By KEVIN L. SMITH
The St. Bonaventure men’s basketball squad is set to kick off Atlantic-10 play against VCU on Wednesday evening.
The Bonnies and Rams are scheduled to tip off at 9 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
Bonas capped its non-conference schedule with a tight 62-61 win over Akron at the Legends Showcase this past Saturday in Cleveland, Ohio. Mika-Adams Woods put up the game-winning shot with eight seconds left for the Bonnies. The first-year Bonaventure guard is currently averaging 14.7 point and 4.1 assists per game.
The Bonnies compiled an impressive 9-3 record in non-conference play, which included winning seven of its last eight games. It’s the program’s best non-conference record since they went 10-2 during the 2017-18 season, the same campaign that led to an NCAA Tournament bid.
Moses Flowers has aid the Bonnies’ efforts of late. In his last eight games, the redshirt senior is averaging 13.0 PPG, which includes shooting 47% from the floor (33-of-70), about 48% from beyond the arc (21-of-44) and 85% at the free-throw line (17-of-20).
Sophomore Barry Evans has also made his fair share of contributions. He currently averages 6.2 rebounds in over 19 minutes per game, and is tied for the team lead in steals (14). According to KenPom, Evans’ 28.7% defensive rebounding rate ranks ninth in the nation.
Bonaventure has won eight of its previous 10 conference openers. Against VCU, the all-time series record is knotted at 8-8. The Bonnies beat VCU, 61-58, last January.
The teams’ first-ever meeting was in 1978 in the ECAC Championship game, when Bonaventure came away with a 63-61 win. It was also the same year that Bonas qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
The programs’ most recently notable matchup was when the Bonnies beat the Rams by a 74-65 score to capture their second conference title and punch their ticket to the Big Dance.
Following a 4-5 start to the season, VCU has won four-straight games. The Rams’ most victory was a 87-73 result over Gardner-Webb this past Saturday.
After their contest versus the Rams, the Bonnies will stay in the Richmond area to face the Spiders this Saturday at 4 p.m.
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