George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
Harvard
Men’s Basketball Heads to Harvard
12/20/2018 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Colonials play their final non-conference road game Saturday at 2 p.m.
TIPPING OFF: After winning two of three games in a homestand that stretched over three weeks and included time off for final exams, the GW men's basketball team is set to take on Harvard in its final non-conference road tilt on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Cambridge, Mass.
LAST TIME OUT: Terry Nolan Jr., DJ Williams and Justin Mazzulla paved the way for GW in a 70-64 win over Howard last Friday. Nolan did it on both ends of the floor, limiting Howard leading scorer RJ Cole to 15 points on 4-of-19 shooting after he came in averaging 20.8 ppg, while contributing 17 points and nine rebounds to GW's cause. He connected on four three-pointers, including one with :11 seconds remaining that sealed the win. Meanwhile, Williams had 18 points and eight rebounds, and Mazzulla chipped in 14 points.
AGAINST THE IVY: GW is facing an Ivy League team for the second time this season, having fallen to Princeton in its last road game back on Dec. 1. That marked the Colonials' first loss to an Ivy team under head coach Maurice Joseph, who had gone 3-0 prior to that (two wins over Harvard, one over Princeton).
SOPHOMORE FOUR: GW's entire sophomore class has been in the starting lineup for the last three games, and showed flashes of brilliance. Maceo Jack had a career-high 23 points vs. Valparaiso, as he connected on 8-of-11 shots including 4-of-5 from three. Nolan set his career-high with 24 points in the win over Towson, and is averaging 19.0 points in the last three games. From his point guard position, Mazzulla has helped GW average 72.3 points in that stretch after the Colonials averaged 60.4 points in the first eight games of the season. Langarica, meanwhile, came into the starting lineup for the first time in his career and while he's coming off a scoreless outing vs. Howard, he'd averaged 8.5 points in the previous two.
ABOUT HARVARD: The Crimson come in with a 4-5 record and have been on an extended break for final exams, as their last game was a 71-65 loss at Vermont on Dec. 8. That's not the only common opponent for Harvard and GW: the Crimson also lost to Siena on Dec. 1. Junior forward Chris Lewis is averaging 14.3 points per game to pace an offense that has thrived on accuracy with its .494 field goal percentage, ranking 27th nationally. Lewis and junior guard Justin Bassey have helped lead that charge by connecting at a .655 and .581 clip, respectively.
SERIES HISTORY: The series is tied 3-3 with GW taking the last two meetings. Last season, GW won 58-48 behind a standout performance from Patrick Steeves, who earned his undergraduate degree at Harvard before finishing his playing career at GW. Steeves went for 19 points and nine rebounds against his former team as the Colonials had one of their finer defensive performances of the season in limiting Harvard to 28 percent shooting.
ON GUARD: The Colonials have relied on guard-heavy lineups this season, a trend which will likely continue with the loss of Arnaldo Toro (hip injury). GW has started at least four guards in 10 of 11 games, including a five-guard lineup at Princeton on Dec. 1. With Toro out, DJ Williams is GW's leading rebounder at 5.3 per game, and a guard has led the team in rebounds in each of the four games without Toro.
TIP-INS: GW has improved its offensive output over the last three games, averaging 72.3 points on .472 shooting, including .386 from three. Over the first eight games, the Colonials averaged 60.4 points on .392 shooting (.287 from three) … Ten Colonials have drawn a start this season and GW has used six different starting lineups … GW's defensive effort held Howard well below its season average as the Bison came in averaging 88.0 points but scored a season-low 64. Their guard trio of RJ Cole, CJ Williams and Chad Lott came in averaging a combined 57.3 points but accounted for just 34 against GW.
DJ's DEBUT: In his debut season donning the Buff & Blue, redshirt junior DJ Williams is GW's leading scorer with 14.2 points per game. The Chicago native has reached double figures in eight of 10 games played, including a career-high 19 against Towson on Dec. 5. 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 has increased his scoring six-fold, from 2.2 ppg at Illinois to 13.8 at GW, and 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 Steeves most recently.
T3RRY FOR THREE: Sophomore Terry Nolan Jr. has shown off an improved stroke from long distance in the early going this season as he leads the team in three-point shooting (27-68, .397). The Baltimore native, who connected at a .319 clip as a first-year in 2017-18, has made multiple triples in nine of 11 games this year. He's hit a career-high four on three occasions, vs. Siena (4-of-7), Towson (4-of-9) and Howard (4-of-10). Over the last three games he's been at his best, averaging 19.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals.
