George Washington University
South Carolina
Men's Basketball Visits South Carolina on Sunday
11/30/2019 3:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
THE SECOND MONTH: Entering the second month of the season, GW head coach Jamion Christian has plenty to be thankful for. His Colonials won the home opener against Howard and saw a pair of victories at the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase. Individually, Armel Potter reached the 1,000-point plateau in the Bahamas and first-year Jamison Battle took home his first A-10 Rookie of the Week award after scoring double figures in all three games outside the U.S. In December, the Colonials will play four of six games at the Smith Center with the first and last game of the month on the road.
LAST TIME OUT: George Washington finished fifth at the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase by defeating Milwaukee in last Sunday's event finale. For the third straight game, Armel Potter led the Colonials with 22 points in 40 minutes. Potter finished the afternoon with seven rebounds and seven assists and was terrific at the free throw line (12-14).
ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA: Like the Colonials, South Carolina also traveled outside the States and participated in the Cancun Challenge. The Gamecocks dropped all three games associated with the Challenge. Before its travels to Mexico, USC fell to Boston University on campus (78-70) before two more losses in Cancun to Wichita State (70-47) and Northern Iowa (78-72). Former Colonial Jair Bolden is in his first season in Columbia after sitting out all of last season due to NCAA transfer rules. In seven games (all starts), Bolden is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.1 points per game. Bolden had 14 points in his debut against North Alabama. AJ Lawson leads the squad in points (15.9), assists (3.1) and steals (1.4).
SERIES HISTORY: George Washington leads the all-time season series 9-6 over the Gamecocks with the series dating back to 1940. Over the past five contests, the Gamecocks have taken three of five with the Colonials securing a win in the last meeting in 1993.
OOH OOH MR. POTTER: Over the past three games, Armel Potter has turned into a veteran leader with his play on the court. Potter scored 20+ points in all three games in the Bahamas and scored his GW single-game best with 25 points against Evansville. In 95 career games, Potter has reached double figures 53 times and scored 20 or more points 15 times, with four of those occasions coming as a Colonial. Potter did damage at the free throw line during the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase, connecting on 25-of-31 (80.6%). His 12 made free throws against Milwaukee is a career-best for the Long Island guard.
FOGGY BOTTOM RESERVE: During GW's three-game swing of the Bahamas, the bench played a key role in the Colonials 2-1 record. Of GW's 212 total points in the Bahamas, the Colonial reserves netted 68 points (32 percent of GW's points scored). This was heavily contributed by the play of Armel Potter in the first two games before he gained a starting spot against Milwaukee. With Potter starting, Ace Stallings had nine points in a lead bench role.
NEW JACK CITY: Junior guard Maceo Jack has made the most of his four starts this season, scoring at least nine points in all four games with three games in double figures. Jack had a breakout game against Evansville with 22 points on 5-of-9 from the outside. Jack is 72nd nationally in 3-point field goal attempts (49). To date, Jack is shooting 40 percent (18-45) from the outside. He has connected on three or more 3-pointers in four of seven games this season. In 64 career games as a Colonial, Jack has made three or more triples 13 times with his career-best six made 3s at Richmond on Feb. 9, 2019.
SHOTS OF JAMO: Rookie Jamison Battle is currently 30th nationally in three-point field goals per game at 3.14. The long-distance shooter had quite the weekend in the Bahamas shooting 10-of-14 from the outside, which earned him an Atlantic-10 Rookie of the Week award for his contributions. Battle averaged 12 points and eight rebounds over the three-game trip. Battle is fourth on the team in scoring (11.1) and first among active players at 44.9% from the outside. He leads the team in minutes per game (32.6) and played 30 or more minutes in six of the last seven games with his season-high of 40 minutes against Milwaukee last Sunday.
