WHEN: Monday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Eaglebank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (8-3), Longwood (2-5)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads, 1-0
LAST MEETING: Mason def. Longwood, 75-70, in Fairfax on Dec. 19, 2015
LIVE VIDEO: 10 Digital Network
LIVE AUDIO: 10 Digital Network / 106.7 The Fan
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)
TICKETS: Click here
GAME OF THE WEEK: Free Green and Gold cupcakes for Mason students to celebrate George Mason's birthday
CANNED FOOD DRIVE: Fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to Monday's game to benefit St. Leo's Food Pantry.
FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (8-3) begins a four-game homestand Monday night with a contest against in-state foe Longwood.
Tip-off between the Patriots and Lancers is set for 7 p.m. inside EagleBank Arena. Monday's game will be broadcast live on the A-10 Digital Network. Bill Rohland will call the game, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.
* The Patriots are in the midst of a seven-game winning streak which includes wins over four RPI top-150 teams, including then top-5 RPI opponent Northern Iowa as well as Mercer, Penn State and Penn. Mercer and UNI have combined for three NCAA Tournament victories over the past three seasons.
* The seven-game winning streak is the Patriots' first since since the team rattled off 16 in a row during the 2010-11 campaign.
* Mason is 3-0 on the road for the first time since 1985-86.
* Last time out, the Patriots won at Penn, 79-60, Saturday afternoon inside the Palestra. Mason shot over 50 percent for the third-straight game, was +16 (41-25) on the glass and outscored the Quakers, 41-24, in the second half.
* Senior
Marquise Moore led the Patriots with the first triple-double in program history. He registered 17 points, tied his career high with 16 rebounds and dished out a personal best 10 assists.
* Moore is one of just 11 players to post a triple-double this season. That group includes National Player of the Year candidate Josh Hart (Villanova), De'Aaron Fox (Kentucky) and Monte Morris (Iowa State).
* He's the first player this season to post 15+ points, 15+ rebounds and 10+ assists in a game (and just the 7th player in the last 20 years).
* Sophomore point guard
Otis Livingston II is fourth in the nation in free throw percentage (.968) and has made his last 23 attempts. He has posted 10+ points in eight-straight games.
* Redshirt-senior
Jalen Jenkins leads the Atlantic 10 in field goal percentage (.726) and is averaging 18.5 ppg and shooting 78.9 percent (15-19) over the past two games. He posted a game-high 22 points (9-11 FG) in the win at Penn.
MOORE APPROACHING RARE COLLEGIATE COMPANY
Through 11 games this season,
Marquise Moore is averaging 18.0 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Since 1993-94, only two players have averaged 18+ points, 10.5+ rebounds and 3.5+ assists over a full college season. They are 2016 NBA Draft No. 1 pick Ben Simmons (LSU) and Jerrelle Benimon (Towson).
SECOND HALF SUCCESS
During Mason's seven-game winning streak, the Patriots have led at the half in just three contests, and in those, the average margin has been just 1.3 points. However, the Patriots have outscored their opponent in the second half in all seven contests. Over the last three games, the average margin in the second half has been +15.7 points. Mason outscored Penn State by 20 (48-28) and Penn by 17 (41-24) in the second stanza.
On the season, the Patriots are averaging 32.3 points and shooting 41.3 percent (26.0 3pt FG%) in first halves. Those numbers increase to 40.2 points, 50.0 percent overall and 34.7 percent from beyond the arc in second halves. Over the final five minutes of games, Mason is shooting 55.9 percent and 43.8 percent from beyond the arc.
HISTORY vs. LONGWOOD
Monday's game marks the second all-time matchup between Mason and Longwood on the hardwood. The Patriots won the only previous meeting, 75-70, on Dec. 19, 2015 in Fairfax.
DeAndre Abram (24 pts, 7 reb),
Marquise Moore (15 pts, 9 reb) and
Otis Livingston II (12 pts, 5 ast) all scored in double figures for the Green & Gold.
HISTORY vs. BIG SOUTH OPPONENTS
Mason is 28-12 (.700) all time against current members of the Big South Conference. The Patriots' most common opponents are in-state foes Radford (14-4) and Liberty (6-3). The Patriots' also have squared off multiple times with Charleston Southern (4-2) and Campbell (2-3).
HISTORY vs. DIV. I VIRGINIA OPPONENTS
Monday's game vs. Longwood marks the 376th all-time game for Mason against an in-state, Div. I foe. The Patriots are 174-201 (.464). Harkening back to its CAA history, Mason's most common in-state opponents are James Madison (46-50), William & Mary (39-27), Old Dominion (21-36), Richmond (21-35) and VCU (19-35).
A LOOK AT THE LANCERS (2-5, 0-0 BIG SOUTH)
The Lancers were picked ninth out of 10 teams in the 2016-17 Big South preseason poll. Longwood is 2-5 to start the year, most recently dropping a 113-58 contest at No. 10 Creighton Friday night in Omaha. The Lancers are 328 out of 351 Div. I teams in scoring defense (81.6 ppg allowed) and 282nd in scoring offense (68.6 ppg). Longwood's strength offensively is 3-point shooting, where the Lancers make 38.1 percent of their attempts as a team. Khris Lane paces the team with 15.0 ppg and is averaging a team-high 7.4 rebounds per contest. Darrion Allen averages 14.7 points while Isaiah Walton chips in 13.0 ppg and distributes 3.1 assists/contest.
UP NEXT
Mason will now take a 10-day competitive break during the final exam period. The Patriots return to EagleBank Arena next Thursday (Dec. 22) to host Prairie View A&M at noon.
