George Washington University Athletics
Men's Basketball Renews Revolutionary Rivalry at George Mason
1/23/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| George Washington (10-9, 2-4 A-10) vs. George Mason (13-6, 3-3 A-10) | |
| Date, Time | Wednesday, January 25 | 7 p.m. ET |
| Location | EagleBank Arena | Fairfax, Va. |
| Coverage | ASN, CSN+ (Where to Watch) | AM 1500, TuneIn |
| Additional Information | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Notes |
TIPPING OFF: After a bye week from conference play, the GW men's basketball team renews the Revolutionary Rivalry with George Mason on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Fairfax. The Colonials have won six straight in the series, including a 76-70 win at EagleBank Arena last season and a 74-52 win at home.
LAST TIME OUT: GW came away with a 65-63 win over Duquesne in the Smith Center last Wednesday as Yuta Watanabe scored a game-high 15 points and Jaren Sina added 14, including a clutch, late three-pointer to help hold off the Dukes. The Colonials led by as many as 16 before Duquesne rallied to tie it 56-56 with 4:24 to play, but Watanabe answered with a three to give GW the lead back for good. Sina then followed with his three with :36 seconds left and a pair of free throws with :11 seconds left to seal the victory.
ABOUT GEORGE MASON: The Patriots are 13-6 overall and 3-3 in A-10 play after an 82-77 win on Sunday at Richmond, which had come into the matchup with a 5-1 league record that had it tied atop the league standings. Senior guard Marquise Moore is fifth in the conference in scoring (18.4 ppg) and ranks as the top rebounding guard in the nation with his 10.9 boards per game. He also leads the league with 12 double-doubles and is coming off a 25 & 13 performance in the win over the Spiders.
SERIES HISTORY: GW has won each of the six meetings since the Patriots joined the Atlantic 10, and holds a 16-2 advantage in the history of the series. Mason's last win came on Dec. 1, 2010, in EagleBank Arena.
THREE POINT BARRAGE: GW has hit double-digit threes in each of the last two games, connecting on 10-of-24 (.417) at La Salle and 11-of-25 (.421) vs. Duquesne. The Colonials have knocked down at least 10 threes in seven games this year. In conference play, GW leads the league with 9.0 3PT FG made/game and ranks second in 3PT FG% at .403.
HELPING HAND: Over the last 10 games GW has averaged 15.0 assists per game, after averaging just 11.0 assists over the first nine games of the year.
COMING THROUGH IN CRUNCH TIME: GW is 7-1 in games decided by five points or less, and has won two with a bucket in the final 10 seconds. In addition to Cavanaugh's game-winner with 8.2 seconds left at Temple, Collin Smith erased a two-point deficit with a three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left that gave the Colonials a 68-67 win over USF on Dec. 3. Most recently, GW took a 65-63 win over Duquesne. The lone loss came at Saint Joseph's (68-63).
REVOLUTIONARY RIVALRY: Up for grabs in the game will be a point in the Revolutionary Rivalry, the year-long competition between the neighboring schools that culminates in the awarding of the Tri-Corner Hat Trophy. The competition began when Mason joined the conference in 2013, with GW winning the first season before a tie in 2014-15. The Colonials won last year's competition, 15.5-3.5, and hold a 5-2 lead this season.
NOTABLE: Wednesday's game pits the top two rebounding teams in the A-10, with Mason holding a plus-7.0 rebounding margin to plus-6.3 for GW ... Jair Bolden became the third freshman to start a game this season when he earned the nod vs. Duquesne ... Bolden had five points against the Dukes after totaling 28 in the previous two games ... Watanabe has scored in double figures in six of the last seven games after returning from a calf injury, and is averaging 14.8 points over the last five ... Cavanaugh is one of three A-10 players with at least six double-doubles and six 20-point games. The graduate student has six double-doubles and six 20-point performances; Moore of George Mason has 12 double-doubles and nine 20-point games; while T.J. Cline of Richmond has seven double-doubles and seven 20-point games.
