Women's Basketball | 2/14/2018 2:25:00 PM

WHEN: Thursday, 11 a.m.
WHERE: Siegel Center, Richmond, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (19-7, 8-4 Atlantic 10); VCU (6-18, 3-9 Atlantic 10)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads 31-30
LAST MEETING: Mason defeated VCU 70-59 on Jan. 15, 2017 in Fairfax, Va
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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's basketball will get an early start Thursday morning in hopes of collecting win No. 20.

The Patriots head to in-state rival VCU for an 11 a.m. matchup on Thursday at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va., on Education Day. Mason (19-7, 8-4 Atlantic 10) will take its first crack at win No. 20 this season. The Patriots have recorded 20 wins or more in a season just four times in program history.

Mason has won three of four and is coming off a 71-60 victory over Massachusetts on Sunday at home. Graduate student Natalie Butler, the Atlantic 10's leading scorer and the nation's top rebounder, once again had an impressive day, scoring 30 points and grabbing 19 rebounds. It was the second 30-plus point performance of the season and her career for Butler, who has posted 25 straight double-doubles. She was named the A-10 Player of the Week on Monday for the seventh time this season.

The 6-foot-5 center from Fairfax Station, Va., native, leads the country in double-doubles and is on the fourth-longest streak in Division I women's basketball history. She is only the second player in Division I history to have 25 consecutive games or more with a double-double in a season.

Freshman Nicole Cardaño-Hillary added 19 points, including 17 in the second half, and nabbed four steals. The point guard from Madrid, Spain, ranks third in the conference in scoring (17.6 ppg) and first in steals (69).

VCU (6-18, 3-9) is coming off a 77-75 overtime victory over St. Bonaventure at home on Sunday. The Rams had lost their previous two matchups to the conference's top teams – at Dayton and at Duquesne – by 10 points or fewer. Tera Reed leads the team with 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds.

Mason leads the all-time series 31-30 and has won three of the last four meetings, including a 70-59 victory last January in Fairfax. The Patriots, however, have lost the last three games in Richmond, last winning at the Siegel Center on Feb. 26, 2012.