Spread for Fordham Game

[nyc02]

We are favored by 4.5 as of tonight. Off the NYPost.com website.

Can we please blow out the Rams at Rose Hill and head home and do the same to the Dukes.

Go Bonas!

[Cassian]

I was expecting the line to be Bonnies favored by 8. While no one can predict, my sense is the Bonnies win by 9-11 points and cover in the last five minutes of the game.

[njbona02]

I cannot wait for this game. The last game I went to was at Miss St. and I got so fired up for it. I figure we lead early the Rams make a run and then we finish it out.

[oldirtdogg]

just saw spread lowered to 3.5 point favorites.

[Copenhagen]

St. Bonaventure (9-4) at Fordham (2-10)



The Sports Network

DATE & TIME: Wednesday, January 7th, 7:00 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: Rose Hill Gym (3,470) -- Bronx, New York. Television: None. Home Record: St. Bonaventure 4-2, Fordham 2-5. Away Record: St. Bonaventure 5-0, Fordham 0-4. Neutral Record: St. Bonaventure 0-2, Fordham 0-1. Conference Record: St. Bonaventure 0-0, Fordham 0-0. Series Record: Fordham leads, 15-11.

GAME NOTES: St. Bonaventure tries to remain perfect in true road games as the Bonnies hit the floor at Rose Hill Gym in the Bronx tonight to face the Fordham Rams in the Atlantic 10 Conference opener for both schools. The Bonnies, who are closing out a three-game road trip tonight, have won all five bouts on the floor of opponents thus far in 2008-09. On Saturday, the team defeated Central Arkansas by a final of 68-58 giving it back-to-back victories and six in the last seven games overall. As for the Rams, they have a total of just two wins in 12 tries so far this season, those coming against Lafayette and New Hampshire. More recently, the team bowed at Bowling Green on Saturday in a 65-59 final, marking the third consecutive loss and the fourth in as many tries on the road this year. Fordham leads the all-time series with the Bonnies by a count of 15-11, thanks to a 9-3 edge at home. The Rams posted a 69-62 win in the most recent meeting in March of last year.

Jonathan Hall and Ray Blackburn both tallied 14 points for the Bonnies as they picked up the win against Central Arkansas over the weekend at the Farris Center. Hall, who shot 5-of-8 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 at the free- throw line, cleared 10 rebounds to help provide the visitors with a 48-31 edge on the glass in order to offset 19 turnovers. The Bonnies held the home team to just 33.3 percent shooting from the field, 8-of-22 beyond the arc and watched the team convert just 12-of-22 at the charity stripe as well. Hall is no stranger to strong scoring efforts now that he leads the team with his 14.1 ppg. First on the unit with 6.2 rpg and 22 steals, Hall is second with 39 assists. Andrew Nicholson accounts for 12.3 ppg and is one of the nation's top shot blockers with 46 through 13 games. A 60.4 percent shooter from the floor, Nicholson could stand some practice at the free-throw line (.640) and in the passing department (five assists).

Ahead by three points at the break versus Bowling Green in the most recent game, the Rams fell apart in the second half as they made just nine field goals and converted 1-of-8 beyond the arc in what became a six-point setback. Jio Fontan accounted for a team-best 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, followed by Chris Bethel who chipped in 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench. Jacob Green tacked on 10 points and three of the group's four blocked shots. Fordham has had a difficult time finding the right combination of players for the starting lineup and not a single one of them has started all 12 games for the team as a result. Fontan has done so in all but one, which has allowed him to generate a team-high 13.4 ppg, even though he's shooting just 22.2 percent beyond the arc. Mike Moore (11.4 ppg) and Bethel (11.1 ppg), when combined with Fontan, represent more than half of the squad's 61.7 ppg on the season.

Without any sense of consistency to this point, the Rams are still figuring out who they are and that won't help them put up much of a fight against the Bonnies tonight.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: St. Bonaventure 63, Fordham 55


01/07 10:23:51 ET
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