Men’s Basketball Travels to La Salle

Wednesday, January 16

Philadelphia, PA

8:00 PM

George Washington University

La Salle

DJ Williams paces the Colonials in scoring (12.9 ppg)

1/15/2019 4:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball

The Colonials and Explorers are set for an 8 p.m. tip in Philadelphia

WHEN: Wed., Jan. 16 | 8:00 pm
WHERE: Tom Golan Arena | Philadelphia
WATCH: ESPN+
LISTEN: 1500 AM, WFED.com
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: GW

ABOUT LA SALLE: Led by first-year head coach Ashley Howard, the Explorers come into Wednesday's game with a 3-12 overall mark including 1-2 in the Atlantic 10. After dropping their first 10 games of the season, La Salle turned the corner by winning its final two non-conference games and opening league play with a win at Massachusetts, before falling to VCU and Saint Louis by single digits. Graduate student guard Pookie Powell remains the top threat offensively, averaging 17.3 ppg.

TIPPING OFF: The GW men's basketball team heads back to Philadelphia for its second conference road game of the season as it faces La Salle on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in what is the second leg of a doubleheader, with GW women's basketball taking on the Explorers at 5 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: Trailing by just three points at halftime, the Colonials couldn't find a rhythm in the second half of a 76-56 home defeat at the hands of Richmond on Saturday. Terry Nolan Jr. scored 15 points and Maceo Jack reached double figures in the scoring column for the seventh straight game with 14, but as a team GW shot just .322 from the field while Richmond connected at a .535 clip.

BACK TO PHILLY: GW will look to recapture the form it displayed when it opened conference play in Philadelphia with a resounding 70-56 win at Saint Joseph's on Jan. 6. The Colonials delivered a knock-out punch over the final four minutes of that contest, breaking a 52-52 deadlock with a game-ending 18-4 run. Nolan earned A-10 Player of the Week honors for netting 23 points and 12 rebounds in the victory.

SERIES HISTORY: GW holds a 23-16 advantage in the series, which has seen the home team win each of the last seven games. Last year the Colonials cruised to an 80-69 win in Smith Center.

YOUTH MOVEMENT: For the last eight games GW has used a starting lineup featuring its entire sophomore class of Nolan, Jack, Justin Mazzulla and Javier Langarica, with redshirt junior DJ Williams the lone upperclassmen among the starting five. Additionally, freshmen and sophomores have accounted for 72.8 percent of GW's scoring over that stretch, and the Colonials as a whole rank as the 301st (out of 353) least experienced team in NCAA Division I (according to KenPom).

ON GUARD: Since starting forward and junior tri-captain Arnaldo Toro was lost for the season due to a hip injury, the Colonials have seen the majority of production come from the guard position. In a span of nine games, guards have accounted for 84 percent of scoring and led the team in rebounding eight times. GW has also utilized a four-guard lineup in 15 of 16 games.

HOMECOMING ON TAP: After Wednesday's game, the Colonials return to Smith Center where they will face Duquesne on Sunday, Jan. 20 at 4 p.m. as part of Homecoming Weekend. Prior to the game, there will be a free tailgate on the third floor of Lerner Health & Wellness Center starting at 2:30 p.m. For more information on Homecoming activities, click here.