George Washington University Athletics
Men's Basketball Hosts UMass on Thursday
2/21/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| George Washington (14-13, 6-8 A-10) vs. Massachusetts (13-14, 3-11 A-10) | |
| Date, Time | Thursday, February 23 | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | Charles E. Smith Center | Washington, DC |
| Coverage | ASN, CSN | Where to Watch | AM 1500, TuneIn, WFED.com |
| Additional Information | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Notes |
TIPPING OFF: Coming off a 77-70 road win at Duquesne last Sunday, the GW men's basketball team is set to play three of its final four regular season games at home starting Thursday when UMass visits the Smith Center. The game will be televised nationally by ASN and can be seen in the Washington, DC area on CSN.
LAST TIME OUT: The Colonials gutted out a 77-70 win at Duquesne as four players hit double-figure scoring led by Tyler Cavanaugh's 19. GW connected on 12-of-26 (.462) three-pointers and 19-of-22 (.864) at the line to secure the win, while holding the Dukes to .417 shooting.
ABOUT UMASS: The Minutemen enter Thursday's game with a 13-14 record, including 3-11 in the A-10, after dropping two straight and seven of their last eight. Donte Clark paces the team in scoring with 14.3 points per game while UMass ranks second in the league in field goal percentage defense (.406), steals (8.0/game) and blocks (5.3/game).
SERIES HISTORY: GW leads the all-time series, 39-29, including a 21-9 advantage at home. The Colonials have won three straight including an 81-70 win in Amherst last season.
BOMBS AWAY: For the seventh time in conference play, and 10th this season, GW knocked down double-digit three-pointers when it hit 12-of-26 (.462) at Duquesne which is one shy of a season high (13 vs. Howard). The Colonials have been the best three-point shooting team in the conference during league play, connecting at a .393 clip, while their 8.5 three-pointers per game also ranks first. Bolden is shooting .410 during conference games, Jaren Sina is shooting .406 and Jordan Roland .405, while Cavanaugh is just below 40 percent at .394.
TURNING UP THE D: The Colonials have held their opponent under 42 percent shooting in four straight games, and seven of the last nine, having fine-tuned the defense after achieving that feat seven times in the season's first 18 games. Additionally, when comparing the first six games of the conference season to the last eight, GW has made significant jumps in scoring defense (73.5 to 69.6), field goal percentage defense (.490 to .429) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.398 to .326).
FRESHMEN PRODUCTION: GW has received significant contributions from its freshmen all season. Point guard Jair Bolden has come on late in the season, starting the last nine games. Last week he scored 15 points at Davidson and at Duquesne, had 11 points, five assists and no turnovers. Collin Smith leads the Colonials' newcomers with six double-figure scoring games, while Bolden has five and Arnaldo Toro has two. Those three have combined for 42 starts this season (Toro 17, Smith 16, Bolden 9).
NOTABLE: 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 17 double-doubles and 10 20-point games, while T.J. Cline of Richmond has 10 double-doubles and 12 20-point games ... GW is averaging 14.1 apg over the last 18 games after averaging 11.0 over the first nine ... the Colonials are second in the conference in rebounding margin (+5.4) ... the Colonials have made more free throws than the opponent has attempted 12 times this season and rank fourth in the A-10 in free throw percentage (.747) and third in conference games (.766).
