Bonnies Expect Large Following in Rochester's Blue Cross Arena
St. Bonaventure returns to Rochester for the 18th time this Saturday when they battle Big Four rival Niagara at the Blue Cross Arena.
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The Bonnies have struggled in Rochester, going just 6-11 in their 17 trips. However, they do consider the Blue Cross Arena to be Reilly Center North as they look forward to their large alumni base filling the 13,000 seat venue with a slew of brown and white.
"Even though you are at a different place, you still hear all the Bonnies fans. You feel the love and appreciation they have. It is wonderful and I see it as a home game," said Bonnies guard Charlon Kloof.
While technically a neutral site game, St. Bonaventure appreciates this chance to play in front of some of their fans who otherwise may not see them.
"We get great support. It gets us away from home a bit and a neutral site. You know Niagara will have some fans. It should be a good game and an exciting game. Every year we have been up there, it has been terrific," said Bonnies head coach Mark Schmidt.
The Bonnies have a week to prepare for their return to Rochester, where they will look to snap a six-game losing streak at the Blue Cross Arena. They're also looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season.
"We didn't like how our last game went and we want to get back on the right track. So we need to take advantage of what we did wrong against Canisius and correct them versus Niagara," said Bonnies forward Michael Davenport.
St. Bonaventure and Niagara will tip-off at 4 p.m. Saturday.