Jan. 30, 2004

George Mason (10-5, 5-3 CAA) vs.
Hofstra University (10-7, 7-1)
February 1, 2004; 2 p.m.
Patriot Center
Fairfax, VA

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Last Time on the Court George Mason notched its fifth league win on Jan. 29 against William & Mary by a score of 64-54 in Williamsburg, VA.

Senior guard Jen Derevjanik netted a game-high 17 points, while senior forward Vernessa Neamo registered her fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-best 10 boards. Junior guard Laura Kooij poured in a team second-best 13 points, while junior Lauren Hediger came off the bench to shoot 3-of-8 from long range for 11 points.

William & Mary shot 44 percent on the night, while Mason went 20-of-59 from the field (34 percent). The Patriots forced 27 Tribe turnovers, while Mason tallied 14 on the night.

The turning point of the game was the free throw line as the Patriots converted 16-of-20 and W&M only had six shots from the charity stripe, five of which were made.

Against Hofstra Mason holds a 4-1 advantage in the overall series against Hofstra. The only loss for the Patriots against the Pride came last year in Hempstead, NY, where Hofstra claimed a 69-56 victory on Feb. 2. Mason is 2-0 when playing in Fairfax against the Pride, including a 73-61 win in last year's final regular season home game for the Patriots (Mar. 6). These two teams had met once prior to Hofstra joining the CAA (2001-02). On Jan. 21, 1991, current Mason head coach Debbie Taneyhill was in the starting line-up and she netted six points for the Patriots in the 65-35 win.

Scouting the Pride Hofstra heads into today's match-up on a four-game win streak. This is the first time since Dec. 3-29, 1999 that the Pride has won four-straight and the 7-1 conference start is best-ever in school history. In addition, the seven league victories is one short of the record of eight, which was set in 1996-97 when the Pride was part of the America East. Thus far this season, Hofstra has outscored its Colonial Athletic Association opponents, 240-123.

The only conference loss for Hofstra is against Delaware, which defeated the Pride by a score of 78-47 in Newark, DE, on Jan. 15. Hofstra made history as it beat Old Dominion for the first time-ever (74-72) in Hempstead on Jan. 18.

Amaka Agugua leads the Pride in points and rebounds with 12.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg, while Staceyann Claxton has started 16 games and has dished out a team-high 56 assists. Not one Hofstra player has started all 17 games.

Long Range Percent Lauren Hediger is second in the conference in 3-point FG percnetage (.381) and she sits right behind Staceyann Claxton of Hofstra who has garnered a .411 3-pt. FG pct. thus far this season.

February Opener Since the start of George Mason WBB (1973-74), the Patriots are 20-9 overall in their first game in February, which includes an 11-2 mark in Fairfax. When playing on Feb. 1, Mason is 6-2 overall and 2-0 on its home turf. The Patriots and Pride have met once on Feb. 1 and Mason claimed a 71-66 overtime win in NY in 2002.

Five Times Over Every single time George Mason holds its opponent to under 60 points, the Patriots walk away with a victory. This happened for the fifth time this season at William & Mary, as Mason defeated the Tribe, 64-54.

Double-Double, Again Vernessa Neamo registered her fourth double-double of the season at William & Mary on Jan. 29. Neamo grabbed a game-high 10 boards and added 13 points in the 10-point win.

Almost Half Seven of the 15 athletes on the 2003-04 women's hoops roster sit in the top-15 of Mason's record book in 3-point FG made. The Patriots are: Derevjanik (5th), Kooij (7th), Otim (10th), Hediger (11th), Neamo (13th), Clark (14th) and Daniels (15th).

Majority Rules George Mason has three athletes in the top-15 among conference peers in 3-point FG percentage, which is more representation than any other CAA school. Lauren Hediger is second (.381), Derevjanik is fifth (.358) and Laura Kooij is in sixth place (.356).

Under 20 The Patriots held William & Mary to just 18 points in the first half on Jan. 29, which is the lowest point total the Patriots have held their opponent to in the opening stanza thus far this season. Mason was close on Dec. 20 as it went into the break up, 41-19, over Monmouth at the PC.

Three's Company As far back as the records would take us (2000-01), no CAA member school has received player of the week honors three weeks in a row. Mason's Laura Kooij was named on Dec. 29, while Derevjanik received the honor on Jan. 5 and Jan. 12.

Lucky Numbers Mason has won a total of nine games and lost only two when the Patriots have scored between 60 and 79 points.

Lend a Hand The Patriots are 4-1 when they have tallied more assists than their opponent.

In the Classroom Out of the 15 athletes on George Mason's roster, nine registered over a 3.0 grade point average for the fall semester, which puts them on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll. Out of these nine, five players made the Dean's List in Derevjanik, senior Lesley Harvey, freshman Kristin Higy, Kooij and freshman Ashley York. In addition, Harvey and Higy received the Scholar Athlete Award. The team's average GPA for the 2002 fall semester was 3.07.

Home Cookin' Mason's women's basketball team started playing all of its home games at the Patriot Center during the 1994-95 season. Since this time, the Patriots have posted a regular season record of 75-45 (.625) when competing at the PC.

Mason Signs Five Head coach Debbie Taneyhill recently announced that five student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Patriots in the 2004-05 season. The signees include Casey Quigley (G, 5-10, Burke,VA/Lake Braddock), Keyhana Wakefield (5-8, G, Albany, NY/Colonie), Whitney Ward (G/F, 6-0, Columbia, MD/Long Reach), Jessica Smith (F, 6-1, Dartmouth, MA/Dartmouth) and Erika Hussa (C, 6-3, Fairfax, VA/Robinson).