Dec 17, 2008

AU Men's Basketball Renews Rivalry with George Washington Tonight at 7:30 p.m.


Dec. 17, 2008

Media Information:
Radio: Federal News Radio 1050AM - Dan Laing (play-by-play), Jeremy Huber (Analyst)
Game Notes

WASHINGTON - The American University men's basketball team will take on local rival George Washington tonight for the first time in five seasons. Tipoff from the Smith Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The two teams have not met since Jan. 2, 2003, when AU defeated George Washington at home, 81-75. American holds a 21-19 advantage over GW in the all-time series.

News and Notes

  • American opened the year with a 4-1 record, matching the team's best start to a season since 1999-2000 and marking the program's best start to a season under Head Coach Jeff Jones. The Eagles had previously began the year with a 3-2 record three times (2000-01, 2004-05, 2006-07) under Coach Jones. In the program's 83 year history, AU has started 4-1 or better only 21 times.
  • American is led on the offensive end of the court by a duo of double-digit scorers in Garrison Carr and Brian Gilmore. Carr currently ranks second in the conference in scoring at 17.5 ppg and is shooting 32.9 percent from behind the arc. Gilmore enters Wednesday's game averaging 11.9 ppg and is the team's leading rebounder at 5.4 rpg. Derrick Mercer is AU's third-leading scorer at 8.9 ppg and is averaging 2.9 apg.
  • Senior Brian Gilmore scored 15 points and pulled down 16 rebounds against Mount St. Mary's (L 57-52, 12/1/08) to record the first double-double of his career. Gilmore is the first Eagle to record a double-double since Travis Lay accomplished the feat last season with 14 points and 10 rebounds against Navy on Feb. 27 (L, 83-68). His 16 rebounds marked a career-high and is the highest total for an Eagle since Jason Thomas pulled down 16 boards at Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 29, 2003 (L, 55-54).
  • American has outrebounded its last three opponents by an average of 6.7 boards per game but is 0-3 in those contests. The Eagles were outdone on the glass in each of its first five games by an average of -4.4 but held a 4-1 record in those games.

Inside the Series - George Washington

All-Time Record: American Leads, 21-19
Last Meeting: W 81-75, 1/2/03

  • American leads the all-time series with George Washington, 21-19. Wednesday's game will mark the first meeting between the two in five seasons. The last game between the Eagles and the Colonials was an 81-75 victory for AU on Jan. 2, 2003, at Bender Arena. Steve Miles and Glenn Stokes each scored 24 points to lead the Eagles as they overcame a one point defecit with just over four-minutes remaining for the win.
  • AU's 81-75 win over George Washington the last time the team's met snapped a nine-game lossing streak for the Eagles against the Colonials. American's last win over GW before that came on Dec. 16, 1989, as AU pulled out a 72-67 victory in Bender Arena to cap off a five-game winning streak.
  • American won the first-ever meeting between the two teams, 21-18, during the 1926-27 season at an unknown location.
  • George Washington enters Wednesday's game with a 4-2 record coming off a 78-63 win against Harvard. The Colonials are led by Damian Hollis who is averaging 13.0 ppg and shooting 55.6 percent from the field. Rob Diggs averages 10.7 ppg and leads the team with 8.0 rpg. Noel Wilmore rounds out GW's double-digit scorers at 10.5 ppg and shoots a team-best 43.6 percent from behind the arc.

Milestone Watch

  • Garrison Carr (979 pts.) and Derrick Mercer (981 pts.) are on pace to become just the 27th and 28th players in AU history to record 1,000 career points this season. Andre Ingram, `07, was the last Eagle to do so, breaking the 1,000 point plateau on Jan. 2, 2007 at Saint Francis (W, 62-52). Ingram finished his career as AU's fifth all-time leading scorer with 1,655 points.
  • Garrison Carr set new AU and PL records last season with 135 made three-point baskets and scored 606 total points, the seventh highest total in school history. Carr is currently ranked fourth in the PL in career three-point percentage (41.3, 213-516), third at AU in career three-pointers (213), and second at AU in career free-throw percentage (86.5, 134-155).
  • With 407 career assists, Derrick Mercer ranks fifth all-time at AU and ninth all-time in the PL. Mercer has also played in 100 career games, including 98 starts, and is on pace to set a new AU record in both categories.
  • Jordan Nichols has recorded 75 career blocks and ranks sixth all-time at AU.