Nov 22, 2008

Bonnies Look To Bounce Back Against Scarlet Knights

Nov. 22, 2008

GAME DAY CENTRAL

TOURNAMENT: Garden State Challenge
DATE: Sunday, November 23, 2008
SITE: Louis Brown Athletic Center (8,000)
TIP-OFF: 2:00 p.m.
TELEVISION: SportsNet New York (SNY)
TALENT: Kevin Burkhardt (Play-by-Play)
Rob Kennedy (Analyst)
CHANNELS: DirecTV (Ch. 639)
Time Warner - Olean (Ch.25), Buffalo (Ch. 27), Jamestown (Ch. 46), Rochester (Ch. 46)
RADIO: WHDL (1450 AM) - Olean
TALENT: Gary Nease (play-by-play)
WEB AUDIO: www.GoBonnies.com
SERIES: Rutgers leads, 21-17
LAST MEETING: February 25, 1995
UP NEXT: Tuesday, November 25, 2008
vs. Mississippi State @ 7:00 P.M.

At A Glance
Playing its fourth game in nine days, St. Bonaventure will look to get back on track as it closes out play in the Garden State Challenge on Sunday against Rutgers. The meeting between the two teams will be the 39th all-time and the first since 1995, the last year Rutgers was a member of the Atlantic 10. Offensively, the Bonnies are clicking on all cylinders averaging 76.7 points per game. St. Bonaventure has scored 70 or more in three consecutive games for the first time since 2006-07.

Series History
Sunday's game is the first meeting in 13 seasons between St. Bonaventure and Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights hold a 21-17 edge thanks to winning 14 out of the last 17 meetings. St. Bonaventure has lost seven in a row against the Big East Conference with the last win coming in 2001 against UConn.

This Day In Bona Basketball
St. Bonaventure is 3-2 all-time when playing on November 23, dating back to the 1975-76 season in the Bona record books - the final season that has actual dates recorded. The Bonnies pinned a 21-point loss on Michigan at the Paradise Jam in 2002. Mike Gansey poured in 27 points on 9-of-12 from the field, including 5-of-5 from three-point range. Ahmad Smith and Marques Green had 16 and 15 points, respectively. The Brown and White are also 42-31 in the month of November dating back to the same year.

Scouting the Scarlet Knights
Led by third year head coach Fred Hill, Rutgers is off to a 3-0 start this season. The school's first McDonald's All-American, freshman Mike Rosario has led the Scarlet Knights in scoring in two of his first three collegiate games. Rosario's 20.3 points per game lead the team and his 27-point effort against Robert Morris on Friday proved to be the difference in the win over the Colonials. The Bona frontcourt will take on its biggest test of the young season when it battles against junior Hamady Ndiaye and freshman Gregory Echenique. The 6-foot-11 and 6-foot-9 twin towers combined to average 20.3 points, 17.6 rebounds and a gaudy 9.7 blocks per game. Ndiaye is second on the club in scoring (12.0), thanks in part to his 26-point effort at Delaware. Echenique had a double-double in his first collegiate game, going for 11 points and 15 boards against Marist. Rutgers was picked to finish 12th in the Big East in the Preseason Coaches' Poll.

What a Difference a Year Makes
After sitting out all of last season due to NCAA transfer rules, junior Chris Matthews has made a great first impression with the Bona faithful. Matthews has come out of the gates gunning, drilling a career-high five three-pointers in each of the first two games. Matthews team-high 19.0 points per game ranks fourth in the Atlantic 10, while his four trifectas per contest are tied for third. Matthews connected on 5-of-6 from long range at Marist to finish with a game and career-high 21 points. Matthews has set career-highs in nearly every statistical category this season.

Instant Offense
St. Bonaventure's leading scorer through two games, junior Chris Matthews has shown the ability to score points in bunches. In each game so far and four times total, Matthews has scored five or more points over a three-minute span to bolster his 19-point scoring average. Matthews has made back-to-back field goals during a game four times this season, including three consecutive on two occasions. Matthews has scored at least 18 points in all three games.

John of All Trades
Junior Jonathan Hall may be the most intriguing prospect of Schmidt's eight newcomers. Standing at 6-foot-5, Hall was named the NJCAA Division 1 National Tournament MVP in his final season at South Plains Community College. Hall has shown glimpses of range of abilities on both the offensive and defensive ends. Hall ranks second on the team in nearly every statistical category, including scoring (18.7), rebounding (5.0), steals (5) and blocks (2). Hall filled up the box score at Marist on Monday night with 13 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Hall has led the Bonnies in scoring twice and has reached double figures in all three games. On Friday against Delaware, Hall scored 17 points in the second half en route to 24 points - the most by a Bona player this season.

Point Guard By Committee
With the graduation of Tyler Relph, the point guard position race was wide open entering the 2008-09 season. The race is still going, as junior Ray Blackburn and sophomore Malcolm Eleby continue to duke it out in practice for the starting nod. A JUCO All-American, Blackburn's up-tempo style combined with Eleby's large 6-foot-3 frame give the Bonnies their own version of "Thunder and Lightning" at the point guard spot. The two have combined to average 11.7 points, 7.3 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 3.3 steals. After an up and down freshman campaign, Eleby has been solid in making three consecutive starts. Eleby leads the team with seven steals - 9th in the A-10 - and assists (4.0).

Look Out Below
After making the typical first year mistakes in the opener against Robert Morris, freshman Andrew Nicholson supplied a ton of highlight reel plays in the past two games. The 6-foot-9 forward from Mississauga, Ontario turned in a huge second half against the Marist en route to 13 points and five blocked shots - the most by an St. Bonaventure player in 58 games. Four of Nicholson's six field goals in the game came on dunks. Nicholson was back at it again on Friday, as he dunked three more times to go 6-of-9 from the field for 14 points to go along with six rebounds. Nicholson has a block in each game and ranks in a tie for fifth in the A-10 at 2.7 per game.