The St. Bonaventure Bonnies (17-6) look to continue their five-game winning streak when they take on the faltering La Salle Explorers (5-18) at Tom Gola Arena. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 17.
The Explorers got blown out by Saint Joseph’s 88-62 on Saturday. Cleon Roberts was the team’s leading scorer with 17 points. The Bonnies are coming off a 64-57 win over George Washington on Saturday. Dion Wright had a solid game for St. Bonaventure, posting 12 points, six rebounds, and two steals.
Over the last five games, Wright has upped his play for the Bonnies. During that stretch, he has averaged 16.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.4 blocks, and 0.8 three-pointers.
The Explorers enter the game with records of 5-18 Straight Up (SU) and 6-14 Against The Spread (ATS). The Explorers have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 77.2 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 63.4 points per game.
As for their opponent, the Bonnies have 17-6 SU and 12-6-1 ATS records. Most recently, St. Bonaventure is a meager 3-7 ATS over the last 10 games. The Bonnies rank 36th in the country in road scoring, averaging 76.1 points per game. St. Bonaventure is the top foul-shooting team in the nation, hitting .783 of their shots from the line. St. Bonaventure’s three-point defense is one of the top in the country, with opponents shooting only .309 from the three.
These conference rivals will be facing off in their first head-to-head clash of the season. When they last met the Explorers were winners, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over their most recent meetings. The Bonnies lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. Neither team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers over the course of their latest five contests.
Predictions: SU Winner – StBon, ATS Winner – StBon
Notes
“La Salle is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games “.
“La Salle is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of La Salle’s last 6 games “.
“La Salle is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games at home”.
“La Salle is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of La Salle’s last 6 games at home”.
“La Salle is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing St. Bonaventure”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 8 of La Salle’s last 10 games when playing St. Bonaventure”.
“La Salle is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against St. Bonaventure”.
St. Bonaventure averages 76.8 points per game (ranked 83rd). La Salle, on the other hand, allows 74.5 points per game (ranked 192nd).
In its last game, La Salle lost by a margin of 26 points. St. Bonaventure is 2-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. La Salle has a 1-7 record in blowouts.
With 66.0 possessions and .961 points per possession, the La Salle Explorers perform worse on both metrics than the St. Bonaventure Bonnies. St. Bonaventure averages 68.8 possessions and 1.117 points per possession.
The St. Bonaventure Bonnies average an effective field goal percentage of 50.9% this season. The La Salle Explorers are a winless 0-14 when opponents have an eFG% of 50.9% or greater.
The La Salle Explorers average 24.0 three point attempts per game and have a subpar 4-14 record when attempting at least 20 in a game. The St. Bonaventure Bonnies average 22.0 attempts and have a winning 10-5 record when attempting 20 or more.
St. Bonaventure, the 92nd-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 4.2 per game. La Salle does worse, ranked 273rd with 2.6.
On average, La Salle forces a turnover rate of 19.1%. When St. Bonaventure turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a formidable 6-2 record.
