Dec. 21, 2009
The George Mason men's and women's basketball teams will play their third and final doubleheader of the season on Tuesday evening as the women's basketball team hosts George Washington at 5 p.m. while the men's team hosts VMI at 7:30 p.m. The Patriots will play VMI for the first time in nearly 30 years while the women will look to build on their school-record 6-0 home mark.
The women, who have never won seven straight at home to open a season, are playing their final home non-conference game of the season. Three Patriots are averaging double-digit scoring, led by junior guard Brittany Poindexter who is averaging 13.5 points per game. Poindexter is 2nd in the CAA and ranks 19th nationally with a 59.2 percent mark from the field. In their last outing, the Patriots were led by a career-high 20 points from Ashleigh Braxton as they defeated Howard, 62-55, on December 12.
George Washington makes the short trip to Fairfax with a 2-6 record on the season. The Colonials have not played in two weeks, after their scheduled home game against Mount St. Mary's on Sunday was snowed out. GW opened its season 2-0 but is mired in a six-game losing streak, including a 56-47 home loss to Marshall on Dec. 8. Tiana Myers paces the Colonial offense with a 12.3 points-per-game average, while Sara Mostafa leads GW off the glass with 6.4 rebounds per game. The Colonials have been outscored on average by nearly 16 points per game.
The men are taking the court for the first time since a 75-72 win over Creighton on Dec. 12. Mason (5-5) is looking to even the all-time series with VMI at 1-1. The only other meeting came on January 24, 1980, as Mason lost on the road, 95-81. The Patriots are averaging 64.2 points per game, just .1 less than opposition, while being outrebounded 38.8-34.8. Mason is shooting 40.8 percent from the field while allowing teams to shoot an even 41 percent. Cam Long is Mason's leading scorer at 12.8 points per game while Ryan Pearson is averaging 10.6 points and 6.1 rebounds. Luke Hancock is checking in at 10.2 points and 4.5 rebounds while Mike Morrison is averaging 7.9 points and 6.2 rebounds with 1.7 blocks per game.
The Keydets (4-5) are nationally-known for their up-and-down game as they average 94 points while giving up more than 102. Three players are scoring more than 16 points per game as Austin Kenon is averaging 18.2 points, Keith Gabriel is averaging 18.0 points and Michael Sparks is averaging 16.8 points. Ron Burks is scoring 12.2 points while grabbing a team-high 7.0 points per game. The Keydets are getting outrebounded 51.8-38.8 while surrendering a 53.2 shooting percentage to the opposition. They are converting just 41.2 percent of their shots. They are 0-4 on the road this year having lost at Richmond, 103-59, at UNC Wilmington, 115-95, at Virginia Tech, 98-73, and at Seton Hall, 134-107.
