George Washington University Athletics
Men's Basketball Travels to Duquesne on Sunday
2/17/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| George Washington (13-13, 5-8 A-10) at Duquesne (10-16, 3-10 A-10) | |
| Date, Time | Sunday, February 19 | 12:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | Palumbo Center | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Coverage | NBCSN | AM 1500, TuneIn, WFED.com |
| Additional Information | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Notes |
TIPPING OFF: The GW men's basketball team closes a two-game road trip as it travels to Pittsburgh to face Duquesne on Sunday at noon on NBC Sports Network.
LAST TIME OUT: Jair Bolden and Tyler Cavanaugh led GW with 15 points apiece but the Davidson duo of Peyton Aldridge and Jack Gibbs combined for 48 points to lead the Wildcats to a 74-63 win in Davidson on Wednesday evening.
ABOUT DUQUESNE: The Dukes snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 96-66 home win over Massachusetts on Wednesday night, moving their record to 10-16 overall and 3-10 in Atlantic 10 play. A pair of guards lead the way in scoring with Mike Lewis II averaging 13.8 points per game and Emile Blackman scoring 12.1, while three-time A-10 Rookie of the Week forward Isiaha Mike chips in 10.9.
SERIES HISTORY: GW leads the all-time series 50-28, having won four in a row and eight of the last nine, including a 65-63 victory earlier this season in the Smith Center. In that game, Yuta Watanabe led GW with 15 points and the Colonials led throughout while holding off a late rally from the Dukes.
FRESHMEN PRODUCTION: For the fourth time this season, Bolden reached double figures in scoring with his 15 points at Davidson, which is one shy of his career high (16 at La Salle). The freshman also scored 12 and 13 in GW's two games vs. VCU. Collin Smith leads the Colonials' newcomers with six double-figure scoring games, while Arnaldo Toro has two. Those three have combined for 41 starts this season (Toro 17, Smith 16, Bolden 8).
NOTABLE: Cavanaugh is one of three A-10 players with at least ten 20-point games and nine double-doubles. Marquise Moore of George Mason has 16 double-doubles and ten 20-point games, while T.J. Cline of Richmond has ten double-doubles and twelve 20-point games ... GW is averaging 14.0 apg over the last 17 games after averaging 11.0 over the first nine ... Jordan Roland ranks fifth in the A-10 in three point shooting (.413) ... the Colonials are second in the conference in rebounding margin (+5.5) ... in conference games, GW is shooting .386 from three-point range, which ranks second, and averaging 4.2 blocks which is third.
TURNING UP THE D: GW has made immense improvement on the defensive end as of late, holding two of its last three 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 seven, GW has made significant jumps in scoring defense (73.5 to 69.6), field goal percentage defense (.490 to .431) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.398 to .328).
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cavanaugh was named A-10 Co-Player of the Week on Monday 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, while double-doubling with 13 points. 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 nine straight games and 62 of 64 in his career as a Colonial. GW's leading scorer and rebounder has elevated his play to new heights over the last seven games, averaging 20.4 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 a career-best 22 points against St. Bonaventure. The redshirt junior hit 5-of-8 in the game, and for the season is shooting .392 from long range which ranks 12th in the league.
