Posted: Dec 06, 2019
ST. BONAVENTURE (4-4) vs. HOFSTRA (6-3)
Saturday, Dec. 7 - 2:30 p.m.
Reilly Center - St. Bonaventure, N.Y.
Online Coverage: Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: Bonnies Basketball Radio Network
Complete Game Notes (PDF)
OPENING TIP
The St. Bonaventure men's basketball team returns home to the Reilly Center Saturday afternoon as winners of three straight and will entertain a dangerous Hofstra club that is off to a hot start. It will be a special day at the arena as the Bonnies welcome members of their 1970 Final Four team as well as Centennial Season All-Time Team honorees for special pre-and-post-game ceremonies.
FINAL FOUR AND CENTENNIAL SEASON CELEBRATIONS
The entire 1970 Final Four Team as well as several members of the Centennial Season All-Time Team will be honored during pre-and-post-game ceremonies. Nine members of the All-Time Team returning for the game will be honored during halftime while the Final Four squad celebrating their 50th anniversary will be on the court for post-game ceremonies. Both ceremonies will be shown live during the ESPN+ broadcast. For more information on the Final Four team click here. For the All-Time Team selection information click here.
TICKETS AVAILABLE
A limited number of game tickets are still available for $25. They are only available through the SBU Ticket Office either in person or by calling 716-375-2500.
There will be a special dinner and panel discussion celebrating the 100 years of St. Bonaventure Basketball Saturday night. Tickets for the dinner are sold out, but a free live stream of the event will be available beginning at approximately 7:45 p.m. by clicking here.
Last Game Recap - BONNIES 71, FAU 64
St. Bonaventure erased a 17-point deficit and stormed back to capture the Boca Beach Classic Hall of Fame Bracket Championship Monday night with a 71-64 victory over Florida Atlantic.
An 18-3 run in the second half proved the difference for the Bonnies, fueled from a large contingent of fans that made the contest seem like a home game down the stretch despite playing on FAU's home floor.
As has been the case in the past three victories, a different face stepped up to help sway things in favor of the Bonnies.
Dominick Welch led the team with 15 points while Kyle Lofton added 14 points – including the clinching three late – and six assists. That duo received tremendous contribution off the bench from Bobby Planutis who unquestionably produced his best game in a Bonnies uniform, fueling the second half rally with 14 points and seven boards.
BONNIES FINAL FOUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY
Legends from the storied history of St. Bonaventure basketball will be honored twice Saturday as the university continues its celebration of the 100th anniversary of men's basketball.
The 1970 Final Four team will be honored immediately after Saturday afternoon's game at the Reilly Center, while nine members of the 20-man All-Time Team will be recognized at halftime. Expected to attend are: J.R. Bremer, Matt Gantt, Marques Green, Glenn Hagan, Mark Jones, Bill Kalbaugh, Bob Lanier, Greg Sanders and Tim Winn.
Members of the Final Four team and coaching staff are scheduled to be on hand including Basketball Hall of Fame member Bob Lanier and former head coach Larry Weise. Lanier scored 2,067 points over his career in which he led the Brown and White to a 65-12 record. The Buffalo native's #31 is retired in the RC rafters, while the court was named after him in October of 2007. The all-time winningest coach in program history until current head coach Mark Schmidt broke that record last season, Weise posted a 202-90 record over his 12 seasons at the helm from 1961-73.
"The banner that hangs in the Reilly Center for the Final Four team is something not many universities across the country can celebrate," St. Bonaventure Director of Athletics Tim Kenney said. "To honor this team and the men who made it happen will truly be an event to remember. We look forward to welcoming them back on campus this year for an unforgettable day for all of our fans."
St. Bonaventure finished with a 25-3 overall record during the Final Four season and defeated Davidson (85-72), N.C. State (80-68) and Villanova (97-74) in the NCAA Tournament as part of a run that still captivates Bona basketball fans today. Members of the Final Four team will be at New Era Field in Buffalo Sunday to be honored on the field prior to the start of the Buffalo Bills vs. Baltimore Ravens NFL game.
A centerpiece of the program's Centennial Season celebration, the Dec. 7 game will have added significance as it will mark the 100th anniversary of the program's first game as an organized intercollegiate sport. St. Bonaventure hosted its first game Dec. 11, 1919 in Butler Gymnasium where the first (then St. Bonaventure College) squad defeated an alumni team, 29-18.
Previous Meeting - St. Bonaventure 81, Hofstra 75 (12/6/16 at Hofstra)
The Bonnies rallied from a late deficit, outscoring Hofstra 13-3 down the stretch to leave Long Island with a 81-75 win. Jaylen Adams scored 31 points and he added eight
rebounds and five assists. Mobley scored 23 points and set a career high with 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the year. The Bonnies outrebounded Hofstra 48-35.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday marks the sixth meeting all-time between the Bonnies and the Pride, and first since 2016. The teams played a home-and-home series in 2015 and 2016 with each team stealing a win on the road. In the last meeting at the Reilly Center, Hofstra came away with an 89-83 triumph on Nov. 27, 2015 thanks to a 52-point second half. The Bonnies got revenge the following year, making the trek to Long Island and posting an 81-75 victory behind 31 points from Jaylen Adams. In all, Bona holds a 4-1 advantage in the series with the first meeting coming Jan. 25, 1978 – a road victory for the Brown and White.
HOFSTRA NOTES
- The Pride enters this weekend at 6-3 overall including an impressive 88-78 win at UCLA on Nov. 21. That victory came as part of a three-game California swing that saw Hofstra go 2-1 with a win over Cal State Fullerton before falling at a common opponent, San Diego, 79-69 on Nov. 27.
