Dec. 22, 2008
Game Notes 
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ST. BONAVENTURE (7-3)
vs.
NIAGARA (8-2)
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Tuesday, December 23, 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, 82-66
LAST MEETING: November 28, 2007
Niagara 80, St. Bonaventure 76 (Box Score - Pg. 2)
UP NEXT: Tuesday, December 30, 2008
at Bucknell @ 7:00 P.M.
At A Glance
Off to its best start in six years, St. Bonaventure looks to continue its winning ways when it welcomes Little 3 rival Niagara to the Reilly Center. The Bonnies enter Tuesday's tilt on a four-game win streak, while the Purple Eagles have won three straight on the road and seven of their last eight. Mixed into the Brown and White's four-game streak are three wins at home. The Bonnies are 4-1 on Bob Lanier Court this season. Niagara's 8-2 start is its best under Joe Mihalich, while St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt and the Bonnies will look to equal their win total of all of last season (8).
Series History
Tonight's game will be the 149th meeting in this storied rivalry. Niagara has gotten the best of the Bonnies as of late, taking the last five meetings. The recent Purple Eagle run put an end to an 11-game win streak by St. Bonaventure that spanned over eight years (1993-01). The two teams 15 combined wins this season are the highest total this matchup has sported since the Jan. 26, meeting in 2003. Led by Jim Baron and Jack Armstrong, respectively, the Bonnies and Purple Eagles entered that contest with 20 combined wins.
This Day In Bona Basketball
St. Bonaventure is 3-5 all-time when playing on December 23, dating back to the 1975-76 season in the Bona record books - the final season that has actual dates recorded. The most memorable game on this date came in 1997 when the Bonnies fell to #15 Iowa, 81-67, in the championship game of the San Juan Shootout. Then-sophomore Tim Winn had a career-high 28 points, seven assists and five steals. Winn was named to the All-Tournament team.
Scouting the Purple Eagles
Niagara enters its annual meeting against the Bonnies on a three-game winning streak and an 8-2 record. All three of those wins came on the road, as the Purple Eagles are 4-1 away from home this season. Like the Bonnies, four different players average 10 or more points per game for Niagara. Junior sensation Tyrone Lewis leads head coach Joe Mihalich's club with 17.8 points per game. Lewis, a two-time All-Conference selection, leads the MAAC in scoring thanks to six 20-point games and nine games in double figures. Lewis' 33 steals are tops in the league and his 3.3 average is fifth in the nation. Villanova transfer Bilal Benn has made an immediate impact at both ends of the court for the Purple Eagles. Benn, a native of Philadelphia, ranks second on the team at 13.3 points per game, while his 9.1 boards lead the MAAC. Senior center Benson Egemonye has used his 6-foot-10 frame to post averages of 10.8 points and 7.3 boards, while UConn transfer and Niagara Falls native Rob Garrison adds 10.7 points a night. As a team, Niagara leads the MAAC in scoring offense (76.2), scoring margin (+11.6), field goal percentage defense (.378), steals (10.4), blocked shots (4.4), three-pointers per game (7.1) and offensive rebounds (14.5).
Head Coaching Matchup
ST. BONAVENTURE HEAD COACH
Mark Schmidt
@ St. Bonaventure: 15-25 (2nd Season)
Overall: 97-115 (8th Season)
vs. Niagara: 0-1
NIAGARA HEAD COACH
Joe Mihalich
@ Niagara: 187-125 (11th Season)
Overall: same
vs. St. Bonaventure: 5-4
Mo Thomas, Mo Problems
With his foot injury in the rear view mirror, junior Maurice "Mo" Thomas is starting to put up the type of numbers he did at UTEP. Thomas has been a force over the last five games, averaging 12.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game over 23.6 minutes. The Philadelphia, Pa., native is the only Bonnie with two double-doubles this season. Thomas posted back-to-back double figure rebound games during the five-game span and has led the team on the boards in three contests. Thomas leads the team in rebounding (6.0) and has led the Bonnies to a 4-0 mark since being inserted into the starting lineup.
| Min. | Pts. | Reb. | FG-FGA |
| First 4 games | 9.3 | 5.0 | 3.3 | 5-10 |
| Last 5 games | 23.8 | 12.2 | 8.4 | 23-42 |
Balancing Act
St. Bonaventure's balanced scoring and rebounding attack is sure to make scouting the Bonnies that much more difficult. The Brown and White have five players averaging nine or more points and five that are averaging better than four boards per game. Through 10 games, a total of seven different players have led St. Bonaventure in either scoring, rebounding or assists in a game. The Bonnies have received 20-point efforts from four different members of its junior class. Those scoring outbursts have come over five different games, including a trio of 22-point nights off the bench from Ray Blackburn and Maurice Thomas.
