George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
Princeton
Men's Basketball Visits Princeton on Saturday
11/30/2018 11:42:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Colonials and Tigers are set for a 4 p.m. tip
TIPPING OFF: The calendar flips to December for the GW men's basketball team as it looks to put a difficult November in the rear-view mirror. Four of GW's six games in the next month are at home, but the Colonials start the stretch on the road as they head to Princeton for just the second time in program history. The other was nearly a century ago on Jan. 6, 1926, when the Tigers took a 36-17 win.
LAST TIME OUT: For 30 minutes of play GW and Vermont were deadlocked, as the teams headed into the closing 10 minutes knotted at 48-48, but the Catamounts used an 18-0 run to effectively put the game away en route to a 69-53 win on Wednesday night in Smith Center. Arnaldo Toro was again a monster down low, recording his second straight double-double with a team-high 14 points and 11 boards. He led an interior effort that out-rebounded the Catamounts, 34-33, and held a 26-18 advantage in the paint. Additionally, the Colonials used 15 offensive rebounds to secure a 19-7 edge in second chance points. Justin Mazzulla added 10 points and six rebounds in 36 minutes of play.
ABOUT PRINCETON: The Tigers are coming off back-to-back road wins at Monmouth and Maine to improve to 3-2 on the year. After missing the first two games of the season with an injury, senior Devin Cannady has averaged 23.3 points per game on 58.3 percent shooting from three-point range. He had 28 in the win over Maine on Wednesday thanks to a 5-of-8 effort from distance as the Tigers connected on 11 triples as a team.
SERIES HISTORY: GW took a 72-63 win last season in Smith Center to take a 3-2 advantage in the series history, which dates back to the aforementioned meeting in 1926. The Tigers got their other win in the first round of the 1961 NCAA Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Preceding last year's game, the Colonials claimed victories on Dec. 3, 2001 at the BB&T Classic and at home on Nov. 24, 2009.
DJ's DEBUT: In his debut season donning the Buff & Blue, redshirt junior DJ Williams is GW's leading scorer with 12.8 points per game. The Chicago native is hitting his stride as he's reached double figures in four of the last five games, including a career-high 17 at No. 5 Virginia on Nov. 11. He was also named to the All-Tournament team at the Air Force Reserve Tip-Off Tournament when he averaged 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in games against No. 18 Michigan and South Carolina. Williams spent his first two collegiate seasons at Illinois, where in 46 career games his career-high in scoring was nine points. He looks to be the latest in a line of impact transfers who reinvigorated their careers with the Colonials, joining the likes of Tyler Cavanaugh and Patrick Steeves, most recently.
"AT" IT AGAIN: Junior forward Arnaldo Toro has been a consistent force for GW on both ends of the floor, registering 10.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while also leading the squad in steals (10) and blocks (6). The Puerto Rico native ranks second in the A-10 in rebounding (9.3/game), defensive rebounding (6.3/game) and offensive rebounding (3.0/game). He has three double-doubles (vs. Stony Brook, Manhattan, Vermont), has led the team in rebounding in six of seven games, and has accounted for 28 percent of GW's rebounds for the season.