- Also part of the Boca Beach Classic, Hofstra also left the Sunshine State as champions – after defeating Holy Cross (91-69) and another common opponent, Canisius (64-57) the Pride earned the Naismith Bracket Championship.
- Junior Tareq Coburn, a St. Bonaventure transfer, had a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Canisius.
- For the year, the Pride averages 82 points a game and shoots 36 percent from long range, led by Eli Pemberton's 16.9 points per game. Pemberton and Dsure Buie (16.3 ppg) both earned Boca Classic All-Tournament Team honors.
BONNIES TAKE BOCA CLASSIC TITLE
St. Bonaventure enters this weekend as winners of three in a row, claiming the Boca Beach Classic Hall of Fame Bracket championship in Boca Raton, Fla. after wins over San Diego Sunday and Florida Atlantic Monday night. Playing FAU on its home floor, the Bonnies stormed back from a 17-point first half deficit to claim a 71-64 win. With the championship win, the Bonnies earned their first in-season tournament title since 2002 when they won the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands with wins over Michigan and Virginia Tech.
Bona sophomores Dominick Welch and Kyle Lofton each were named to the Boca Classic All-Tournament Team for their efforts. Welch paced the Bonnies in scoring in both of their victories during the tournament, averaging 15.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. Lofton filled the stat sheet by averaging 12.5 points, 5.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds in the victories. He played all but one minute during the tournament.
CHAMPION VS. CHAMPION
Though the champions have been crowned, Saturday is considered the "back half" and conclusion of the Boca Beach Classic. The inaugural tournament featured on-campus games on the front and back half of the tournament – St. Bonaventure secured a win over Mercer Nov. 26 in the first on-campus portion of the tourney. Now, the champions of both brackets face off in the finale – St. Bonaventure won the Hall of Fame Bracket while Hofstra was victorious in the Naismith Bracket with wins over Holy Cross and Canisius in Boca Raton. The brackets were named by the Basketball Hall of Fame which had a part in hosting this year's event. While the Boca games were decided by wins and losses in traditional bracket style, it is coincidence that the two bracket champions now face off back in the state of New York.
MARQUEE WINS
St. Bonaventure has scored victories in two marquee non-conference events this year – the Bonnies knocked off Big Ten foe Rutgers in Toronto as part of the inaugural James Naismith Classic hosted by the National Basketball Hall of Fame last month before capturing the Boca Beach Classic crown.
ENGLISH'S ENTRANCE
- The Bonnies benefitted from the debut of Jaren English in the past week, who was sidelined for the first five games of the year following a hand injury suffered in preseason.
- English, who was in line for a potential starting role before his injury, played 29 minutes off the bench with six points, four assists and three rebounds in his season debut Nov. 26 vs. Mercer.
- In the Boca Classic games in Florida, he averaged 36 minutes including his first double-digit scoring effort of 12 points in a win over San Diego Dec. 1.
- A sophomore transfer, English played last season at Ranger CC in Texas under head coach Billy Gillispie. While there, he helped the Rangers to a berth in the NJCAA Division I championship game.
BOCA BOBBY POWERS RALLY
Redshirt sophomore Bobby Planutis helped fuel the rally from a 17-point deficit vs. FAU in the Boca Beach Classic title game with his best effort in a Bonnies uniform. He poured in a career-high 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting with a team-high seven rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench. Though the offense has come slow for the Bona newcomer, he ranks second on the team in rebounds (6.1 rpg) with a team-high 19 offensive rebounds.
A-10 HONOR ROLL
- St. Bonaventure sophomore Osun Osunniyi earned a spot on this week's A-10 Honor Roll after back-to-back double-doubles in two wins last week. For the week he averaged 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.
- Freshman Justin Winston earned a spot Nov. 26 on the Atlantic 10 Weekly Honor Roll after scoring 14 points with five rebounds vs. Canisius on Nov. 23. It marked the second consecutive week Winston had been on the conference's honor roll. Fellow freshman Alejandro Vasquez earned the honor once and sophomore Kyle Lofton landed on the honor roll for the week ending Nov. 17 as well.
BONNIES BASKETBALL AT 100
- Though records of basketball at St. Bonaventure go back to at least 1901, the first official intercollegiate season was 1919-20
- The Bonnies have sponsored a team every year but 1943-44 when the program was halted due to World War II
- The Bonnies have 1,356 victories all-time and a winning percentage of .563
- The program has registered 65 winning seasons, 43 1,000-point scorers and 33 players drafted by the NBA
- In all, St. Bonaventure has recorded 16 seasons of 20+ wins and 24 post-season appearances as well as 61 players who have been named Atlantic 10 All-Conference
- St. Bonaventure has been to the NCAA Tournament seven times – including the 1970 Final Four – and the NIT 16 times – highlighted by a 1977 national championship
- The Bonnies became a national powerhouse during the 1950s, posting a .686 winning percentage during the decade – ranking 17th in the nation over that period
- The program only grew in prominence – a .724 winning percentage during the 1960s ranked 12th nationally while the team rose as high as No. 3 in the national Top 25 multiple times
- The program had a .600 winning percentage or better in the 1920s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s
- The Bonnies are in another "golden era" under head coach Mark Schmidt – the program has a .599 winning percentage during the 2010s thus far and their average of 19.1 wins per year is the highest of any decade in program history
- St. Bonaventure's 99-game home winning streak at the Olean Armory from 1948-61 is the second-longest home court win streak in NCAA Division I history behind only Kentucky's 129 from 1943-55
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