With one game left prior to Homecoming, George Mason (15-10, 9-3) will travel to Olean, NY to take on St. Bonaventure (10-14, 6-5) to possibly secure a spot in the top 10 of the Atlantic 10 Championship.
This contest marks the 10th time these two programs have faced off, with the Bonnies holding a 6-3 series lead. The most recent matchup took place on Jan. 9 of this year resulting in a 68-53 victory for the Patriots at home.
While the Mason did win the most recent matchup, the Patriots have lost 5 of the last 6 matchups against the Bonnies. They’ll have to beat the odds again if they want to win today.
The Bona ’s have been playing ok as of late, not great. They’ve split their last two games going 2-2 winning 2 games against Duquesne and Saint Joe’s; losing to VCU and Davidson. They currently rank 7th in the A10; 2.5 games back from Mason in the standings.
Breaking Down St. Bonaventure
While the Bonnies hold a 3-1 lead at the Reilly Center over Mason, they are currently on a three-game losing streak at home and 5-5 overall at home this season.
Notable Players from the last matchup:
Senior Courtney Stockard leads the team in scoring in conference play with 16.2 points per game. He is also shooting 37 percent from the field and is recording 7.5 rebounds per game (again, in conference play). Don’t let him out of your sights, he’s lethal.
Freshman Kyle Lofton checks in at the two spot in conference scoring for SBU with an average of 14.6 points per game. He is shooting better than Stockard from the field, reaching 43 percent.
Osun Osunniyi is next up with some good stats; notably his rebounding ratio. He’s grabbing 7.8 rebounds per game in conference play (leads team), but has 37 offensive rebounds and 49 defensive rebounds (very balanced, I love it).
Breaking Down George Mason
After defeating the Bonnie’s at home earlier in the season, 68-53, Mason will look to break their record for most wins in A10 play (record is 9).
Important contest today for George Mason (15-10, 9-3) at St. Bonaventure (10-14, 6-5). Patriots have not won in Olean since 2004, but a win today gives Mason their most A-10 wins in a season and keeps them two games to the good for a double bye.
— Tyler Byrum (@theTylerByrum) February 17, 2019
As I talk about it on my postgame podcast with Tyler Byrum, I thought that Mason would finish the season with 13 conference wins putting them squarely in the position for a double bye. We’ll see if the Patriots can keep a straight course.
In the last time out, Jarred Reuter struggled to get going around UMass’s centers, hopefully, he can step up in this game against the Bonnies.
Javon Greene has played great as of late, in the last two games, he’s averaging 19.0 points and shooting 64.7 percent from the field.
Otis Livingston led the team in the last one with 21 points, going 5-11 from the floor, 5 assists, and had 3 steals. Hopefully, he can continue this type of production throughout the rest of the season.
If you haven’t checked out the new episode of the RYAN & DOMCAST, you’re missing out!
It’s their best episode yet! https://t.co/awdMqYFBsp
— By George. (@ByGeorgeGMU) February 16, 2019
Participants gets a free @GMUGiantKiller koozie!#sneakpeak pic.twitter.com/3ib9Y0XaWc
— By George. (@ByGeorgeGMU) February 17, 2019
My Prediction: A Mason “W“
