George Washington University
St. Bonaventure
Men's Basketball Opens A-10 Play Hosting St. Bonaventure on Sunday
1/3/2020 3:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball
WASHINGTON — GW men's basketball is looking to bounce back to the .500 mark for the fourth time this season when it opens Atlantic 10 Conference play at home against St. Bonaventure Sunday at 4 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT: The Colonials dropped their final non-conference outing to Vermont, 76-51, on Tuesday. Maceo Jack led the Colonials with 12 points on 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Amir Harris played a significant role off the bench with 10 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Vermont's Anthony Lamb led all scorers with 23 points.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: In his first season at GW, head coach Jamion Christian's MAYHEM has already made positive strides statistically for GW. The Colonials improved their non-conference team stats with improved shooting percentages year-over-year and decreased 3-pointers made against by the opposition, while limiting opponents to a lower shooting percentage from long range.
| Team Stats | 2019 | 2018 |
| FG% | 41.6 | 40.9 |
| 3PT% | 32.6 | 31.8 |
| 3PT/game | 7.9 | 5.9 |
| FT% | 73.5 | 61.9 |
| Blocks | 60 | 43 |
| Blocks/game | 4.6 | 3.3 |
| Opp 3PT% | 27.0 | 37.7 |
| Opp 3PT/game | 4.2 | 8.4 |
VETERAN PRESENCE: Armel Potter saw a significant statistical improvement from last season to this season in non-conference play. Potter nearly tripled his scoring average year-to-year from 5.3 ppg in non-conference play last season to 14.3 ppg this season, while his assists per game average is up from 2.3 per game last season before league play began to 5.3 in 2019-20
ABOUT ST. BONAVENTURE: The Bonnies enter A-10 play as winners of seven of their last eight games. During the winning streak, SBU won the Boca Beach Classic defeating Mercer (on-campus), San Diego and Florida Atlantic. After starting the season 0-3, St. Bonaventure secured its first win against Rutgers at the James Naismith Classic.
In his 13th season in Olean, head coach Mark Schmidt recorded his 300th career victory against Middle Tennessee on Dec. 21. The 19-year head coach has amassed 218 wins at SBU, and recorded 82 wins at Robert Morris during his first six seasons as a head coach.
Kyle Lofton leads the Bonnies in scoring at 14.2 ppg and had a season-high 32 points in the loss to Buffalo. Dominick Welch is second on the squad at 12.7 ppg. Osun Osunniyi, the team's top rebounder at 8.6 rpg, has three double-doubles on the year and is third in scoring at 9.9 ppg.
SERIES HISTORY: In a series that dates back to the 1926-27 season, GW is 35-27 all-time against St. Bonaventure. Last season in D.C., the Colonials fell to the Bonnies, 64-58. Maceo Jack finished with a career-best 28 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the outside and 11-of-13 at the free throw line. Javier Langarica had a team-high 11 rebounds, and Armel Potter added seven points in the defeat. Osun Osunniyi led St. Bonaventure with 18 points and 16 rebounds.
PUT WINDEX ON IT: GW is 5-2 when grabbing 30+ rebounds. The season's single-game high came against American with 43. Also against American, Arnaldo Toro tied Yinka Dare (2/6/93 vs. St. Bonaventure) for the Atlantic 10 and GW single-game rebounding record with 24.
IF I HAD A DIME FOR EVERY TIME: This season, the Colonials have gone 4-1 in games in which the team has recorded 14+ assists. In the home opener against Howard, the team finished with a season-high of 17. Armel Potter's season-best of 12 assists against Longwood is the most for a GW player in the last 10 years.
Armel Potter's season-best of 12 assists against Longwood is the most for a GW player in the last 10 years.
