Campus Watch

---NASHVILLE, Tenn. -One of the main attractions to St. Bonaventure for guard Matthew Wright, in addition being close to his home in Toronto, was the presence of Andrew Nicholson.

Guards like to play with talented big men – they free up space to shoot, make them look better on assists, clog up the middle when they get beaten defensively, etc. – and Nicholson forced NBA scouts to come to Olean to watch practice, giving his teammates exposure as well.

“As a guard, you want to affiliate yourself with a good big man and me knowing that he’s getting a lot of looks by NBA team, he draws the NBA scouts to practice,’’ Wright said. “If you practice well, they also see you.’’

Point guard Charlon Kloof said it was one of the greatest moments when coach Mark Schmidt informed the team that scouts were in attendance.

“At first you’re nervous, but then that’s why I like my seniors that much and my coaches so they’ll walk you through it,’’ Kloof said. “Once you’re comfortable, then it’s over but it’s a great experience.’’

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)

St. Bonaventure 69, Duquesne 48

How Bona Won: By attacking the glass. The Bonnies outrebounded the Dukes, 48-26, and pulled down 21 offensive rebounds, which they turned into 22 points. They also locked things down defensively in the second half, limiting the Dukes to just 28 percent shooting (7 of 25) after halftime. It helped that they took better care of the ball, too. Bona made just five turnovers in the second half.

Player of the Game: Bona star Andrew Nicholson. His 21-point, 23-rebound performance is the first time since Dec. 22, 1967 that a player has put up a 20-20. The last to do it? Bob Lanier, who had 34 points and 27 rebounds against Loyola (Md.). Lanier is the only player in Bonnies history to have more than 23 rebounds in a game (his most was 27). Nicholson passed Fred Crawford to move into fifth on the Bonnies' career rebounding list with 790.

Play of the Game: Demitrius Conger finished off a baseline drive to the basket with a violent, two-handed dunk that gave Bona a 35-23 lead with 3:41 left in the first half and sent the Reilly Center fans into a frenzy.

Unsung Hero: Chris Johnson came off the bench to score 12 of his 15 points in the first half, sparking a Bona team that had fallen behind, 7-2, just two minutes in.

Stat of the Game: Bona's 21 offensive rebounds were a season high and the most they've come down with since finishing with 24 against Canisius on Nov. 29, 2008.

Home Cooking: Bona improved to 9-1 in the Reilly Center and 5-0 against league opponents. They've beaten their A-10 counterparts by an average of 19.6 points per game in those wins. Perhaps that's why coach Mark Schmidt said in his postgame press conference that he wished his team could play 29 home games.

He Said It: "Probably in my dreams," Nicholson, when asked the last time he had a 20-rebound game.

He Said It II: "We dominated physically. We were bigger and stronger and we needed to take advantage of it."

In the House: 4,505 including students dressed as a hot dog, a lucha libre and Superman.

What It Means: The Bonnies moved into fifth place in the A-10 with a 6-4 league record, a game out of the coveted top four. Those teams receive automatic byes into the A-10 Tournament quarterfinals in Atlantic City, N.J.

Next Up: The biggest game of the season against Temple, at 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Reilly Center. The game will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network. Win it, and a top-four finish starts to look very promising for the Bonnies.

---Jay Skurski

http://twitter.com/jayskurski

Fairfield 79, Niagara 75

How Fairfield won: By staying calm under pressure. Niagara three times cut its deficit to two points in the second half, but each time the Stags scored the next points to ensure there would be no tie. Fairfield got a huge lift off the bench from Sean Crawford, who entered averaging just 1.6 points per game and finished with a team-high 19. He knocked down two free throws with five seconds left to seal the win.

Turning point: Niagara was doomed by a seven-minute dry spell in the second half. After a long jumper by freshman Juan'ya Green pulled Niagara within three, 60-57, with 8:38 left, the Purple Eagles didn’t score from the field again until a three-pointer by Green with 1:38 to play. By that time, the Stags had rebuilt a double-digit lead, thanks to an 11-1 run.

Player of the game: Easy, even in defeat. Green. He set a freshman record with 35 points, 24 of which came after halftime. He shook off three turnovers in the first half and should be able to build off this performance.

Stat of the game: Fairfield got 27 bench points to Niagara's six.

What it means: Sure, starting 0-1 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference isn't what the Purple Eagles wanted. But they definitely learned they can play with the top teams in the league (Fairfield was picked to finish second in the league's preseason poll). It's up to them now to build on the positives.

They said it: "I wasn’t sure if all the guys believed in themselves, because why should they? They haven’t done anything yet. They’re freshmen. It’s new to them. You’ve got to do some things so you can get some confidence. Now, I think we believe in ourselves." -- Niagara coach Joe Mihalich

In the house: A mediocre crowd of 1,520.

Next up:The Purple Eagles stay home to meet the preseason No. 1 team in the MAAC, Iona, at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Gallagher Center.

---Jay Skurski

http://twitter.com/jayskurski

---Phil Valenti, a 6-7 senior forward from Aquinas High School in Rochester, has given a verbal commitment to attend Canisius College, according to a source.

Valenti averaged 17 points, 11 rebounds and four assists while helping Aquinas (23-2) reach the Class A state semifinals last season. Valenti was also offered scholarships to Boston University, Hofstra and Central Connecticut State.

Canisius had a scholarship available when incoming freshman Jose Agosto didn’t qualify academically. The 6-5, 215-pound Agosto signed with Canisius last spring.

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)