This Week in Rattlers Basketball
at Regis • Friday, November 8 • 8:30 p.m. (CT)/7:30 p.m. (MT)
at Colorado School of Mines • Saturday, November 9 • 8 p.m. (CT)/7 p.m. (MT)
New Look Rattlers: St. Mary's Men's Basketball kicks off season No. 92 on Friday at Regis, followed by a match-up at Colorado School of Mines on Saturday. This is the ninth time in the last 10 years the Rattlers have begun the year against the two RMAC foes, with the lone exception being 2020-21 during the pandemic.
History with Regis: This will be the fourth time in school history, and the second straight year the Rattlers have opened the season against Regis. The Rangers hold a 6-2 advantage in the previous eight meetings, but the Rattlers won 81-78 last season in San Antonio. St. Mary's is searching for its first win at Regis Field House in its third try.
History with Colorado School of Mines: The Orediggers hold a 6-3 advantage in the all-time series that started in the NCAA Regional Tournament in 2014. The Rattlers won an 85-84 overtime thriller in the teams last meeting in Golden, back in 2019. The Rattlers scored the first six points of the overtime frame and Caleb Jordan nailed a pair of free throws with less than 10 seconds to play to secure the victory. It is the only win in Golden, as Colorado School of Mines won the first two meetings.
Lach-ing It In: Senior Lachlan Bofinger led the Lone Star Conference and ranked seventh nationally in double-doubles a year ago and looks to pick up where he left off. The Australian forward tallied 14 double-doubles in 2023-24. Bofinger also ranked second in the LSC in rebounds per game (8.8) and led the league in offensive rebounds (3.46). His 14 games with 10 or more points and rebounds ranks second in school history behind the 19 by Kevin Kotzur in 2012-13.
Season Openers: St. Mary's is 49-42 all-time in season openers with an 11-20 record on the road. This is the fourth time St. Mary's has started the year against Regis, which ties for the seventh-most in a season opener. The Rattlers have played Texas State eight times, Schreiner seven, Texas A&M-Kingsville six, Angelo State, Colorado School of Mines and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi five times, and St. Thomas four times.
Double Trouble: The Rattlers return three letterwinners off last season's team in forwards Franklin Agu and Lachlan Bofinger and guard Diego Gonzalez. In 2023-24, Agu and Bofinger became the 15th pair to record double-doubles in the same game as they did so against Texas A&M International on Feb. 1. They are the first pair to accomplish the feat twice as Agu had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Bofinger had 15 points and 11 rebounds in the 82-80 win over St. Edward's on Feb. 27 in the final home game of the year.
Crashing the Boards: In his first season with the Rattlers last year, forward Lachlan Bofinger grabbed 247 rebounds, the 16th highest total in St. Mary's history and the third-highest since joining the Division II ranks. His 8.82 rebounds per game also ranks 17th on the single season charts, and is second in the DII era, trailing only Kevin Kotzur's average of 10.42 from 2012-13.
Preseason Poll: With a largely unknown roster, the St. Mary's Men's Basketball team was predicted to finish 12th in the 16-team Lone Star Conference by the league's head coaches, media, and sports information staffs. NCAA Division II semifinalist West Texas A&M, winners of 10 LSC championships, has been chosen to win the Lone Star in 2024-25.
Stop, Thief: Senior Diego Gonzalez amassed 43 steals a season ago, tying for the 13th-most in St. Mary's single season history. Gonzalez tied Ian Ward (1995-96), who reached the total in three more games than Gonzalez. Four times last year he recorded three or more steals in a game, including seven in only 15 minutes of play against UAFS (Jan. 18).
A Quick Look at the Schedule: With 16 teams in the Lone Star Conference, the league will 22-game schedule, where teams play each team in their division twice and the teams in the other division once. The Rattlers are in the East Division with Cameron, DBU, Oklahoma Christian, St. Edward's, Texas A&M International, Texas A&M-Kingsville, and UT Tyler. The top eight teams will qualify for the LSC Tournament, happening March 5-8 in Frisco, Texas. Division winners will automatically qualify for the tournament but are not guaranteed a top two seed.
Welcome to the Rattlers: In his second year as head coach, Bubba Meyer has added 10 newcomers to the roster for 2024-25. He brought in four junior college players (Eman Lawal, Eddie McPhee, Malcolm Steadman, Wayne Wiggins), three Division I transfers (Damani Claxton, Sebastian Mendoza, Josh Reid) and three freshmen (Can Alpacar, Lawyer Jones, Isayah Pankey).
Hitting the Triple: St. Mary's has made at least one three-pointer in 190 consecutive games, dating back to Jan. 14, 2017. In 2023-24, the Rattlers averaged 6.9 three-pointers per game.
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