{"id":235727,"date":"2026-01-13T14:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T14:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/235727\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T14:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T14:54:10","slug":"st-bonaventure-to-face-saint-josephs-in-first-leg-of-big-5-road-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/235727\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Bonaventure to Face Saint Joseph\u2019s in First Leg of Big 5 Road Trip"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n                            By: Ben Metcalf&#13;\n                        <\/p>\n<p>                    &#13;<br \/>\n                        Story Links&#13;<br \/>\n                        &#13;<br \/>\n    &#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<\/p>\n<p>                     PHILADELPHIA \u2013\u00a0The St. Bonaventure men&#8217;s basketball team will face Saint Joseph&#8217;s in its first of two games in the City of Brotherly Love on Wednesday (Jan. 14) at Michael J. Hagan Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nQuite Frankly<br \/>\nSt. Bonaventure forward <a href=\"https:\/\/gobonnies.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/frank-mitchell\/6539\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"6539\" target=\"_blank\">Frank Mitchell<\/a> has been one of the most productive players in the country this season.\u00a0<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nWith 10 double-doubles on the season, Mitchell is tied for sixth most in the country and leads the Atlantic 10 as of Monday (Jan. 12).\u00a0<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nMitchell is averaging 10.8 rebounds per game, which leads all players in the Atlantic 10 conference and ranks eighth nationally. He is tied for sixth in the nation with 172 total rebounds.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nA remarkable number of Mitchell&#8217;s rebounds have come on the offensive end. His 78 total offensive rebounds (4.88 per game) lead all of Division I.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nMost Offensive Rebounds Per Game in NCAA Division I<br \/>\nRank\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Name\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0School\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0#\u00a0\u00a0<br \/>\n1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/gobonnies.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/frank-mitchell\/6539\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"6539\" target=\"_blank\">Frank Mitchell<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0St. Bonaventure\u00a0\u00a0\u00a04.88\u00a0<br \/>\n2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0JT Toppin\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Texas Tech\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a04.67<br \/>\n3\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Duke Brennan\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Villanova\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a04.60<br \/>\n4\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Giovanni Emejuru\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0East Carolina\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a04.44<br \/>\n5\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Brandon Benjamin\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Fairfield\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a04.38<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nMitchell has tallied double-digit offensive rebounds two games this season, with a season-best 11 against Colgate (Dec. 10) and 10 vs. Ohio (Dec. 13).<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nMitchell&#8217;s total rebounding percentage of 19.5 and offensive rebounding percentage of 17.4 would both be school records if the season ended today, with the latter being the highest in school history by 4.4 percentage points.\u00a0<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nMitchell is no stranger to the top of the national rebounding leaderboards. In 2023-24 with Canisius, he averaged 11.6 rebounds per game, the fourth-most in Division I.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nIn the scoring column, Mitchell has scored in double figures in 15 of 16 games this season.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nBuddy Ball<br \/>\nBuddy Simmons II returned to early-season form with three exceptional performances to begin conference play.\u00a0<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nOn Saturday against Fordham (Jan. 10), Simmons II scored a season-best-tying 24 points while shooting 8-for-14 from the field. Simmons II made a season-best six three-pointers.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nAgainst Richmond (Jan. 7), Simmons II had a team-best 18 points, also shooting 8-for-14 from the field.\u00a0<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nIn the game prior, the junior posted 22 points and a career-best seven assists while shooting 9-for-16 from the field and 4-for-5 from three-point range.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nIn three Atlantic 10 games this season, Simmons II is averaging team-bests in points (21.3) and assists (3.7) while shooting 56.8 percent from the field and 66.7 percent (12-for-18) from beyond the arc.