Nov. 30, 2007

Mason-Richmond Gametracker

The George Mason women's basketball team will look to extend its win streak to four games when it visits the University of Richmond Spiders on Saturday. The two teams have not met since the 2000-01 season, Richmond's last as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. from the Robins Center.

Scouting the Spiders
Richmond enters the game with a 4-4 record, coming off a 62-45 home victory against Longwood. The win was the Spiders' first with a double-digit margin of victory. Johanna McKnight has been the Spiders' top scorer, as she is averaging 14 points per game this season. Katie Holzer is Richmond's top rebounder, grabbing nearly seven boards per contest.

Series History
Richmond leads the all-time series by a 28-21 margin. The Spiders have won the last two meetings in 2000 and 2001, which snapped a five-game Mason winning streak in the all-time series.

Last Time Out...
The Patriots held on for their third-straight win on Friday evening with a 58-53 victory against Longwood at the Patriot Center. Mason (3-2) held off the Lancers (2-4) down the stretch by scoring five unanswered points within the final 63 seconds to seal the victory. Senior Lateisha Wade, in her first start of the season, led all scorers with 17 points, while sophomore Rashauna Hobbs added 12, including four three-pointers, to pace the Patriot offense. Longwood, which was held to 6-for-25 shooting in the second half, was led by Keiva Small's 14 points.

Wade Tabbed CAA Player of the Week
Senior guard Lateisha Wade was rewarded for her outstanding play this past week by being named the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week. It is the first time that Wade has been honored by the league, and the first Mason weekly honor since Vernessa Neamo earned the same honor on February 23, 2004.

Going Streaking
Mason's current three-game win streak is its longest since the Patriots won four in a row following two season-opening losses last season. Mason last won two in a row at home at the start of the 2005-06 season, a pair of victories over Mount St. Mary's and Howard. The Patriots' longest win streak under head coach Debbie Taneyhill is five games, last accomplished in 2004.

November to Remember
Mason finished 3-2 in the opening month of the season, the sixth time under Taneyhill that the Patriots finished November with a .500-or-better record. Mason's best November came in 2000, when the Patriots went 5-0 en route to a 21-win season and WNIT berth.

Mason vs. The Atlantic 10
+ The Patriots have amassed a 35-45 record against the current membership of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Last season, Mason defeated its lone A-10 opponent, Fordham, by a 59-42 margin at Rose Hill Gym in the Bronx.

Up Next...
Mason travels north to face Bucknell on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m., in the Patriots' final game before a 15-day break for winter examinations.