GAME NOTES: The George Washington Colonials will try to bounce back from their first Atlantic 10 Conference setback of the season as they host the Richmond Spiders at the Charles E. Smith Center on Thursday.

GW enters this contest with an eight-game home-winning streak intact, including a 6-0 mark at the Smith Center this season. The Colonials had a six- game winning streak snapped on Saturday in Philadelphia with a 63-50 loss to La Salle. All of the Colonials' wins at home except for one have come by double-digit margins. Coach Mike Lonergan's team is ranked seventh in the A-10 in scoring offense (68.8 ppg) and third in points allowed per game (59.1).

Coach Chris Mooney's Spiders will be looking for their third win in a row after taking down George Mason (75-65) and St. Bonaventure (60-41) during their two-game home stand. Richmond is 9-7 overall and 2-1 in league play thanks to the 81-67 setback it suffered on Jan. 3 at Davidson. The Spiders are ranked one slot ahead of the Colonials in the A-10 in scoring defense (58.9 ppg), but also rank 12th in the conference in points per game with 62.5. Richmond also has the second-best turnover margin in the league (+2.69) behind only VCU.

GW is 60-31 versus Richmond in the history of the all-time series. The Spiders have won six of the last 10 head-to-head matchups.

GW really struggled offensively versus the Explorers last time out. The Colonials hit on only 37 percent of their shots from inside the arc and finished with just seven assists against 20 turnovers. Freshman forward Yuta Watanabe recorded 12 points, but no other GW player managed to reach double- figures. Sophomore guard Patricio Garino is pacing GW with 13.3 ppg on 53.8 percent shooting from the floor, while Kethan Savage (12.3 ppg) and Kevin Larsen (11.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg) also own double-digit scoring averages. Watanabe has scored at least 10 points in his last six games after accomplishing that feat only once in his first 10 collegiate appearances.

The Spiders locked down the perimeter versus SBU, holding the Bonnies to an 0- of-10 clip from 3-point range. GW made good on 47.9 percent of its field goal tries in the contest. The double-digit victory was a result of a collective effort, as four different Richmond players scored 10 points or more, including Alonzo Nelson-Ododa, who recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Kendall Anthony paced the Spiders with 13 points, while T.J. Cline and ShawnDre' Jones netted 11 points apiece. Anthony is averaging a team-best 15.6 ppg. Terry Allen (11.1 ppg) and Cline (10.3 ppg) have also been significant in the Spiders' attack.

GW's homecourt advantage has been monumental. The Colonials are nearly unbeatable in the capital city, so despite the strong play out of Richmond in recent weeks, the Spiders' chances are not very great. Both of these teams place an emphasis on defense, which will most likely result in a low-scoring, affair where every single point is earned.