Bonnies hit the road to take on Rhode Island

Feb. 10, 2009

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GAME DAY CENTRAL
DATE:Wednesday, February 11, 2009
SITE:Ryan Center (7,657)
TIP-OFF:7:00 p.m.
RADIO:WPIG (95.7 FM) & WHDL (1450 AM) - Olean
WXRL (1300 AM) - Buffalo
TALENT:Gary Nease (play-by-play)
WEB AUDIO & VIDEO: www.GoBonnies.com
SERIES: Rhode Island leads, 32-22
LAST MEETING: Jan. 26, 2008
Rhode Island 89, St. Bona 77 (Box Score - Pg. 2)
UP NEXT: Saturday, February 14, 2009
vs. Massachusetts @ 7 p.m.

AT A GLANCE
St. Bonaventure will look to add on to the recent momentum from its win over La Salle when it hits the road to take on Rhode Island on Wednesday night. The Bonnies broke a five-game home losing streak with their 72-67 win over the Explorers and a victory against the Rams would set a program record for road wins in a season (8). The Brown and White will also be in search of their first Atlantic 10 win streak in February since 2001-02 and will attempt to win their first two games of February since 1998-99.

SERIES HISTORY
Rhode Island has taken three straight and five of the last six from the Bonnies in the series. The Rams have a 32-22 all-time edge against the Brown and White, including a perfect 4-0 mark at the Ryan Center since it opened in 2002-03. Current URI head coach and former Bona player and coach Jim Baron has been apart of each of the last 28 meetings between the two schools. Baron is 8-3 vs. the Brown and White over his seven years as a Ram and went 8-9 against Rhode Island when guiding the Bonnies. Rhode Island owns the longest win streak in series history at 16 games, dating from 1986-93.

THIS DAY IN BONA BASKETBALL
St. Bonaventure is just 4-4 all-time when playing on February 11, 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 first win on this date came during the 1975-76 season as they defeated Little 3 rival Canisius 93-60 at the Reilly Center. Led by junior point guard and current URI coach Jim Baron, St. Bonaventure out-scored the Griffs 51-22 in the second half. Essie Hollis (27 &15) and Bob Rozyczko (18 & 10) each chipped in with double-doubles, while Greg Sanders added 17 points.

SCOUTING THE RAMS
Tied for sixth in the Atlantic 10 standings, Rhode Island enters Wednesday's contest with a 16-8 overall record and a 5-4 mark in the conference. The Rams are just 19 points away from having seven more wins, as they've suffered seven defeats by six points or less. After starting out 1-3 in the A-10, including a tough triple-overtime loss at Saint Joseph's and a heartbreaking two-point loss to nationally-ranked Xavier, Rhode Island ripped off four consecutive wins before losing to Temple on Sunday. The Rams are led by the senior duo of Jimmy Baron and Kahiem Seawright. Recently named a finalist for the Lowe's Senior Class Award, Baron ranks seventh in the A-10 at 16.4 points per game. Baron has done a majority of his damage from beyond the arc where he leads the conference with 76 trifectas and a 44 percent shooting clip. Seawright gives the Rams the inside force to Baron's outside barrage, averaging 14.3 points and 7.1 rebounds. The highest scoring team in the A-10, Rhode Island boasts an 80.9 points per game average and three players in the top 11 of the conference scoring leaders. Junior Keith Cothran, who recently returned from injury, ranks second on the team in scoring (14.4) and has led the Rams to a 15-1 record when scoring 15 or more points in his career.

HEAD COACHING MATCHUP
ST. BONAVENTURE HEAD COACH
Mark Schmidt
@ St. Bonaventure: 20-32 (2nd Season)
Overall: 102-122 (8th Season)
Atlantic 10 Record: 5-20
Vs. Rhode Island: 0-1

RHODE ISLAND HEAD COACH
Jim Baron
@ Rhode Island: 124-115 (8th Season)
Overall: 330-317 (22nd Season)
Atlantic 10 Record: 112-152 (17th Season)
Vs. St. Bonaventure: 8-3

QUICK HITS

BOMBS AWAY
Junior Chris Matthews has made a living from beyond the arc this season. At Dayton, the Washington, D.C., native tied a school record with eight three-pointers en route to a career-high 28 points. Matthews' eight long range makes were the sixth of its kind in program history. Matthews has made five or more threes in a game four times this season and his 61 trifectas are 47 more than the next highest Bonnie. Matthews' 3.33 trifectas per game in conference play lead the league, while he ranks fourth in the A-10 overall at 2.8 long range field goals per game. Matthews has 63 percent (61-of-96) of the team's three-pointers this season and is just five makes away from entering the single season top 10.

SIX-PACK
All it took was one game for St. Bonaventure men's basketball freshman Andrew Nicholson to earn his second consecutive Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week. Nicholson's program record sixth A-10 Rookie of the Week award surpassed Alvin Lott's total of five set in the 1983-84 season. Despite running into foul trouble against La Salle, Nicholson finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and six blocks. Three of Nicholson's weekly citations have come during conference play, where he has scored in double figures in eight of nine games. Nicholson's 14.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in conference play are both team-highs.

OH CANANDA
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 won the A-10 Rookie of the Week honor a program-record six times. Nicholson is averaging 13.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. He leads all A-10 Rookies in five different categories, ranking second overall in the A-10 in both blocks and field goal percentage. On the season, Nicholson has scored in double figures 16 times, including a team-high three 20-point outings, and has two double-doubles. Nicholson has led the team in both scoring and rebounding eight times, including both in the same game four times. Nicholson just missed recording a triple-double at Bucknell with 22 points, eight rebounds and a school record nine blocks. Below is a look at how Nicholson stacks up amongst the league's rookies and leaders.

ROAD WARRIORS
After winning one road game last year and just five over the previous three seasons, St. Bonaventure has posted a 7-2 mark in true road games this season. The Bonnies have out-rebounded eight road opponents for a +9.3 margin and have finished with a 47 percent shooting clip or better in six of those games. St. Bonaventure has taken a lead into the locker room five times, including a trio of double figure advantages. The team's most impressive road stat might be that they've trailed for only 105 minutes and 24 seconds out of a possible 375 minutes played. The team's seven consecutive wins on the road to start the season is a school record, besting the start set by the 1967-68 NCAA Tournament team. St. Bonaventure's seven true road wins ties the single-season record set by the 2001-02 team, while the 1969-70 NCAA Final Four squad owns the record for most wins away from home in a season with 12.

JOHN OF ALL TRADES
Junior Jonathan Hall currently leads the Bonnies in scoring at 13.3 points per game, good for 19th in the Atlantic 10. Hall has shown consistency at the offensive end, finishing in double figures in 19 games, including the first nine, while leading the team in scoring on six occasions. The Miami, Fla., native can do more than just score evident by his team-high 69 assists. Hall also averages 6.2 rebounds, including 2.1 offensive, and has 26 steals and 13 blocks - all of which are in the top three on the team. Hall ranks among the conference leaders in six different categories. Hall has played 30 or more minutes in 21 of 22 games this season. Below is a look at the number of games Hall has led the team in each category, including ties.