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Men's Basketball
Men's Basketball Prepares for Saint Joe's
Feb. 12, 2008
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
DATE: Saturday, February 13, 2008 AT A GLANCE St. Bonaventure will look to snap a pair of 12-game losing streaks as it travels to Philadelphia to take on Atlantic 10 powerhouse Saint Joseph's. The Bonnies have dropped 12-straight road games, dating back to last season, and 12 in a row against the host Hawks. Tonight's game is the sixth in the month of February for Saint Joseph's, who will look to avoid its first three-game losing streak of the season. The Brown and White's two games this month have both come at the Reilly Center. SERIES HISTORY The Hawks have simply dominated the series as of late, taking the last 12 meetings by an average of 18 points per game. The Bonnies have dropped their last six at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse where they are 2-19 all-time. St. Bonaventure's last win in the series actually came at Hawk Hill on Feb. 26, 2000. Saint Joseph's is 4-2 in six overtime meetings between the two clubs and owns a 23-11 edge in 34 games decided by 10 points or less. Three of the first five games of this 50-year old series were played at Madison Square Garden with the Bonnies claiming all three contests. THIS DAY IN BONA BASKETBALL St. Bonaventure is 5-3 all-time when playing on February 13, dating back to the 1975-76 season in the Bona record books - the final season that has actual dates recorded. The Brown and White have won three-straight, all against A-10 foes, on this day with the last coming at UMass in 2002. J.R. Bremer's scored a game-high 31 points and then-sophomore Marques Green added 19 points and six steals as the Bonnies won their third consecutive game at the Mullins Center. HEAD COACHING MATCHUP ST. BONAVENTURE HEAD COACH Mark Schmidt @ St. Bonaventure: 7-15 (First Season) Overall: 89-105 (7th Season) Vs. Saint Joseph's: 0-0 SAINT JOSEPH'S HEAD COACH Phil Martelli @ Saint Joseph's: 255-146 (13th Season) Overall: same Vs. St. Bonaventure: 20-3 Scouting the hawks One of the most consistent programs in the Atlantic 10, Saint Joseph's is in danger of its first three-game losing streak of the season. The Hawks put together a brilliant January going 6-1, but are now in the midst of their first losing streak since early December. As usual, Saint Joseph's is enjoying another strong year on Hawk Hill evident by its 6-2 mark. Both losses at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse came by five points to 2007 NCAA Tournament participants Holy Cross and Gonzaga. Senior Pat Calathes leads a probable starting five of Hawks who average in double figures. An A-10 Player of the Year candidate, Calathes is the only player in the conference to rank in the top 6 in scoring (18.4) and rebounding (8.1). Calathes also leads the team in three-pointers made (53) and blocks (31). Junior Ahmad Nivins and senior Rob Ferguson make up the other two-thirds of the SJU frontcourt. Nivins is second on the club in both scoring (14.0) and rebounding (6.3), while Ferguson nets his 12.0 points per game both inside and out evident by his 40 made three-pointers. The backcourt tandem of junior point guard Tasheed Carr and sophomore Darrin Govens round out the other double-digit scorers. Carr, a transfer from Iowa State, leads the Atlantic 10 with 6.2 assists per game. TWO IN A ROW Freshman forward Matt Morgan earned his second consecutive A-10 Rookie of the Week award on Sunday after an impressive performance off the bench against Charlotte. Morgan is the fourth A-10 freshman this season to win the award in back-to-back weeks and the fifth two-time recipient. The Landover, Md. product topped his season-high in points for the third time in the last five games with a career-best 17 points on Saturday night against the 49ers. Morgan added seven rebounds, including five on the offensive end, while shooting 8-of-9 from the floor in 25 minutes. no longer a freshman So-called freshman Matt Morgan has turned the corner in his first season in the Brown and White. Now with 20 games under his belt, Morgan looks as though he's made the adjustment to the collegiate game and coach Mark Schmidt and the Bonnies are reaping the benefits. The Handover, Md. product has won back-to-back A-10 Rookie of the Week honors and is fourth on the team's in both scoring (7.4) and rebounding (4.1) in conference play. Over the last five games, Morgan has scored in double figures four times, including three-straight, and has accumulated more points over that span than he did in his first 15 games. Below is a closer look at Morgan's last five games compared to his initial 15.
two tyler's make a right In their eight games in the starting lineup together, senior Tyler Relph and junior Tyler Benson have combined to given the Bonnies some stability with their consistent play. The duo has combined for 17.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game over the eight-game span. The most impressive statistic is their 1.81 (65/36) assist/turnover ratio. Benson has been the primary source to the positive assist/turnover ratio, dishing out 25 assists while committing just six turnovers. Relph has picked up the slack at the offensive end, collecting 11.0 points and five helpers per game. Bonnies In FEBRUARY St. Bonaventure is 110-152 in the month of January for a .421 win percentage dating back to 1975. The Bonnies are 3-15 at home over the last four seasons and 63-64 all-time. The Brown and White have won just one of their last 13 games on the road in February. Below is a look at how the current Bonnies have fared in February.
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