Jan. 18, 2010

The George Mason men's basketball team will look to win back-to-back road games for the first time this season on Tuesday night when the Patriots take on Hofstra in a game televised on ESPNU and broadcast on WTNT 570 AM. Mason (11-7, 6-1) is in a four-way tie for first in the Colonial Athletic Association but is just 2-4 on the road this year. Hofstra (9-10, 2-5) is looking to snap out of a three-game losing streak and is 6-3 at home on the year.

Mason won the last time it played on the road, beating James Madison 82-71 on Saturday. That allowed the Patriots to run their winning streak to three and they are 7-2 in their past nine games. Those two losses were road losses, by 27 at Radford (12/30) and by 25 at Northeastern (1/7). The defeat at Northeastern is Mason's lone CAA loss of the season. The Patriots are tied with the Huskies, Old Dominion and William & Mary for first in the conference.

Hofstra last won on January 6 when they beat Towson at home, 77-61. Since then, the Pride lost at Old Dominion, 57-46, at home to VCU, 81-68, and at William & Mary, 73-66. They have lost five of six this calendar year, including a 67-63 loss at Patriot Center on Jan. 4. In that game, Hofstra freshmen Chaz Williams and Halil Kanacevic had big-time performances. Williams had 20 points on 8 of 9 shooting while Kanacevic had 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Despite the strong play of those freshmen, Mason did manage to keep Charles Jenkins to just 11 points in that game. He leads the CAA in scoring at more than 18 points per game and he is currently on pace to break the Hofstra school record for points in a career. He is one of just eight players in the nation averaging 18 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Mason leads the all-time series 9-7 and the Patriots have won the past four meetings. That includes two wins at Patriot Center, one at the CAA Tournament and one in Hempstead, a double-overtime win in 2008. Mason is 2-4 all-time at Hofstra.