WHAT: George Mason Women's Basketball vs. St. Bonaventure
WHEN: Saturday, 2 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (8-6, 1-0 Atlantic 10), St. Bonaventure (6-7, 1-0 Atlantic 10)
SERIES RECORD: St. Bonaventure leads 2-1
LAST MEETING: St. Bonaventure defeated Mason 70-55 on Jan., 16, 2016 in Olean, N.Y.
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FAIRFAX, Va. – For the first time since before Thanksgiving, the George Mason women's basketball will play a game in EagleBank Arena.
And a conference foe will be awaiting the Patriots.
With non-conference play ending earlier this week, Mason hosts its Atlantic 10 home opener at 2 p.m. on Saturday at EagleBank Arena against St. Bonaventure. The Patriots have played just one game in Fairfax since Nov. 23 and that came in the Recreation and Athletic Complex (RAC) on Dec. 20 as EagleBank was being used for winter commencement.
Mason (8-6, 1-0 A-10) returns from a two-game swing down in Miami at the FIU Holiday Classic. The Patriots split the tournament, falling to Drexel 82-71 on Tuesday before defeating host FIU 67-51 on Wednesday.
The Patriots, winners of five of seven, closed out non-conference play with a 7-6 record. They won four non-conference road games – their most since 1993-94. They've also collected five road wins already – they played A-10 foe Massachusetts on Dec. 4 – for their most in one season since 2005-06.
Redshirt sophomore
Casey Davis has been on a tear lately. The 6-foot-2 forward from Gambrills, Md., is averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds in her last three games. That is a stark contrast to her first nine games in which she averaged just 3.2 points and 3.3 rebounds.
Her emergence started on Dec. 20 with her first career double-double in a 68-64 overtime victory over Navy at the RAC. She set career highs with 16 points and 16 rebounds, notching the most rebounds in a game by a Mason player in three years. The next game, against Drexel at the FIU Holiday Classic, she improved her career high with 20 points while also grabbing seven rebounds. She also scored six points and hauled in seven rebounds against FIU.
The Bonnies (6-7, 1-0 A-10) are coming off a 78-69 win at home against Rhode Island on Wednesday to open Atlantic 10 play. Matea Britvar led the way with 24 points and 11 rebounds and Gabby Richmond added 22 points. Point guard Mariah Ruff perhaps had the most-rounded game, though, with 19 points, a career-high 10 assists, six rebounds and four steals.
Ruff leads the team with 13.6 points per game and 4.3 assists per game, which ranks fifth in the A-10. The junior is the lone starter back from last year's team that went 24-8 overall, 12-4 in A-10 play and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Former Bowling Green assistant Jesse Fleming, who graduated from St. Bonaventure and spent 11 years with the team starting as a student manager, is in his first year as head coach.
The Bonnies lead the all-time series 2-1, winning the teams' most recent meeting 70-55 on Jan. 16, 2016 in Olean, N.Y. In St. Bonaventure's lone trip to Fairfax two years ago, Mason won 68-55 in overtime on Jan. 14, 2015 after
Taylor Brown sank a game-tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation. The Patriots are 1-2 in A-10 home openers.
