George Washington, fresh off their first win of the season over Coppin State 85-69 will hit the road tonight to face 1-1 UMBC. Sophomore guard James Bishop was unstoppable in the Colonials win over Coppin State, finishing with a team high 20 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds on 9-15 shooting from the field. In addition to Bishops great all around performance, GW saw three players finish with a double double. Senior forward Matt Moyer posted 19 points and 11 rebounds, Sophomore forward Chase Paar finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds, and Jamison Battle added 14 points and 13 rebounds. Total dominance inside. The Colonials will look to bring this level of inside play to Baltimore tonight.
The Retrievers return to action tonight for the first time since November 28th where they knocked off Saint Francis 80-65. 6'10 senior forward Brandon Horvath led the way with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Key Match-ups:
Jameer Nelson Jr vs Darnell Rogers
James Bishop vs LJ Owens
Matt Moyer vs Brandon Horvath
Chase Paar vs Daniel Akin
Jamison Battle vs RJ Eytle-Rock
Keep an eye on:
GW's Play Inside: was the difference in their win over Coppin State. The Colonials front court of Jamison Battle, Matt Moyer and Chase Paar combined for 38 points and 40 rebounds in the victory. Head coach Jamion Christian couldn't have asked for a better performance. Tonight the Colonials will be tested in a different way inside as they face UMBC. The Retrievers are led by 6'10 senior Brandon Horvath who is one of the most versatile forwards in college basketball. Horvath can do damage inside and outside, is highly skilled, a solid defender and a excellent rebounder. He's no doubt at the top of the scouting report and is someone GW can't afford to lose at any point in the game. Doesn't take much for him to get going and dominate the game. The Colonials will also have to keep an eye on UMBC's bruising 6'9 forward Daniel Akin, who does the dirty work inside for the Retrievers.
War In The Backcourt: is an understatement, yet, this war will be exciting for viewers. GW's do everything point guard Jameer Nelson Jr and leading scorer James Bishop will have a nice test of their own as they face UMBC's backcourt of Darnell Rogers, RJ Eytle Rock and LJ Owens.
Nelson Jr and Bishop are emerging as one of the most dynamic backcourts in the A-10. Nelson Jr is averaging 13.7 points, 3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 3.3 steals per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 42 percent shooting from deep. Nelsons Jr 3.3 steals per game has him in second place in the A-10 currently. Bishop has been on a terror to start the season. The 6'3 sophomore is averaging 20.7 points (2nd in the A-10) and 8.3 assists (1st in the A-10) on 51 percent shooting from the field. If it's a negative thing to point at in Bishops game, its his turnovers, he's turning it over a little over four times a game. Tonight against UMBC GW will have to be careful turning it over. The Retrievers thrive off turnovers and are great at getting in the passing lanes and deflecting passes and coming up with steals, UMBC forces 18 turnovers per game.
Leading the charge in creating turnovers is 5'2 senior point guard Darnell Rogers. If his name sounds familiar, its because it should. Rogers is the son of GW legend Shawnta Rogers and was once a GW commit. Rogers is small but he's dangerous. He's ultra quick, a crafty scorer, a pest when he locks in defensively (2.5 spg) and is shooting 40 percent from 3-point range this season. He's a problem. RJ Eytle Rock is a strong 6'3 guard who has become UMBC's most versatile defender. He can defend guards and forwards, score as a slasher and is a thief in his own right averaging two steals a game. 6'3 junior LJ Owens is off to a slow start this season, however he's a lethal shooter and scorer (Scored over 2,000 points in his prep career) and is due to come out of his shooting slump.
Once again, GW will have to bring it on both ends to add another game in the win column.
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