevents opponents from playing zone.
“They got a lot of freedom,” Schmidt said of the Richmond offense. “They got good skilled guys. When you have good skilled guys, you’re going to score some points.”
Terry Allen (19.9 ppg/8.1 rpg) leads four Spiders scoring in double figures. Richmond is 5-0 when the senior forward logs a double-double.
“Allen is, if not the best player, one of the top five players in our conference,” Schmidt said.
Led by T.J. Cline, Richmond also ranks 19th in the country with 17.1 assists a game and their assist to turnover rate of 1.585:1 is 13th in the nation. The 6-9 Cline, who does a bulk of his work from the free-throw line area, ranks eighth in the nation among forwards with 4.1 helpers per game.
“Cline is playing really well,” Schmidt noted. “He’s a mismatch problem at the top of the key.”
Allen adds with 2.4 assists a game. ShawnDre’ Jones hands out 3.6 and Trey Davis 3.1.
“We do have a very good passing team,” Richmond head coach Chris Mooney said.. “A couple of our guys who score a lot are also good passers.”
Jones scores 16.6 with Cline chipping in 15.7.
“They’re taking care of the ball really well,” Schmidt said. “They got good offensive players, and they run a good system. That system allows them to play a little bit more now.”
Richmond defeated George Washington, 98-90 in double overtime on Thursday.
“They always seemed to have a guard that had the green light,” George Washington head coach Mike Lonergan commented. “Now it seems like a few guys are really confident and looking to score. They’re playing loose. It makes it tough because you used to able to help off certain guys. The guys who play for the most part can all put the ball in the basket”
Bona’s Jaylen Adams, Marcus Posley and Dion Wright for the second highest scoring trio in the Atlantic 10. Led by Posley with 19.1 a game, the trio accounts for 52.8 of the Bonnies 77 points a game.
Adams is one of three players in Division I averaging more than 17 points and four assists while shooting better than 41 percent from behind the three-point arc. Indiana’s Yogi Ferrell and Northeastern’s David Walker are the other two.
A 3 p.m. tip off is scheduled. The game will be televised on the American Sports Network.
Points to consider
Both teams have a negative rebounding margin. Richmond’s, at least on the offensive end, appears to be by design. Per KenPom, the Spiders offensive rebounding percentage of 25.2 is 299th in the nation. Works well taking away points in transition. Will UR change its tact against the smaller Bona lineup, and send more players to the offensive glass?
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