No. 6 Saint Louis (16-15, 9-9 A-10) vs. No. 11 George Washington (15-17, 7-11 A-10)
Thursday, March 8, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. (CT) | Washington, D.C. (Capital One Arena)
TV: NBCSN (Terry Gannon, David Kaplan, Jordan Cornette)
Radio: 101 ESPN (Bob Ramsey, Earl Austin Jr.)
Online Coverage: NBC Sports Live | Live Stats | @SaintLouisMBB on Twitter
++ SLU GAME NOTES // A-10 CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL ++
SETTING THE SCENE
– Saint Louis is the No. 6 seed for the Atlantic 10 Conference Men’s Basketball Championship and will open play in the tournament tonight in a second-round matchup against No. 11 George Washington. Game time from Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., is set for 7:30 p.m. (CT).
– The winner advanced to face No. 3 Davidson in Friday’s quarterfinal, also set for a 7:30 p.m. (CT) tip.
– The game on Thursday (and Friday’s quarterfinal) will be broadcast on NBCSN. Terry Gannon (play-by-play), David Kaplan (analyst) and Jordan Cornette (sideline) are on the call.
– The radio broadcast will air on 101 ESPN (101.1 FM and 101Sports.com). As always, Billiken Hall of Famer Bob Ramsey provides the play-by-play, while St. Louis American Sports Editor Earl Austin Jr. handles the analysis.
ABOUT THE BILLIKENS
Roster | Schedule | 2017-18 Statistics
– Saint Louis finished in a four-way tie for fifth in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings to earn the No. 6 seed for this week’s A-10 Men’s Basketball Championship in Washington, D.C.
– Junior guard Javon Bess was named to the A-10 All-Defensive team and continues to lead the team in scoring, averaging 13.3 ppg. He is fourth in rebounding in A-10 games only (8.1 rpg).
– Senior guard Davell Roby is averaging 11.9 ppg. He is No. 24 on SLU’s all-time scoring list with 1,119 points in his career.
– Freshman forward Hasahn French, an A-10 All-Rookie selection, is second in the A-10 with 57 blocks. He is SLU’s freshman leader for blocked shots in a season.
– Junior forward D.J. Foreman leads the Billikens in field goal percentage (.628, 86-of-137). He is fourth in the league in FG percentage in conference games only (.653, 64-of-98).
– The Billikens lead the A-10 in scoring defense (65.0 ppg). They are also the A-10 leaders in rebounding margin (+4.6 in all games; +6.8 in conference games only).
– SLU head coach Travis Ford is 28-36 in two seasons at Saint Louis, 364-302 in 21 years overall.
ABOUT THE COLONIALS
Roster | Schedule | 2017-18 Statistics
– The 11th-seeded Colonials defeated No. 14 seed Fordham last night, 78-72, to advance to today’s second round.
– Five Colonials scored in double-figures, led by Jair Bolden’s 22 points.
– GW is led by senior Yuta Watanabe. He averages 16.5 ppg and has drilled a team-best 55 treys. Watanabe was also named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year.
– Bolden, who hit four 3s against Fordham on Wednesday, averages 11.1 ppg. Patrick Steeves posted a double-double Thursday with 11 points and 15 rebounds. He pumps in 10.1 ppg.
– The Colonials went through a rough stretch early in the conference season, winning only once in the month of January, but finished the year by winning six of their last nine games.
SERIES HISTORY
This is the 18th overall meeting between the Billikens and Colonials … GW leads the series 9-8 … this is the third A-10 Championship in a row the Billikens and Colonials have met … GW has ended SLU’s season last two years.
SLU and GW – LAST TIME OUT
SLU 62, GW 53 // BOX SCORE
– Jalen Johnson scored a game-high 20 points to lead Saint Louis to a 62-53 victory over George Washington Feb. 24 at Chaifetz Arena.
– Johnson buried a season-high four 3-pointers (4-of-6) and was 6-of-8 from the foul line. He added six rebounds and two blocks.
– Hasahn French (6-of-12 FG, 4-of-5 FT) registered 16 points – just one shy of his career best – and eight rebounds, including five offensive boards.
– Javon Bess turned in his seventh double-double of the season, and fifth in the last six games, with 13 points and 11 rebounds (four offensive).
– D.J. Foreman grabbed seven rebounds, one away from his season high.
– George Washington got 15 points from Yuta Watanabe, and 14 points and 16 rebounds from Arnaldo Toro.
– The first half featured six ties and four lead changes. Neither team led by more than three points until Davell Roby put the Billikens on top 25-19 with a 3-pointer at the 2:43 mark.
– Saint Louis led 25-22 at intermission.
– SLU built the margin to eight on two occasions in the second half, the second time a 39-31 advantage with 12:07remaining.
– George Washington used a 7-0 run to trim the Billiken edge to 39-38, but the Colonials missed a chance to take the upper hand. Saint Louis gradually extended the lead and was up 56-48 when Johnson made a layup with 1:20remaining. The Bills made enough free throws and defensive stops down the stretch to seal the victory.
