By Carson Hayek, Sports Staffer
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y — The St. Bonaventure University men’s basketball team hosts George Mason (19-2) on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 6:30 p.m. in the Reilly Center.
The Bonnies enter after winning their first road Atlantic 10 game of the season, with an 87-79 victory over Duquesne on Wednesday evening. Bonnies junior guard Darryl “Buddy” Simmons II led all scorers with 31 points while senior guard Cayden Charles had a team-high nine rebounds.
The Patriots, who sit second in the Atlantic 10 standings, have won 10 of their last 11 games, and come off a 60-52 triumph over Davidson on Wednesday night. In the win, George Mason junior guard Kory Mincy recorded 19 points while graduate forward Nick Ellington grabbed seven rebounds.
Seven of eight Patriot conference games have been decided within 10 points, while 11 of 21 total games have been decided by 10 or fewer points.
Bonnies men’s head basketball coach Mark Schmidt credited the Patriots’ roster makeup as a reason for their success.
“They are good players that have strength, size, and age,” Schmidt said. “You look at their team, and they have a lot of [graduates], seniors, and they play downhill. They have great size inside, and they have a lot [of talent], which is one of the reasons why they are 19-2.”
Schmidt said defense and turnovers will be key for the Bonnies.
“We have to be able to do a good job of defending them,” Schmidt said. “We will have to [force] turnovers even though they don’t turn the ball over a ton; we have to stop them, and we will have to find a way to control the paint.”
The game will air on USA Network. Radio coverage can be heard on the Bonnies Online Network 100.1 FM Bradford & Olean and 1340 AM Jamestown.
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