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 265-161 margin. The bench has provided head coach Mark Schmidt with 30 or more points three times, including a season-high 36 against Canisius. Through 10 games, the Bonnies are receiving 26.5 points and 16.8 rebounds per contest from the bench, highlighted by a trio of 22-point outings from juniors Ray Blackburn and Maurice Thomas. Blackburn is fourth on the team in scoring (10.8) and has scored in double figures five times off the bench. Thomas' 22-point effort was his last game as a non-starter, in which he also added 12 rebounds. The team's leading scorer has come from the bench on three occasions. The bench has also supplied a double figure scorer in 9 of the 10 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 14.6 points per game, good for 10th in the Atlantic 10. Hall has shown consistency at the offensive end, finishing in double figures in nine games, while leading the team in scoring on four occasions. The Miami, Fla. native can do more than just score evident by his team-highs of 18 steals and 27 offensive rebounds. Hall also averages 5.6 boards, 3.1 assists and has eight blocks. Below is a look at the number of games Hall has led the team in each category, including ties.
The Last Time Since...
St. Bonaventure's 7-3 start has yielded several impressive stats that haven't been accomplished in recent years. The Brown and White's 3-0 record in true road games marks the first time since the 1967-68 NCAA squad that a team has won its first three road games. The Bonnies current four-game win streak and seven wins in the opening 10 games are both team firsts since the 2001-02 campaign.
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 is averaging 11.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks. Nicholson's rebounds and blocks are both league-bests for freshman, ranking 19th and second in the A-10 overall, respectively. Nicholson has also scored in double figures in six games, and has led the team in rebounding four times and blocks eight times. Nicholson recently notched a season-high 19 points in a win at Eastern Michigan. Nicholson is just one of two Bona players to record a double-double this season, while his 13 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 | 11.1 | 2nd | -- |
| FG Percentage | .579 | -- | -- |
| Rebounding | 5.6 | 1st | T-19th |
| Def. Rebounds | 3.5 | 1st | -- |
| Off. Rebounds | 2.1 | -- | -- |
| Blocks | 3.1 | 1st | 2nd |
| Double-Doubles | 1 | 2nd | -- |
* - 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 nine of their first 10 opponents this year for a +3.7 margin on the glass. The increased effort has come by committee as five different players are averaging over four boards per game, highlighted by three in the top 20 of the Atlantic 10 leaders. Junior Maurice Thomas leads the way at 6.0 per game, a figure that ranks 14th in the A-10. Freshman Andrew Nicholson isn't far behind at an even 5.6 per game, while junior Jonathan Hall has hauled in a team-high 27 offensive boards to highlight his 5.6 average. The Bonnies have grabbed 10 or more offensive rebounds in eight straight games for a total of 127. St. Bonaventure ranks third in the A-10 at 14.2 offensive caroms 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' 55 blocks are just nine shy of last year's total of 64. Nicholson has been the catalyst for the turnaround, swatting away 31 shots so far this season. Nicholson's 31 blocks are seven more than D'Lancy Carter's team-best of 24 in 2007-08, while his 3.1 per game average leads all freshmen and ranks seventh nationally. Nicholson tied a program single-game record with eight rejections 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 eight shots. As a team, St. Bonaventure ranks third in the A-10 and 32nd nationally at 5.5 blocks per game.
Record Breaker
Freshman Andrew Nicholson set a pair of program records over his initial month as a Bonnie. The first came on Dec. 6 when the 6-foot-9 forward tied a program single-game record with eight blocks against Princeton. Nicholson's big night resulted in his third straight Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honor, making him the first Bona player to win the award three times in a season.