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nSimmons II has played all 40 minutes in each of St. Bonaventure&#8217;s three Atlantic 10 games.\u00a0<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nThe guard ranks second in points per game in Atlantic 10 play, trailing only Duquesne&#8217;s Tarence Guinyard (22 points per game). He&#8217;s tied for first with 4.0 three-pointers made per game (GW&#8217;s Tre Dinkins). He also leads the conference in three-point percentage among players who have 10-or-more attempts in conference play.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nSimmons II has made nearly twice as many three-pointers (42) as the next closest St. Bonaventure player (<a href=\"https:\/\/gobonnies.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/daniel-egbuniwe\/6542\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"6542\" target=\"_blank\">Daniel Egbuniwe<\/a>, 22) while shooting 44.8 percent (42-for-97) from long range over the course of the season.\u00a0<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nThe Detroit native also leads the Bonnies in free throw percentage, shooting 91.2 percent (31-for-34).<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nDasonte Delivers<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/gobonnies.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/dasonte-bowen\/6535\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"6535\" target=\"_blank\">Dasonte Bowen<\/a> has been an extremely effective playmaker this season, averaging 4.1 assists per game. The mark ranks fifth in the Atlantic 10. He has recorded three-or-more assists in 14-of-16 games this season.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nBowen leads the Atlantic 10 conference in Assist-to-turnover ratio with 65 assists to 24 turnovers (2.71 A\/TO).\u00a0<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nThe Boston native has undergone a significant uptick in offensive efficiency over the course of the season. After shooting just 27.1 percent from the field in his first six games, Bowen is 38-for-77 (49.4 percent) in his last 10 games, reaching double figures in eight games over that span.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nLonati Lights It Up<br \/>\nFreshman <a href=\"https:\/\/gobonnies.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/achille-lonati\/6546\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"6546\" target=\"_blank\">Achille Lonati<\/a> had a strong performance off the bench in St. Bonaventure&#8217;s most recent game against Fordham. The 6-5 guard scored 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nLate in the first half, Lonati drilled a three-pointer and threw down a fastbreak dunk to provide the Bonnies with a spark before the break. Then, in the second half, he made a three-pointer and an and-one layup as part of a 25-4 St. Bonaventure run.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nThe Pavia, Italy native has reached double figures in four games this season. He is averaging 12.0 points in games in which he plays 15-or-more minutes.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nIn The Rankings<br \/>\nIn the latest NET rankings published by the NCAA on Thursday (Jan. 7), the Bonnies ranked 128th. In TeamRankings.com&#8217;s RPI rankings, St. Bonaventure was ranked 75th in the country.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nThe Bonnies ranked 72nd in FaktorSports&#8217; KPI rating, a metric used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\nSaint Joseph&#8217;s Notes:<\/p>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\tSaint Joseph&#8217;s enters Wednesday&#8217;s matchup at 10-7 with a 2-2 record in Atlantic 10 play.&#13;<br \/>\n\tThe Hawks dropped their first two A-10 games to Saint Louis (Dec. 31) and Davidson (Jan. 3) before picking up back-to-back wins vs. Duquesne (OT, Jan. 7) and at Richmond (Jan. 11).&#13;<br \/>\n\tThe Hawks are led by Derek Simpson, who averages 11.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Simpson was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week on Monday (Jan. 12).&#13;<br \/>\n\tSJU freshman Austin Williford was named Atlantic 10 Freshman of the Week on Monday.&#13;<br \/>\n\tSaint Joseph&#8217;s leads the series between the two schools, 52-34.&#13;<br \/>\n\tThe Bonnies have won 15 of their last 17 matchups with the Hawks, holding a 15-2 record against Saint Joseph&#8217;s since 2015.&#13;<br \/>\n\tThe Hawks won the last matchup between St. Bonaventure and Saint Joseph&#8217;s, 75-64 on Feb. 26, 2025 at Hagan Arena. Xzayvier Brown scored a game-high 22 points while eventual first-round NBA draft pick Rasheer Fleming had 19 points and six rebounds. <a href=\"https:\/\/gobonnies.com\/sports\/mens-basketball\/roster\/melvin-council-jr-\/5935\" rel=\"smarttag nofollow noopener\" rev=\"5935\" target=\"_blank\">Melvin Council Jr.<\/a> led the way for the Bonnies with 18 points.&#13;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"&#13; By: Ben Metcalf&#13; &#13; Story Links&#13; &#13; &#13; &#13; PHILADELPHIA \u2013\u00a0The St. Bonaventure men&#8217;s basketball team will&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":235728,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[85,46,105],"class_list":{"0":"post-235727","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-israel","10":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235727"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235727\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}