Jan. 13, 2005

VILLANOVA, Pa. - Junior forward Jason Fraser (Amityville, N.Y.) has a fractured navicular bone in his right (shooting) hand and will undergo surgery on Friday in Philadelphia to have a screw inserted into the hand.

Fraser was injured during Villanova's 83-78 overtime victory over Providence on Tuesday evening. He was examined following Villanova's return to the Philadelphia area on Wednesday and the fracture was discovered. Dr. Randy Kulp will perform Friday's surgery.

This will be Fraser's fourth surgical procedure since coming to Villanova in 2002. In April 2003 he underwent surgery on both knees to help alleviate chronic tendonitis. On Oct. 23, 2004, he underwent arthoscopic surgery on his left knee.

Fraser enjoyed his best game as a collegian in the win over Providence, scoring a career-high 25 points and collecting 13 rebounds to go with five blocked shots in 34 minutes. In 11 games this season, he is averaging 7.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and leads the Big East Conference in blocked shot average (3.3 bpg).

"We all continue to be amazed at Jason's attitude and resiliency in the face of injury," stated head coach Jay Wright. "He'll be back from this one too."