George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
Rhode Island
Men's Basketball Rumbles with Rhode Island Tuesday
2/25/2019 11:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
TIPPING OFF: The GW men's basketball heads to Rhode Island for its penultimate road game of the season on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. GW returns home to host St. Bonaventure on Saturday, March 2, before closing the regular season at Fordham (March 5) and home vs. George Mason (March 9).
LAST TIME OUT: It was a tale of two halves at VCU on Saturday, as the Colonials shot 55.1 percent in the first half to go into intermission trailing by just three, before going cold in the second half (20 percent) in an eventual 85-57 loss. DJ Williams scored 18 of his team-high 22 points in the first half, and Maceo Jack was the only other Colonial in double figures with 12 points.
SERIES HISTORY: The Colonials hold a 31-28 advantage all-time, while Rhode Island has won four of the last five. The Rams took last year's meeting, 81-60, and have a 14-12 record in home games. GW's last win at URI came on Jan. 22, 2013 (66-65).
RETURNING TO RHODE ISLAND: Justin Mazzulla returns to play in his home state for the first time in his collegiate career on Tuesday. The Johnston, R.I., native had a decorated prep career, leading Bishop Hendricken High School to state championships as a junior and senior. He was named Rhode Island's Gatorade Player of the Year and the state tournament's Most Outstanding Player as a junior when he averaged 15.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, while earning first team All-State honors.
MAKING A CASE FOR MOST IMPROVED: After averaging 2.8 points as a freshman, Jack has made a big jump in production as a sophomore, averaging 11.0 points on the season. Jack has a case to be called the Most Improved Player in the Atlantic 10, as his increase in scoring is the second largest in the league. The Buffalo, New York, native leads the team in 3-pointers made (55) and 3-point field goal percentage (.377), and ranks second on the team in scoring in A-10 play (13.6). He's hit double figures in scoring in 16 of the last 18 games, which is tops on the team in that stretch. In the last five games, Jack has scored 20 or more three times (23 at Richmond, 20 at Duquesne, 20 vs. UMass).
DJ IN DOUBLE FIGURES: While DJ Williams has led GW in scoring throughout much of the season, he's turned it up a notch over the last six weeks. The transfer from Illinois has scored in double figures in 11 straight games, averaging 18.0 points on .464 shooting, including .383 from 3-point range, in that span. In his first 15 games, Williams averaged 12.9 points on .398 shooting and .270 from 3-point range.
TIP-INS: GW has shot the ball well for the most part recently, hitting 55.1 percent in the first half at VCU prior to going cold in the second half … prior to that, the Colonials shot 66.7 percent from the field in the first half vs. UMass, their best shooting performance in a half this season, and finished the game at 55.1 percent … GW also hit 50 percent at Duquesne (Feb. 16) … they'd only shot 50 percent or better twice in the first 24 games of the season.
