March 1, 2008

Games Notes PDF Format

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Saturday, March 1, 2008
SITE: Scottrade Center (20,000)
TIP-OFF: 1:00 p.m. Central Time Zone
RADIO: WPIG (95.7 FM) & WHDL (1450 AM) - Olean WXRL (1300 AM) - Buffalo
TALENT: Gary Nease (play-by-play)
WEB AUDIO: www.GoBonnies.com
SERIES: Saint Louis leads, 7-1
LAST MEETING: January 3, 2007 St. Bonaventure 74, Saint Louis 69 (Box Score - Pg. 2)
UP NEXT: Wednesday, March 5, 2008 vs. Dayton @ The Reilly Center - Senior Day

AT A GLANCE
Happy to see the month of February come to end, St. Bonaventure will look to win its first game of the month for the fourth time this season at Saint Louis. The Bonnies ended February with their second six-game losing streak in Atlantic 10 play, but are 3-1 in the opening game of a month. Fresh-off an impressive win at Saint Joseph's on Thursday night in front of a national audience, the Billikens find themselves in sole possession of seventh place in the conference with two games remaining. St. Bonaventure will attempt to break its 14-game losing streak that dates back to last season.

SERIES HISTORY
This is just the ninth meeting all-time between the two teams and the third since Saint Louis joined the Atlantic 10. The two teams have split the two meetings since the conference expanded to 14 teams with the home team winning on both occasions. St. Bonaventure won the league opener for both teams last season with a 74-69 triumph in SLU's first-ever visit to the Reilly Center. The Billikens had won the previous seven meetings of the series and are 5-1 in games decided by 10 points or less.

THIS DAY IN BONA BASKETBALL
St. Bonaventure is 3-6 all-time when playing on March 1, dating back to the 1975-76 season in the Bona record books - the final season that has actual dates recorded. The Brown and White's last win on this date came in the 1999-2000 season when they upset a David West-led Xavier club, 65-64, at the Reilly Center. Current St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt was an assistant at Xavier at the time under the late Skip Prosser.

HEAD COACHING MATCHUP
ST. BONAVENTURE HEAD COACH
Mark Schmidt
@ St. Bonaventure: 7-20 (First Season)
Overall: 89-110 (7th Season)
Vs. Saint Louis: First Meeting

SAINT LOUIS HEAD COACH
Rick Majerus
@ Saint Louis: 16-12 (First Season)
Overall: 438-159 (21 Seasons)
Vs. St. Bonaventure: First Meeting

Scouting the Billikens
Saint Louis enters today's game in sole possession of seventh place in the Atlantic 10 standings at an even 7-7. Under the tutelage of first year coach Rick Majerus, the Billikens have used solid defense and ball possession en route to 16 wins on the year. St. Louis leads the league in both defense (60.4) and turnovers per game (12.2) with both numbers ranking in the top 20 nationally. The Billikens have overcome having an undersized lineup thanks to a starting lineup chalk full of upperclassmen. Juniors Kevin Lisch and Tommie Liddell lead that pack with 14.4 and 12.4 points per game, respectively. The duo along with three other senior starters has helped the Billikens go 10-4 in games decided by 10 points or less this season. Senior Danny Brown has provided coach Majerus a spark off the bench in conference play with eight points and nearly four boards per game. Saint Louis is 11-4 at home this season with two of the losses coming in overtime.

Going Out With a Bang
Senior Tyler Relph has been through and seen it all during his collegiate career. With the season winding down, Relph isn't leaving anything on the floor as he attempts to get the Bonnies into the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The former Mr. New York State award winner is in the midst of the best 11-game span of his career, averaging 14.5 points, 4.9 assists and 3.8 boards per game. During the past 11 games, Relph has led the team in assists eight times, scoring twice, and is a perfect 33-of-33 from the free throw line. His nine double figure outings are highlighted by a pair of 20-pont efforts and complimented by career-highs in both assists (9-twice) and rebounds (8 vs. GW). Against George Washington, Relph became the first player this season to lead the team in points (21), rebounds (8) and assists (5) in the same game. Relph has also found his shooting stroke from beyond the arc, hitting 22-of-38 (58 percent) in his last six games.

It's the Little Things That Count Over the past seven games, St. Bonaventure has vastly improved on the offensive end, averaging over 70 points per game. It's no coincidence that number has improved thanks to hard work on the offensive glass and cutting down of turnovers. The Bonnies have grabbed 87 offensive rebounds over the past seven games compared to 67 by its opponents. Senior Michael Lee and junior D'Lancy Carter lead the way with 22 and 17 offensive caroms, respectively. St. Bonaventure has turned those extra possessions into points thanks to a +1.2 team assist/turnover ratio. The Bonnies mere 11.7 turnovers per game, including 10.2 over the last four games, has helped lead to 94 (13.4 per) second chance points.

Bonnies In march
St. Bonaventure is 28-48 in the month of March for a .368 win percentage dating back to 1975. The Bonnies have dropped their last six games in March and just 4-17 on the road in the final month of the season.

That Double Vision
The double-double statistic is a figure that most take for granted, but one that senior Michael Lee has become familiar with this season. Lee has a career-best nine of the team's 11 double-doubles this season and 16 for his career. Five of his nine double-doubles have come in A-10 action, ranking him a tie for second among league leaders. Lee has just missed recording double-doubles in five other contests by one or two rebounds.

Welcome Back
After missing the final four games of the 2006-07 campaign, senior Zarryon Fereti has returned to team and looks better than ever. Last year's third leading scorer (12.1 ppg), Fereti is second on the team at 13.9 points per game while sinking a team-high 60 three-pointers. He's led the team in scoring six times and is 17th in the Atlantic 10 in scoring. Fereti is the third current Bonnie to enter the top 70 on the all-time scoring list and currently has 665 points, good for 69th place.

Saving His Best For Last
Senior Michael Lee is having a career year in his final season in the Brown and White. Lee leads the team nearly every statistical category, including scoring (17.4), rebounding (8.1) and steals (41). Lee and Rhode Island's Will Daniels are the only two players in the A-10 that rank in the top 10 in points per game, rebounds per game and field goal percentage. Lee is tied for second in 20-point games with 15. He has also scored in double figures a career-best 22 times and has led the team in scoring on 17 occasions and rebounding 16 times.

Just Around The Corner
With three games remaining in the season, some of St. Bonaventure players are approaching some personal and program milestones. Below are some numbers to keep track of.

Michael Lee

35 points short of 700