Nov. 25, 2005

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George Mason (2-0) vs. Auburn (2-1)
November 26, 2005; 1 p.m.
Cameron Indoor Stadium (Durham, N.C.)

Series Record George Mason and Auburn have met once before and the Patriots claimed a 58-55 victory on Dec. 30, 1996 on neutral ground.

Last Time On the Court

Mason sophomores forward Moni Akintunde and guard Keyhana Wakefield each registered a double-double to help lead George Mason's women's basketball team (2-0) to a 71-49 victory over Howard University (0-2) on Nov. 21 at the Patriot Center.

Akintunde was one point shy away from her career-high as she netted 24 points after shooting 70 percent from the field and 10-of-12 from the line. In addition, Akintunde grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. Wakefield was perfect on the night as she was 3-of-3 from the field and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe for a team second-best 11 points. Wakefield's 10 boards was a game second-best, as well as a new career-high. Wakefield also dished out four assists, to match senior guard Jen Daniels, while Akintunde added two blocks and one steal in 26 minutes of play. Sophomore forward Jessica Smith tallied three steals on the night and also added six rebounds in Mason's win.

Sophomore guard Christina Aden came off the bench to score a team-high 13 points for Howard and was nearly perfect from the line as she made five of her six attempts. Lady Bison freshman center Tamaya Daniels grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, while senior guard Ebony Lacey dished out a game-high six assists for HU.

There were a total of 49 fouls in this contest, 31 of which were Howard's. Mason shot 33-of-42 from the line (79 percent) and was one made free throw away from tying Mason's school record of most made free throws in one game. The Patriots made 34 of its attempts from the line against William & Mary on Jan. 9, 2005 in Fairfax.

Mason outrebounded the Lady Bison, 65-40, and also shot 33 percent from the field compared to HU's 26.

Mason's Record vs. Tourney Field If Mason and Arkansas State face-off against each other, it will mark the first meeting. If the Patriots and Blue Devils meet on Sunday, Mason will look for its first win against Duke as the Blue Devils are 4-0 overall against the Patriots. The last time these two teams squared-off in Durham, N.C., Duke won by a score of 95-56 on Dec. 28, 1999.

Perfection Sophomore guard Keyhana Wakefield did not miss an attempt against the Bison as she was 3-of-3 from the field and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. Wakefield also notched her first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.

Everyone Up For Grabs Each Mason player that saw time on the court against Howard, pulled down at least one board to give Mason a total of 65 compared to HU's 40.

About Auburn Auburn heads into the Duke Tournament with a 2-1 overall record as the Tigers opened up the season at home with an 85-32 win over UTPA, dropped a 68-64 overtime decision at Kent State and defeated Buffalo (70-41) in New York on Nov. 22. Marita Payne leads the Tigers with an average of 14.0 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. In Auburn's win over Buffalo, Payne collected a double-double with 14 points and a game-best 13 boards.

Doublin' Up Sophomore forward Moni Akintunde collected her second-straight double-double as she registered game-highs in both points (24) and rebounds (12).

Fountain of Youth Mason is one of the youngest Division I women's basketball teams this season as the Patriots sit tied for third with a total of 11 underclassmen on its roster (five freshman, six sophomores). Air Force has the most underclassmen with seven freshman and six sophomores, for a combined 13.

Mason's Newcomers The Patriots welcome nine new faces to this year's squad in Lateisha Wade, Scarlett Williams, Tammy Meyers, Chynelle Rogers, Colleen Shumaker, Tiffany Burroughs, Nikkia Slade, C'Vette Henson and Becky Rautzhan.

50 or Less Mason held Howard to under 50 points on Nov. 21. The last time the Patriots kept an opponent to under 50 total points was on March 4, 2005 when Mason defeated Drexel by a score of 46-44 in Fairfax.

Where's Mason With the return of only two starters and five letterwinners, Mason was predicted to finish the 2005-06 season seventh in the Colonial Athletic Association, which was voted on by members of the media and the league's sports information directors.

Two in a Row The last time Mason scored 70 or more points in two-straight games in which the Patriots have won was last season when the Patriots defeated Georgetown 70-62 in Washington, D.C. (Dec. 8) and at Mount St. Mary's (71-52) on Dec. 11.

Playing Host For the second-straight year, George Mason will host the Colonial Athletic Association Championship which will be held from Mar. 8-11 at the Patriot Center.

Playing Professionally Former Mason standout Jen Derevjanik became just the second Patriot to play in the WNBA as she was on the Connecticut Sun's roster for both the 2004 & 2005 seasons. Both years the Sun made it to the WNBA Finals.