Next up:                              La Salle Explorers
Time:                                   December 29, 2024 – 2 PM ET
Venue:                                John Glaser Arena – Philadelphia, PA
2023-24 Record:                8-22 (5-13 in A10)
2025 Projection:                15th
Current Record:                 7-7   
OOC Record:                      6-7   
A10 Record:                       1-0
Common OOC:                  Delaware, American
Last Time Out:                   71-49 loss to GW in 2023-24 (at GW)
Broadcast:                         ESPN+ 

Opponent Summary: The A10 season starts in earnest this weekend as GW travels to Philadelphia to take on the La Salle Explorers in A10 conference play. In La Salle’s lone A10 encounter within their OOC schedule earlier this season, the Explorers defeated Loyola Chicago and enters this contest at 1-0 in A10 play.  Among their 5 victories in the OOC, La Salle defeated Delaware and American University, two teams that GW has also beat this season. La Salle also suffered big losses to UVA and nationally ranked Texas. La Salle is led by guard Ashleigh O’Connor who comes into the contest with 11.8 ppg and 5.4 rpg averages. Aryss Macktoon follows with 10.1 ppg and 4.9 rpg. The Explorer front court features 6’1” Ayisse Magassa (8.2 ppg and 3.9 rpg) and Fairfield transfer Daleba Mckenzie (6.3 ppg and 5 rpg). As a team, La Salle has averaged 60.6 ppg, while allowing 66.4 ppg to their opponents. They shoot 36.5% from the field (25.4.% from beyond the arc), and have an assist-to-turnover ratio of .8.
 
About the game: This looks to be an evenly matched contest between two teams projected to finish in the bottom half of the A10. The records are comparable, but La Salle has played a tougher OOC schedule, and during the McCombs era, GW has not fared well on the road, winning less than 30% of their games away from the Smith Center. La Salle does not have an explosive player, and like GW, will rely on a balanced scoring attack. They have not been particularly effective from long range, but manage to attempt 18 3-pointers a game (GW takes 16 per game). Joan Quinn and Jolene Armendariz have taken 43% of the Explorers’ long-range attempts so far this year, hitting on just 26% of them. For the Revs, given the recent success of the front court offensively, GW should continue to focus on their inside game and limit taking 3-point shots. Also, taking care of the ball and limiting turnovers is of paramount importance for this game, as giving La Salle easy scores on turnovers could be a difference maker.

The OOC has ended and because of injuries or illness, GW has not established a core rotation. On the other hand, the coaching staff has had the opportunity to take extended looks at a lot of players. And despite the youth on the GW squad, this looks to be one of the deepest teams in recent years. 11 of 13 players have started a game this season, and 10 of those 11 have started on multiple occasions. As far as the pair that has not started, both Loving and Parnell have had positive production coming off the bench in meaningful game situations. Having a complete roster of players able to contribute is a good thing for GW, but the down side is that injuries have hampered the players’ ability to develop chemistry, especially on the offensive side. The more athletic players (Calisto, Matthews, Parnell, Lewis, etc.) are still gaining experience and developing their skills, while the players who are fundamentally sound (Mott, Planes Fortuny, Andrews, Reynolds, etc.) need an offensive system to maximize their strengths. Unfortunately, the final rotations and offensive schemes are works in progress.

Depending on the status of player availability, this initial game may not tell us much about the potential for this team, but it would be nice to have a W in A10 conference play going into 2025.