Dec. 16, 2008
Game Notes 
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ST. BONAVENTURE (5-3)
vs
SAINT FRANCIS-PA (4-6)
GAME DAY CENTRAL
DATE:Wednesday, December 17, 2008
SITE:Reilly Center (5,780)
COURT: Bob Lanier Court
TIP-OFF:7:00 p.m.
RADIO:WPIG (95.7 FM) & WHDL (1450 AM) - Olean
WXRL (1300 AM) - Buffalo
WHTK (1280 AM) - Rochester
TALENT:Gary Nease (play-by-play)
Dr. John Watson (Analyst)
WEB AUDIO & VIDEO: www.GoBonnies.com
SERIES: St. Bonaventure leads, 29-12
LAST MEETING: November 20, 2006
Saint Francis (Pa.) 76, St. Bona 54 (Box Score - Pg. 2)
UP NEXT: Saturday, December 20, 2008
@ Eastern Michigan @ 4:00 P.M.
AT A GLANCE
In search of its first three-game win streak since 2005, St. Bonaventure welcomes Northeast Conference foe Saint Francis (Pa.) to Bob Lanier Court on Wednesday night. Oddly enough, the program's last three-game win streak came over the first three games of December in 2005. The Bona bench has been the key to the team's 5-3 start as its averaging nearly 28 points per game. Head coach Mark Schmidt has a 9-4 record against the Red Flash - his most wins against any opponent.
SERIES HISTORY
St. Bonaventure owns a commanding 29-12 lead in the all-time series as the two teams meet for the 42nd time Wednesday night. Prior to dropping the last meeting between the two teams in 2006, the Bonnies had won 10 of their previous 11 against the Red Flash, including all five at the Reilly Center. The Brown and White's five wins at the RC came by an average of 13.2 points. Saint Francis has taken two of the last three in the series, while the home team has won four straight. The two teams have met just twice since 1980.
THIS DAY IN BONA BASKETBALL
St. Bonaventure is 4-4 all-time when playing on December 17, dating back to the 1975-76 season in the Bona record books - the final season that has actual dates recorded. All four wins have come at home, while all four loses, including the last three, have come on the road. The Bonnies and Niagara combined for 205 points in 2003, in a 107-98 overtime victory for the Purple Eagles. Senior Marques Green scored a career-high 43 points on 14-of-30 from the field. It marked the first time in 26 years and just the 17th time in program history a player had reached 40 points.
SCOUTING THE RED FLASH
After dropping its first three games of the season, Saint Francis has responded by winning four of its last seven under first year head coach Don Friday. The Red Flash suffered a 17-point setback at Iona in their most recent game, but did so without leading scorer (14.4) and rebounder (7.9) Devin Sweetney. The 6-foot-6 junior swingman fractured his hand in the team's NEC victory over St. Francis (NY). As a freshman in 2006, Sweetney torched the Bonnies for 15 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Another star in the 2006 contest was current senior Cale Nelson, who scored 21 points in the win. Nelson is averaging 8.3 points and a team-high 4.3 assists per game this season. Picking up the slack in Sweetney's absence last game was junior Mislav Jukic. A native of Croatia, Jukic finished in double figures for the sixth time this season with 18 points against the Gaels. Marquis Ford is the other piece of Saint Francis' senior backcourt. Ford had his four-game double figure scoring streak snapped at Iona, but is third on the team in points at 10 per game. Wednesday's game will be the Red Flash's seventh road contest of the young season.
HEAD COACHING MATCHUP
ST. BONAVENTURE HEAD COACH
Mark Schmidt
@ St. Bonaventure: 13-25 (2nd Season)
Overall: 95-115 (8th Season)
Vs. Saint Francis (Pa.): 9-4
SAINT FRANCIS (PA) HEAD COACH
Don Friday
@ Saint Francis (Pa.): 4-6 (First Season)
Overall: same
Vs. St. Bonaventure: First Meeting
BENCH POINTS
The increase in overall depth at every position has provided St. Bonaventure with some strong performances off the bench. In all, the Bona bench has outscored the opposition in every game, resulting in a 219-127 margin. The bench has provided head coach Mark Schmidt with 30 or more points three times, including a season-high 36 against Canisius. Through eight games, the Bonnies are receiving 27.4 points and 17.3 rebounds per contest from the bench, highlighted 22-point outings from juniors Ray Blackburn and Maurice Thomas against Mississippi State and Canisius, respectively. Blackburn is fourth on the team in scoring (9.5) and has scored in double figures three times off the bench. Thomas' 22-point effort was his last game off the bench, in which he also added 12 rebounds for the team's second double-double of the year The team's leading scorer and rebounder has come from the bench in two games. The bench has also supplied a double figure scorer in seven of eight games.
