George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
Richmond
Men’s Basketball Visits Richmond on Saturday
2/8/2019 12:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Colonials look to earn a split in the season series
TIPPING OFF: The GW men's basketball team begins the second half of its conference slate on Saturday as it looks to avenge a home loss to Richmond last month when the teams square off at 6 p.m. in Robins Center. The game will be televised regionally on MASN and streamed on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT: DJ Williams finished with 16 points to lead GW in the scoring column, sophomore Maceo Jack was just behind with 14 and a team-high six rebounds, and junior point guard Armel Potter netted 11 in his 25 minutes off the bench as the Colonials fell to VCU, 60-50, on Wednesday night in Smith Center. GW was one off of its season high with 17 makes at the free throw line on 22 attempts but was plagued by 17 turnovers, 12 of which came in the second half. Still, when Williams canned a 3-pointer with 1:55 to play, the Colonials found themselves within four. Despite only shooting 11-of-18 from the free throw line on the night, VCU saved its makes for the end as the visitors put the game away at the line by making their final six with under a minute to go.
SERIES HISTORY: The Colonials lead the all-time series 63-38, including a 26-22 edge in Richmond, but the Spiders have won five of the last six meetings. In the last meeting on Jan. 12 in Smith Center, the Colonials offense could get little going, as a three-point game at halftime turned into a lopsided defeat at the end. GW was paced in the scoring column by Terry Nolan Jr. (15 points) and Jack (14), but the Spiders put four in double figures and shot 54 percent compared to 32 percent for the Colonials.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: For the last 14 games, GW has used a starting lineup featuring its entire sophomore class of Jack, Terry Nolan Jr., Justin Mazzulla and Javier Langarica, with redshirt junior DJ Williams the lone upperclassmen among the starting five. First-years and sophomores have accounted for 67 percent of GW's scoring over that stretch, and the Colonials as a whole rank as the 299th (out of 353) least-experienced team in NCAA Division I (according to KenPom).
CLOSE CALLS: Aside from their 76-56 loss to Richmond on Jan. 12, the shorthanded Colonials have put themselves in a position to win before ultimately fading down the stretch in their five other conference defeats. GW led by as much as 22 against Dayton (1/9) before the Flyers came back in the second half; the Colonials trailed by just two with 26 seconds to play but fell 72-66. Against Duquesne (1/20), GW led by 5 with 1:07 remaining before the Dukes forced overtime and won 91-85. The Colonials were within a couple of possessions for the first 32 minutes at Davidson (1/23) but saw the Wildcats put the game out of reach down the stretch for a 73-62 win. At George Mason (1/26), GW was within two possessions in the final minutes but fell 62-55. Then against VCU (2/6), GW trailed by four with 1:55 left only to see the Rams score six unanswered and ultimately win 60-50.
TIP-INS: DJ Williams continues to pace GW in scoring (14.1) and double-figure scoring games (16, including six straight) … the Chicago native is averaging 17.2 points in the last six games … both Jack and Mazzulla have hit double figures in scoring in 11 of their last 13 games … Nolan leads the team in rebounding (5.4) and is averaging 6.9 in league games, including four games with double-figure boards … the 6-foot-2 guard has two double-doubles (at Saint Joseph's and at La Salle) and narrowly missed a third at George Mason (15 points, nine rebounds) … GW's three overtime games this season (1-2 record) are its most since the 2008-09 season (2-1 record).
