St. Bonaventure (6-3) at (5) Syracuse (10-0)
Sports Network | December 19, 2009
GAME NOTES: The fifth-ranked Syracuse Orange look to remain unbeaten tonight, as they host the St. Bonaventure Bonnies in a non-conference showdown at the Carrier Dome.
The Orange kicked off a three-game homestand this past Sunday, capturing a 75-51 victory over St. Francis-NY. It was a nice follow up for Syracuse, which defeated Florida a few nights earlier in a battle of Top 25 teams. The Orange are now 10-0 on the campaign and that includes a 7-0 ledger at the Carrier Dome. It was been a remarkable start for Syracuse considering the team wasn't even ranked at the beginning of the season.
As for the Bonnies, they have been out of play for a week now, trouncing Savannah State, 79-47, in their last outing on December 12th. It was the second win in a row for SBU, which pushed its record to 6-3 overall. The Bonnies however, have yet to win a true road game, going 0-2 thus far.
With respect to the all-time series, Syracuse holds a commanding 22-3 lead over SBU and the Orange have won each of the last 12 meetings.
The Bonnies are netting 72.9 ppg this season courtesy of efficient shooting, as they are hitting on 51.5 percent of their attempts from the floor. Andrew Nicholson is both the team's leading scorer (15.3 ppg) and rebounder (7.4 rpg) and he is also making 61.8 percent of his field goals. Jonathan Hall, who is also shooting over 60 percent from the floor, adds 12.0 pg to the lineup and Chris Matthews chips in 11.9 ppg on the strength of 48.4 percent shooting from long range. In their last game, Nicholson went for 18 points on 5-of-8 field goals, as the Bonnies blew past Savannah State. SBU dropped in 53.3 percent of its attempts from the floor and tallied 34 points off 24 forced turnovers.
The Bonnies are obviously a good shooting team, but the Orange are even better, knocking down an impressive 55.2 percent of their shots from the floor this season. Syracuse has also had good success from long range (.411), helping the squad to average a healthy 88.3 ppg. Wes Johnson paces the squad in scoring (16.5 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg) and he is shooting 59.4 percent from the floor and 54.1 percent from three-point distance. Arinze Onuaku, a 67.1 percent shooter from the field, is second on the team with 11.8 ppg, while Brandon Triche and Andy Rautins check in with 10.3 and 10.1 ppg, respectively. In the team's last outing, Onuaku scored 14 points and Johnson added 12 points and nine rebounds in a victory over St. Francis-NY. The Orange shot 53.7 percent from the field, including an 8-of-18 showing from three- point land.
The Orange are the more explosive team here and they should be able to continue their dominance of the Bonnies with a win tonight.
GAME NOTES: The fifth-ranked Syracuse Orange look to remain unbeaten tonight, as they host the St. Bonaventure Bonnies in a non-conference showdown at the Carrier Dome.
FACTS & STATS: Carrier Dome (33,633) -- Syracuse, New York. Television: Time Warner. Home Record: SBU 4-1, Syracuse 7-0. Away Record: SBU 0-2, Syracuse 0-0. Neutral Record: SBU 2-0, Syracuse 3-0. Conference Record: SBU 0-0, Syracuse 0-0. Series Record: Syracuse leads, 22-3.
Syracuse 83, St. Bonaventure 66
