WHAT: George Mason Women's Basketball vs. George Washington
WHEN: Wednesday, 11 a.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (9-8, 2-2 Atlantic 10), George Washington (10-6, 3-1 Atlantic 10)
SERIES RECORD: George Washington leads 17-10
LAST MEETING: George Washington defeated Mason 78-48 in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament on March 4, 2016 in Richmond, Va.
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FAIRFAX, Va. – The first of two chapters of the Revolutionary Rivalry this season will get an early tip on Wednesday morning.
The Patriots host George Washington at 11 a.m. on Wednesday for School Day at EagleBank Arena. Hundreds of elementary school students from area schools will be in attendance to participate in an educational, reading-related trip. Each student will receive a free Mason bookmark. In addition, students of schools who purchased tickets 24 hours in advance will receive a free copy of the book, "The Last Akaway." Author Gary Karton will be on hand to sign autographs from 10-11 a.m.
Mason and GW will be meeting on the court for the 27th time. The Colonials lead the all-time series 17-10 and have won the last eight meetings, including seven in the last three years since the Patriots joined the Atlantic 10 Conference. George Washington ended Mason's season last year in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament, winning 78-48 on March 4, 2016 in Richmond, Va., en route to claiming the tournament crown.
The Colonials (10-6, 3-1 A-10) have won three of four but are coming off their first A-10 loss of the season, a 50-48 setback at Dayton on Sunday. Senior Caira Washington leads the team with 11.6 points and 8.1 rebounds a game and ranks second in the A-10 with 37 blocks. The 6-foot-2 forward is second all-time in program history with 985 rebounds. Earlier this season, she passed current Mason assistant and former GW All-American
Tajama Abraham Ngongba, who was previously second on the list as she grabbed 970 rebounds from 1994-97.
GW won the A-10 tournament and a share of the regular-season title last year. The Colonials are led by first-year coach Jennifer Rizzotti, who spent the previous 17 seasons as the head coach at Hartford. She was the 1996 Associated Press National Player of the Year and a two-time All-American point guard at Connecticut, helping the Huskies to their first national championship in 1995.
Mason (9-8, 2-2) looks to snap a two-game losing skid. The Patriots have lost back-to-back conference games after winning their first two conference games for the first time since 2003-04 when still members of the Colonial Athletic Association. Mason suffered a 53-49 loss to Fordham at home on Saturday.
Senior
Kara Wright posted her fourth double-double of the season and her career with 16 points and a career-high tying 11 rebounds and freshman
Alexsis Grate added 11 points and four assists – both matching career highs. But after taking the lead late in the fourth quarter, the Patriots scored just three points over the last 3:23 as Fordham (13-5 4-0) stayed undefeated in conference play.
