WHEN: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Hagan Arena - Philadelphia, Pa.
RECORDS: Mason (12-15, 6-8), Saint Joseph's (12-14, 7-7)
SERIES RECORD: Mason trails, 2-4
LAST MEETING: Mason def. Saint Joseph's, 81-79, on Jan. 10, 2018 in Fairfax
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FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (12-15, 6-8) heads back to Philadelphia for a Wednesday night contest at Saint Joseph's (12-14, 7-7).

Tip-off between the Patriots and Hawks is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday's game will be broadcast on the Saint Joseph's channel of the A-10 Digital Network. In addition, Bill Rohland will provide live audio on the Mason A-10 Digital Network channel, with streaming coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• Mason is 3-7 on the road this season, while Saint Joseph's is 9-2 at home.

• The Patriots have won three of their past five contests.

• Mason is 16-17 (.485) in its past 33 A-10 games after beginning its league tenure with a 12-39 mark (.235) from 2013 to 2016.

• The Patriots are coming off a 69-62 setback at La Salle on Saturday afternoon. Mason shot 62.1 percent in the first half and led 45-32 at halftime. But the Patriots shot just 20.7 percent in the second half (6-29) as La Salle held a +20 (37-17) scoring advantage in the period.

• Mason's put forth another excellent defensive performance on Saturday. The Patriots held the Explorers to just 38.7 percent for the game and 23.8 percent from 3-point range.

• Mason gave up 82.8 points per game and allowed opponents to shoot 47.6 percent over the first nine games of the A-10 schedule (3-6). Over the past five games, the Patriots are holding their opponents to 38.5 percent from the floor, 28.3 percent from beyond the arc and just 68.6 points per game.

• Sophomore Justin Kier led the Patriots with a team-high 19 points and made 9-of-12 field goal attempts. He also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

• Kier is averaging 15.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and shooting 58.6 percent over the past three contests for the Green & Gold.

• Ian Boyd posted 11 points off the bench for Mason and has now scored 10+ points in each of the past two games.

• The Patriots are averaging 21.3 bench points over the past four contests.

• In A-10 play, Mason ranks fifth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.356, 103-289).

• Freshman Goanar Mar is shooting 34.8 percent from 3-point range in A-10 play, compared to 30.8 percent in non-league games.

• Mason is 6-3 in A-10 play when three or more starters score in double figures (note courtesy of Noah Feinstein).

STRONG START, FRUSTRATING FINISH
In the past two road games, the Patriots have jumped out to big leads, but have struggled to hold on in the second half. Mason has led by an average of 11.5 points at halftime at Fordham and La Salle. Then, in the second half, Mason has been outscored by an average of 15 points. In the most recent contest at La Salle, the Patriots shot 61.2 percent in the first half, but made just 6-of-29 field goals in the second as the Explorers held a +20 (37-17) scoring advantage in the final frame.

HISTORY vs. SAINT JOSEPH'S
Wednesday's game marks the seventh all-time meeting between George Mason and Saint Joseph's in men's basketball. The Hawks lead the series 4-2 and the teams have split a pair of meetings in Philadelphia. Mason lost the first four games in the series but has won the past two. In the first matchup this season, Mason defeated the Hawks, 81-79, on Jan. 10 in thrilling fashion. With Mason trailing by one, Otis Livingston II hit a 28-foot buzzer beater to send the Patriots home with the victory. Livingston II posted a game-high 25 points in the game, while Ian Boyd (15 points) and Justin Kier (12 points, 10 rebounds) also played well for the Green & Gold.

HISTORY vs. THE BIG FIVE
Mason is 9-10 all time against members of Philadelphia's "Big Five." Mason is 2-4 against Saint Joseph's, 1-4 against Villanova, 3-2 vs. La Salle and 3-0 vs. Penn. The Patriots have never played Temple. Mason's most memorable Big Five win came in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, when the Green & Gold knocked off Villanova, 61-57, in the Round of 64 in Cleveland, Ohio. Harkening back to the old CAA days, Mason also has battled Philadelphia school Drexel on 22 occasions while amassing a record of 14-8.

A LOOK AT THE HAWKS (12-14, 7-7 A-10; No. 175 RPI, No. 146 KenPom.com)
Saint Joseph's was predicted to finish third out of 14 teams in the A-10 preseason poll.  The Hawks went 5-6 through a non-conference schedule that included a contest against No. 1 Villanova. Saint Joseph's has won three consecutive games to get back to .500 in A-10 play. Saint Joseph's relies heavily on protecting the ball, as the Hawks rank sixth in the nation in turnovers/game (9.7) and third in the nation with fewest turnovers overall (253). The Hawks are led by preseason All-Atlantic 10 Second Team selection Shavar Newkirk, who leads the team in assists (98) and steals (40). He also paces the team in scoring (17.5 ppg). Senior James Demery averages a team-high 18.1 points in A-10 play, while freshman forward Taylor Funk shoots 39.8 percent from 3-point range and averages 12.2 points per contest.

UP NEXT
Mason returns home for a Saturday contest against Massachusetts. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. inside EagleBank Arena. The game will be televised regionally on MASN. Mason won the first meeting between the teams, 80-72 (OT), on Jan. 3 in Amherst.

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