Colonials come marching in

The Explorers are down to their last three games to grab a win they desperately need to gain entrance into the A-10 tournament set for Atlantic City. La Salle squandered an 8 point lead late in their last game against St. Louis. Now the Explorers face desperate times for a young team desperate for a trip to Atlantic City.

George Washington Probable Starters: (17-8, 8-5)

33 Maurice Rice 6”1 JR. G
25 Carl Elliot 6”4 SR. G
1 Travis King 6”2 FR. G
42 Dokun Akinbade 6”9 SR. F
23 Regis Koundjia 6”8 SR. F

George Washington had a terrific A-10 run last season destroying most teams in it’s path before falling to Duke in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Gone are Pops Mesu-Bonsu, Mike Hall, and Danillo Pinnock. All playing professional basketball elsewhere. The Colonials have had to ask other players into those roles left by last year’s stars. Maurice Rice has gone from the conference’s top 6th man to filling Pinnock’s shoes in the backcourt. Rice has responded by playing 10 more minutes a night while placing 9th in scoring inside the conference. His assist totals have dropped dramatically due to his new role as scorer but he is the engine that makes the Colonials go. He is a decent passer and can get his points inside and out. He shoots almost 43% from the arc and plays under control which is a far cry from his days as a Philadelphia phenom high school player. 6”4 senior Carl Elliot is the consummate team player. He can score but is willing to pass the ball to get his teammates better shots. He leads the conference in assists getting 5.6 dimes a game. A solid shooter who can also defend, he and Rice are the leaders. Regis Koundjia is a terrific athlete who can run and jump with the best this conference has to offer. He is a player who gets his points in transition and on put-backs. Coming off the bench is rising sophomore Robert Diggs. He is a carbon copy of Koundjia but with much better all around skills. He shoots a high percentage and is also a solid defender. getting almost two blocks a night. He had a career high 24 points on 9 for 11 shooting in a GW win against Richmond this past Wednesday. Freshman Travis King and Senior Dokun Akinbade are two role players in the starting lineup. King excels in the transition game. 6”5 sophomore and Chester high product Noel Wilmore is a 3 point specialist who is a good standstill shooter. Wilmore was recruited by La Salle coming out of Chester High School.

The Explorers are coming off a heartbreaking 59-55 loss to St. Louis, which they gave up an 8 point lead in the last 5 minutes. Mike St. John led the way with 11 points but leading scorers Darnell Harris(foul trouble) and Rodney Green had sub-par performances. La Salle has lost 8 out of their last 10 games and have lost 8 games this season by 8 points or less. Execution on both offense and defense inside the last 5 minutes of the game remains the main problem for this team. As Darnell Harris goes, so do the Explorers. When Harris is on his game La Salle has a very good chance against any team in the conference. Harris has been both hot and cold and the last two games point this out dramatically. Harris scored 24 points and led La Salle to victory over Temple. St. Louis was a different story as he was straddled with foul trouble and was only able to manage 5 points on 2 for 8 shooting. Without Harris the Explorers struggle to score and that translates to poor defense as missed shots and turnovers lead to easy transition baskets which the Explorers have been burned with all season.

George Washington is much like Villanova and tries to press teams before they get into the half court set. They us their athleticism and speed to press and force teams to play at their pace. The Explorers are last in turnover margin and they should be tested against the Colonials in that category. La Salle should be able to get second chance opportunities in this game. They need to avoid empty trips down the floor while not allowing GW open looks at the basket. The Colonials and Explorers are similar teams who play different styles. Both teams are athletic and quick. GW has some experience and is a better shooting team with more scoring options and play a tougher style of defense. La Salle aims to be where GW is now this time next year.

Keys to victory:

Protect the basketball
Convert second chance opportunities
Get back on defense