George Washington University Athletics
Men's Basketball Starts Road Swing at Davidson
2/14/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| George Washington (13-12, 5-7 A-10) at Davidson (12-11, 5-7 A-10) | |
| Date, Time | Wednesday, February 15 | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | John M. Belk Arena | Davidson, NC |
| Coverage | ASN, CSN | Stream | Where to Watch | AM 1500, TuneIn, WFED.com |
| Additional Information | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Notes |
TIPPING OFF: The GW men's basketball team sets out for a two-game road trip this week as it visits the Davidson Wildcats on Wednesday at 7pm in a game that will be televised nationally by ASN. In the Washington, DC, area, the game can be seen on CSN. For complete listings, click here.
LAST TIME OUT: Tyler Cavanaugh and Jaren Sina set career highs in scoring with 33 and 22, respectively, and GW held St. Bonaventure to .377 shooting in a 76-70 victory on Saturday in the Smith Center.
ABOUT DAVIDSON: The Wildcats are 12-11 and tied with GW in the conference standings at 5-7 in league play after three straight losses at the hands of Rhode Island, George Mason and VCU. Jack Gibbs averages 21.2 points per game and Peyton Aldridge is just behind at 20.4 points, marks that rank second and third in the A-10.
SERIES HISTORY: GW leads the all-time series, 12-10, after dispatching the Wildcats 73-69 in the Smith Center on January 5. Four Colonials scored in double figures, led by Cavanaugh's 20, as GW shot .491 from the field and limited Davidson to .391 shooting.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cavanaugh was named A-10 Co-Player of the Week after he put on a pair of career-best performances while averaging 23.0 points and 13.5 rebounds as GW split games with VCU and St. Bonaventure last week. Against the Rams, he matched a career-high with 17 rebounds, snagging 11 on the defensive end and six on the offensive glass, while double-doubling with 13 points. He also added three steals and an assist without a turnover in 34 minutes. Then, against St. Bonaventure, Cavanaugh willed GW to a 76-70 victory by pouring in a career-high 33 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field, including 2-of-3 three-pointers. He did much of his work at the free throw line, knocking down a career-high 13-of-14 from the charity stripe, and again double-doubled with 10 boards, marking his third straight double-double effort.
MR. CONSISTENT: Cavanaugh has scored in double figures in eight straight games and 61 of 63 in his career as a Colonial. GW's leading scorer and rebounder has elevated his play to new heights over the last six games, averaging 21.3 points and 9.1 boards in that stretch.
SWISHES FROM SINA: For the third time this season, Sina matched a career high by knocking down five threes while tallying 22 points against St. Bonaventure. The redshirt junior hit 5-of-8 in the game, and for the season is shooting .398 from long range which ranks eighth in the league.
TURNING UP THE D: GW has made immense improvement on the defensive end as of late, holding its last two opponents under 40 percent shooting, with VCU hitting just .358 and scoring 54 points, and St. Bonaventure hitting .377 to score 70 points. When comparing the first six games of the conference season to the last six, GW has made significant jumps in scoring defense (73.5 to 68.8), field goal percentage defense (.490 to .435) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.398 to .317).
DYNAMIC DUO: For the second straight game, GW will face one of the top scoring duos in the nation as Davidson's Jack Gibbs and Peyton Aldridge combine for 41.6 points per game. St. Bonaventure's Jaylen Adams and Matt Mobley tally 40.6 points per game together, but the Colonials put together a strong defensive effort that yielded just 25 points on a combined 3-for-21 shooting. In the first meeting with Davidson, Alrdidge had 20 but Gibbs was limited to 16 on 7-of-19 shooting.
NOTABLE: Three freshmen have combined for 39 starts this season: Collin Smith (16), Arnaldo Toro (16) and Jair Bolden (7) ... Cavanaugh is one of three A-10 players with at least 10 20-point games and nine double-doubles. Marquise Moore of George Mason has 15 double-doubles and nine 20-point games, while T.J. Cline of Richmond has 10 double-doubles and 11 20-point games ... GW is averaging 14.0 apg over the last 16 games after averaging 11.0 over the first nine ... Jordan Roland ranks third in the A-10 in three point shooting (.418) ... the Colonials are second in the conference in rebounding margin (+5.6) ... in conference games, GW is shooting .392 from three-point range, which ranks second.
