WHEN: Friday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (5-6), Navy (3-6)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads, 14-9
LAST MEETING: Mason def. Navy, 93-86, on March 3, 1991
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ ($)
LIVE AUDIO: Mason Digital Network 
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)
TICKETS: Click here

1/2 PRICE TICKETS/CANNED FOOD DRIVE: Mason Athletics is collecting non-perishable food items in support of the Social Ministry at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church. Items in need include:  shelf milk, flour, sugar, cooking oils, paper products, baby wipes. Bring an item to donate and receive 50% off regular priced tickets.
GAME OF THE WEEK: Mason Sillipint Cup for George Mason students with valid Mason ID.
STUDENTS BRING-A-FRIEND: Mason students can bring a friend to the game for free.

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team matches up with Navy for the first time since 1991 when the Patriots host the Midshipmen Friday night inside EagleBank Arena.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Midshipmen is set for 7 p.m. Friday's game will be streamed nationally on ESPN+. An ESPN+ subscription, with access to all Mason home events and select away events, as well as NHL/MLB/College Sports and more, can be purchased for $4.99/month. In addition on Friday, "Voice of the Patriots" Bill Rohland's audio stream will be available for free via GoMason.com. Pre-game coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. via GoMason.com.

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots have won three of their past four games. During that stretch, Mason is shooting 48.3 percent from the floor and holding opponents to an improved 42.5 percent. Mason is averaging 8.3 steals and has a positive turnover margin (+1.3) during the stretch.

• Mason last took the court two weeks ago (Dec. 7), when the Green & Gold upended former CAA rival James Madison, 66-53.

• Mason held the Dukes to just 32.1 percent shooting (18-56), including a paltry 27.8 percent mark in the second half. The Patriots turned 11 steals into a 12-3 edge in fast break points.

• Senior Otis Livingston II tallied a game-high 21 points in the win, grabbed five rebounds and made all seven of his free throw attempts. In the process, Livingston II jumped three spots on the Mason all-time scoring list. He's now seventh with 1,582 career points.

• Junior Justin Kier added his first double-double of the season with 16 points and a season-best 11 rebounds. He also tallied a career-best six steals and four assists against James Madison. JMU is just 20 minutes from his hometown of Grottoes, Va.

• Over the past four games, Kier is averaging 19.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 steals while shooting 60.9 percent (25-46) from the floor.

• Among the A-10's top-10 field goal percentage leaders, Kier is the only guard on the list (10th; 54.8 percent, 57-104). He's averaging 23.5 points and shooting 75 percent from the floor (18-24) over the past two games.

• Livingston II needs just 10 points Friday to pass Sherrod Wright and move into sixth place on the all-time Mason scoring list.

• Mason had just 11 turnovers vs. James Madison. The Patriots are 5-1 this season when they commit fewer than 15 turnovers and 0-5 when the turnover count is above 15.

PROTECTING THE BALL MARKS KEY TO SUCCESS
This season, the turnover bug has plagued the Patriots in losses. In wins, Mason averages just 11.6 turnovers per game. But in losses, that number balloons to 16.7. The Green & Gold are 5-1 this season when committing less than 15 turnovers, but 0-5 when the team makes 15 or more miscues.

HISTORY vs. NAVY
Friday's game marks the 24th game between the two institutions in men's basketball. Friday marks the first meeting in 27 years. In the last matchup in 1991, the Patriots defeated the Midshipmen in the CAA Tournament 93-86 (OT). Mason is 7-3 when facing Navy at home, 6-6 when traveling to Annapolis, and 1-0 at neutral sites. The Patriots and Midshipmen met twice in CAA Tournament play and split that pair of meetings. The Patriots have won nine straight in the series. Prior to their CAA days, both schools participated in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference South (ECACS), beginning in the early 1980s. The two teams both entered the CAA in the same season (1985-86) and remained in the same conference for six years until the Midshipmen moved to the Patriot League in the 1991-92 season.

During the mid-1980s, legendary forward David Robinson battled against the Patriots. Throughout his junior and senior seasons, Robinson averaged 23.4 points and 14.0 rebounds against the Green & Gold. Robinson competed in nine career games vs. Mason. During his senior campaign, the Naismith and Wooden Award winner tallied 33 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks for the Midshipmen in a Feb. 9, 1987 matchup with the Patriots in Annapolis.

HISTORY vs. PATRIOT LEAGUE OPPONENTS
Mason is 65-33 (.663) all time against teams currently in the Patriot League. The Patriots' most common opponents are American (31-11), Navy (14-9) and Loyola (14-9). The Green & Gold have posted a 7-4 record against head coach Dave Paulsen's former team - Bucknell. In the most recent matchup with a Patriot League foe, Mason fell to American in overtime (78-75) on Nov. 9 in Fairfax.

A LOOK AT THE MIDSHIPMEN (3-6, 0-0 Patriot; KenPom No. 316, NET No. 267)
Navy was picked to finish third out of 10 teams in the Patriot League in the league's 2018-19 preseason poll. The Midshipmen have started the season 3-6, with victories over Coppin St. (77-58), Bryant (83-79) and Delaware (80-65). Sophomore guard Cam Davis leads the Midshipmen in scoring (11.4 ppg) and minutes (30.6 mpg). Navy leads the Patriot League in offensive rebounds (106), averaing 11.8 per game. The Midshipmen are also effective from the charity stripe, leading the Patriot League in free throw percentage (.762). Senior forward George Kiernan shoots a team-high 88.5 percent from the line and currently sits second on the team in scoring (10.8 ppg).

UP NEXT
Mason heads to the "Little Apple" for a contest against Big 12 foe and 2018 NCAA Elite Eight participant Kansas State on December 29 in Manhattan, Kan. Tip-off between the Patriots and Wildcats is set for 8 p.m (EST) in the Sunflower State. The game will be streamed nationally on ESPN3 and also will be televised on Fox Sports Kansas City.

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