Women's Basketball | 12/30/2017 2:56:00 PM

WHEN: Sunday, 2 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (11-3, 0-0 Atlantic 10); Longwood (5-8, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
SERIES RECORD: Tied at 2-2
LAST MEETING: Mason defeated Davidson 59-55 on Feb. 8, 2017 in Fairfax, Va.
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FAIRFAX, Va. – Riding the momentum of one of their best non-conference seasons in 30 years, the George Mason women's basketball team looks to flip the page on the last day of the calendar year.

The Patriots welcome Davidson at 2 p.m. on Sunday at EagleBank Arena in the Atlantic 10 Conference opener for both teams. The New Year's Eve matinee will also be Princess Day as all children in costume will receive free admission.

Mason (11-3) wrapped up non-conference play on Thursday with a victory over Longwood for their 11th out-of-conference victory – their most in one season since 1987-88. The Patriots also won their 10th straight home game, setting a program record for longest home winning streak. They're off to a 9-0 start at EagleBank Arena this season, setting records for best home start and most consecutive home wins in one year.

Graduate student Natalie Butler leads the Atlantic 10 with 18.6 points a game and ranks first in Division with 13.9 rebounds a game. Her 13 double-doubles (in 13 straight games) are tied for the most in the country. Freshman Nicole Cardano-Hillary ranks third in the A-10 with 17.3 points a game and leads the league with 35 steals.

Mason is 3-1 in A-10 openers and 2-2 in A-10 home openers since joining the league in 2013-14. The Patriots were picked to finish eighth in the Atlantic 10 preseason coaches poll – their highest projected finish since joining the league. They went 6-10 in league play for the second consecutive season last year to finish 10th.

Davidson (5-8) was picked to finish 14th out of 14 teams after going 4-12 in league play last year. The Wildcats are led by first-year head coach Gayle Coats Fulks, who spent the last five years as an assistant coach at Wake Forest. Davidson is coming off a 62-54 loss at Central Florida on Thursday to wrap up non-conference play.

Junior guard Justine Lyon leads Davidson with 16.2 points a game and 24 steals. Senior forward Mackenzie Latt is averaging 13.2 points and 8.0 rebounds. Freshman guard Katie Turner, the reigning A-10 Rookie of the Week, averages 9.9 points and leads the team with 44 assists.

The teams have split the all-time series at 2-2. All four meetings have come in the last three seasons since Davidson joined the A-10 in 2014-15, with the home team winning every time. All four games have been decided by five points or less. The teams played twice last year. Davidson won by four points in North Carolina in January, only to see Mason win by four points three weeks later in Fairfax.