WHEN: Friday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (5-7), Morgan State (4-6)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads, 2-1
LAST MEETING: Mason def. Morgan State, 76-63, in Fairfax, Va. on Dec. 1, 1994
LIVE VIDEO: A-10 Digital Network ($)
LIVE AUDIO: A-10 Digital Network
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)
TICKETS: Click here

BRING A FRIEND: Bring a Friend for Free!  Mason students can bring one friend for free to the student entrance on the North concourse at EagleBank Arena. Valid for all home games until spring semester classes begin.
BOOK DRIVE: Bring a Book, Get a Bobblehead! Bring a new or gently used book for children ages 9-11 to a Mason men's or women's basketball game between now and Jan. 13 and receive a bobblehead (while supplies last). Drop off books at the Ticket Information booth located on the South Concourse of EagleBank Arena now through January 13.

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team concludes the non-conference portion of its schedule with a Friday night contest vs. MEAC foe Morgan State.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Bears is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside EagleBank Arena. Friday's game will be broadcast on the A-10 Digital Network, which is available via subscription. In addition, a free audio stream will be featured on GoMason.com, with commentary from Bill Rohland. Pre-game coverage begins at 6:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• Mason is 4-3 at home this season while the Bears are 2-6 in road games in 2017-18.

• The Patriots are coming off a 72-54 setback to Penn State on Sunday afternoon inside EagleBank Arena.

• Mason shot 25.9 percent from the floor in the first half, allowing Penn State to build a 38-18 halftime lead.

• Sophomore Justin Kier led the Patriots with a team-high 17 points and made all nine of his free throw attempts. He's scored 10+ points in each of the past three games and is averaging a team-high 14.3 points during that span.

• Junior Jaire Grayer posted 13 points and nine rebounds vs. PSU, marking the eighth time in 12 games he's recorded at least 10 points and eight boards.

• Mason tinkered with its starting lineup Sunday for the first time this season, replacing Ian Boyd with Greg Calixte. The 6-8 freshman tallied four points and four rebounds in a career-best 23 minutes.

• The Patriots were 0-of-14 from 3-point range vs. PSU and are now 4-of-37 (.108) over the past two contests.

• Over the past eight games (2-6), Mason is shooting 41.1 percent from the floor and 28.1 percent from 3-point territory. Opponents are at 45.7 percent and 34.6 percent, respectively.

•  The Green & Gold are 0-5 when they shoot less than 40 percent from the field this season (5-2 when above 40 percent).

• From 3-point range, Mason also is just 2-5 when it shoots under 35 percent from deep (3-2 when over 35 percent).

• Three of the top-10 free throw shooters in the A-10 reside in the Mason starting lineup. Mar (.830, 5th), Livingston II (.818, 8th) and Kier (.816, 9th) all are having outstanding seasons at the line for the Green & Gold.

"MOVE THE BALL!"
When Mason's offense grows stagnant in the half court, head coach Dave Paulsen often can be heard imploring his players to "Move the Ball!"  When looking at statistics, it's clear that he's on to something. This season, when Mason posts at least 10 assists in a game, the Patriots are 5-2. But when dishing out less than 10, the Patriots are 0-5. The games in that 0-5 group also tend to be contests in which the Patriots have trouble scoring. When Mason scores less than 65 points, the team is 0-5. The Green & Gold are 5-2 when scoring more than 65 points in a game.

BOZEMAN TIES TO THE GREEN & GOLD
Morgan State head coach Todd Bozeman served one year as a part-time assistant coach at George Mason during the 1987-88 campaign under head coach Ernie Nestor. He then went on to the University of California from 1992-96, where he led the Golden Bears to the Sweet 16 and mentored former NBA stars Jason Kid, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Lamond Murray.

HISTORY vs. MORGAN STATE
Friday's game marks the fourth all-time matchup between Mason and Morgan State on the hardwood, although the teams have not met since the 1993-94 campaign. The Patriots have won two of the three meetings, all of which have been played in Fairfax.

HISTORY vs. MEAC OPPONENTS
Mason is 25-24 (.510) all time against teams currently in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Mason's most common opponents are Coppin State (8-14), Howard (6-4) and Hampton (4-1). The majority of the meetings vs. Coppin State came when the Patriots and Eagles were members of NAIA District 19 in the early 1970s. The Patriots already played a MEAC foe this season, earning a 77-65 victory over NC Central on Dec. 9.

A LOOK AT THE BEARS (4-6, 0-0 MEAC)
Morgan State, picked to win the MEAC, got off to a 4-2 start but have since lost their last four prior to Friday's matchup at EagleBank Arena. The Bears have reinforcements on the way as 2016-17 All-MEAC First Team selection Tiwian Kendley may make his season debut Friday night. Kendley averaged 21.0 ppg last season for Morgan State. In his absence, senior forward Phillip Carr has been the Bears' most productive player, checking in third in the MEAC in rebounds per game (8.3), eighth in the MEAC in total rebounds (83). He leads the team in scoring at 12.3 ppg. Carr also has notched four double-doubles, which is the third most in the conference. Friday marks Morgan State's third to last non-conference game of the season, a portion of the schedule where all but two games are played on the road.

UP NEXT
Mason opens Atlantic 10 play on Saturday, December 30 vs. preseason league favorite Rhode Island. Tip-off in Kingston, R.I., is set for 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Atlantic 10 Network.

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