GAME NOTES: Coach Mark Schmidt will take aim at his 200th career win as his St. Bonaventure Bonnies host the La Salle Explorers in an Atlantic 10 Conference matchup at the Reilly Center on Saturday.

The Bonnies had a three-game winning streak come to an end on Sunday when they were defeated, 53-48, at Rhode Island, despite the Rams playing without their leading scorer, E.C. Matthews. SBU will now look to bounce back as it returns home to the Reilly Center, where it has gone 5-3 in the 2014-15 campaign. The Bonnies are posting just under 70 points per game and holding their opposition to an average of 65.4 points. Schmidt's squad is ranked second in the 14-team A-10 in steals with 7.1 per outing.

La Salle improved to 11-9 on the campaign on Tuesday with a 53-48 victory over its Philadelphia rival Saint Joseph's. The Explorers trailed the Hawks by as many as 15 points late in the first half before rallying back for the win. Coach John Giannini's team went 4-0 in true road tests before entering A-10 play, but it has lost all three of its away games since entering league play. La Salle is ranked fifth in the conference in scoring defense with an allowance of 61.0 ppg, but its average of 62.6 points per game is just the 11th best in the A-10.

This will be the 29th meeting in history between these schools on the hardwood. La Salle is 15-13 versus the Bonnies despite losing two out of three meetings in 2013-14.

Junior forward Dion Wright spearheaded the charge for SBU against Rhode Island with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while senior center Youssou Ndoye grabbed a team-best 11 boards. The Bonnies were held to 35.3 percent efficiency from the field, including a 1-of-6 clip from beyond the arc. Marcus Posley, who is the leading scorer in the A-10 at 17.8 ppg, finished 3-of-12 from the floor for only six points. Posley has exhibited the ability to take over games with nine 20-plus point outings, which also leads the conference. Ndoye is second in the A-10 both on the glass (11.0 rpg) and in blocked shots (2.9 per game). Ndoye has netted 17.2 ppg on 19-of-30 shooting from the floor over his last four games.

The Explorers' frontcourt tandem of Jerrell Wright and Steve Zack has given them an edge on the interior in most of their outings this season. Wright registered a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds in La Salle's win over SJU on Tuesday. Cleon Roberts chipped in 14 points, while Zack pulled down 12 boards. The 6-foot-8 Wright is second on the team in both scoring (11.8 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg) and Zack is pacing the team on the glass with 8.5 rpg. Jordan Price has been the Explorers' most consistent offensive threat en route to a team-high average of 15.8 points and a team-best total of 49 assists. Price has been in a slump as of late, hitting on just 5-of-24 field goal tries with five turnovers against three assists over his last two games.

These teams have a very similar makeup, but the Bonnies are just slightly better and have the homecourt advantage in their favor. Freshman floor general Jay Adams has been a big factor for SBU, tallying 39 assists with just 10 turnovers in the Bonnies' seven A-10 games. The Explorers need Price to play at an elite level to stand a chance, otherwise La Salle's offense will struggle to produce.