George Washington University Athletics
Men's Basketball Set for Wednesday Clash at UMass
2/13/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Minutemen, who have collected 10 of their 11 wins on the season at home, come in to Wednesday's matchup a game ahead of the Colonials in the A-10 standings with a 4-8 league record. They've dropped six of the last seven, with the win coming in double overtime against Dayton on Feb. 3. Sophomore guard Luwane Pipkins paces the team in scoring with 20.5 ppg, a mark which ranks second in the conference. His 76 made three-pointers lead the league and help make UMass the second-ranked team in three-pointers made (8.6/game) and three-point percentage (.390).
Saturday, Feb. 17 | 4:00pmThe Colonials return home on Saturday to take on the Rams of VCU in a 4:00 matinee. A very limited number of $45 lower bowl seats are still available, and you can get yours today by calling 202-994-9849.
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TIPPING OFF: After splitting a pair of games last week, the Colonials head into the final third of the A-10 schedule starting with a trip to UMass on Wednesday. The game is set to be televised by Eleven Sports Network (Where to Watch), NESN Plus and will also be streamed on the Atlantic 10 Network.
LAST TIME OUT: Yuta Watanabe double-doubled with team-highs of 19 points (all in the second half) and 12 rebounds, but GW fell 72-65 at George Mason on Saturday, giving the Patriots their first victory in the series since joining the Atlantic 10. Watanabe put together two stellar performances last week, preceding his 19/12 effort with a career-high 29 points on 11-of-20 shooting in a win over La Salle on Wednesday. In the two games, he averaged 24.0 points and 10.0 rebounds while shooting .583 (7-12) from three-point range.
SERIES HISTORY: GW has won four straight in the series and owns a 40-29 advantage all-time. In last year's meeting, Patrick Steeves came off the bench and poured in a career-high 26 points while stuffing the stat sheet with five rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block, to lead the Colonials to an 83-67 win.
TOP TWO-WAY THREAT: Watanabe, who leads GW in scoring and is consistently tasked with guarding the opposition's best player, has made a case to be called the top two-way player in the conference. He owns A-10 ranks of first in minutes played (37.0), third in blocks (1.6), 12th in rebounding (6.4) and 16th in scoring (15.6). The senior from Kagawa, Japan, who was named to the All-Defensive Team last season, also leads the Colonials in 3-point shooting (.368) and has been at his best during conference play, hitting 27-61 (.443). He's averaging 17.2 ppg in A-10 play and has reached double figures in all 12 games.
NOTABLE NUMBERS: Arnaldo Toro recorded his third double-figure rebounding game of the season, and fourth in his career, with 10 boards at George Mason ... freshman guard Maceo Jack has 17 points in the last three games after toaling seven in his first 13 appearances ... GW scored a season-high 28 second-chance points vs. La Salle and held a 40-26 advantage in points in the paint ... the Colonials rank fourth nationally in fewest personal fouls per game (14.5) ... Watanabe ranks first in the A-10 and 17th nationally in minutes per game with 37.0.