JOHN OF ALL TRADES
Junior Jonathan Hall may be the most intriguing prospect of Schmidt's eight newcomers. Hall currently leads the Bonnies in scoring at 15.8 points per game, good for ninth in the Atlantic 10. Hall has shown consistency at the offensive end, finishing in double figures in all eight games, while leading the team in scoring on four occasions. The Miami, Fla. native can do more than just score evident by his team-best 15 steals, 5.9 boards per game, 2.8 assists and six blocks. Below is a look at the number of games Hall has led the team in each category, including ties.
LOOK OUT BELOW
Freshman Andrew Nicholson has more than lived up to the hype that crossed the Canadian border with him. The 6-foot-9 forward from Mississauga, Ontario has put up solid numbers through eight games in his young career, averaging 10.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks. Nicholson's rebounds and blocks are both team-bests ranking 14th and second in the A-10, respectively. Nicholson has also scored in double figures in five games, and has led the team rebounding four times and blocks seven times. On Dec. 7, Nicholson was tabbed the A-10 Rookie of the Week for the third consecutive week, marking the first time in program history a Bona player has won the award three times in a season. Nicholson is just one of two Bona players to record a double-double this season, while his 11 dunks are tops on the team. Below is a look at how Nicholson stacks up amongst the league's rookies and leaders.
| Category | Stat | A-10 Rookies | A-10 Overall |
| Scoring | 10.9 | 2nd | -- |
| FG Percentage | .563 | -- | -- |
| Rebounding | 6.3 | 1st | 14th |
| Def. Rebounds | 4.0 | 1st | T-14th |
| Off. Rebounds | 2.3 | 2nd | 14th |
| Blocks* | 3.3 | 1st | 2nd |
| Double-Doubles | 1 | 2nd | -- |
* - Figure ranks 7th nationally and is tops amongst all freshman
BOARD WORK
After winning the battle on the glass just 12 times all of last season, the Brown and White have responded by out-rebounding seven of their first eight opponents this year for a +3.3 margin on the glass. The increased effort has come by committee as five different players are averaging over 4.4 boards per game, highlighted by three in the top 20 of the Atlantic 10 leaders. Freshman Andrew Nicholson leads the way at 6.3 per game, a figure that ranks 14th in the A-10. Junior Jonathan Hall has hauled in a team-high 23 offensive boards to highlight his 5.9 per game average, while senior D'Lancy Carter's 5.6 caroms per game are coming in just over 15 minutes each night. The Bonnies have grabbed 104 offensive rebounds over the last six games and lead the conference with14.9 per game.
BLOCK PARTY
Led by freshman Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure has a new element to its aggressive style of defense ... blocked shots. The Bonnies' 42 blocks so far this season are more than half way to last year's total of 64. Nicholson has been the catalyst for turnaround, swatting away 26 shots so far this season. Nicholson's 26 blocks are two more than D'Lancy Carter's team-best of 24 in 2007-08, while his 3.3 per game average leads all freshmen and ranks seventh nationally. Nicholson tied a program single-game record with eight rejections last Saturday against Princeton and has three performances of five blocks or more. Nicholson's eight blocks are the fourth-best single-game total by any player this season. Junior Jonathan Hall has used his 6-foot-5 frame and sneaky athleticism to swat away six shots, while freshman guard Michael Davenport has three blocks in just 46 minutes of action. As a team, St. Bonaventure ranks fourth in the A-10 and 32nd nationally at 5.2 blocks per game.
