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FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (10-8, 4-1) returns to EagleBank Arena for a Saturday showdown with Fordham.

Tip-off between the Rams and Patriots is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday's game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN+, featuring commentary from "Voice of the Patriots" Bill Rohland. In addition, Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with free audio coverage beginning at  7 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
* Mason is off to its best start in league play (4-1) in its six seasons in the Atlantic 10. The Patriots have won seven of their past nine conference games dating back to last season.

* Last time out, Mason wrapped up its New England road trip with a 2-0 record after knocking off UMass 68-63 Wednesday. The Patriots trailed 54-50 with 6:40 to go, but used a critical 13-2 run from there to power through to victory.

* The Patriots are 3-0 in A-10 road games, tying the team's longest A-10 road winning streak (2016-17). The Patriots have not won four league road games in a row since the 2010-11 NCAA Tournament squad rattled off eight to close the regular season.

* Mason limited the Minutemen to just 28.1 percent (9-32) from beyond the 3-point arc. Mason is 25th nationally in 3-point FG defense (.293) this season and is holding foes to just 20.6 percent from deep in league play (1st in A-10). The Patriots have held five straight opponents below 30 percent from beyond the arc, marking the longest such streak since the 2010-11 season.

* Justin Kier led Mason with a game-high 22 points (8-13 FG) and nine assists at UMass. The A-10 Co-Player of the Week has posted 12+ points in 11 straight games and has double-doubles in six of his past eight contests.

* In A-10 play, Kier, a junior, leads the A-10 in scoring (20.0 ppg) and rebounding (11.8 rpg) and is t-2nd in FT% (.933), fifth in 3-point percentage (.429) and ninth in FG% (.541).

* A-10 All-Defensive Team candidate Javon Greene has played a major role in limiting SJU's Charlie Brown, SBU's Courtney Stockard, Davidson's Kellan Grady, URI's Jeff Dowtin and UMass' Luwane Pipkins to a combined 37.5 percent (27-72) overall and 18.2 percent (6-33) from 3-point range.

* Greene tallied a career-best 19 points (6-11 FG) and grabbed seven rebounds in the win at UMass. Senior Otis Livingston II chipped in 12 points and four assists and made critical free throws (7-8) down the stretch.

* With a start vs. Fordham, Livingston II will tie Mason great Will Thomas (2004-08)  for the most career starts in school history (118).

LOCKDOWN D PUSHING PATRIOTS TO MID-SEASON SUCCESS
Over the past eight games, Mason is holding its opponents to 59.9 ppg and a combined 37 percent (198-457) shooting mark. Patriot foes averaged 75 points and shot 47.3 percent over the first 10 games of 2018-19. After the solid streak, Mason is now allowing teams less than one point per possession (.993), putting the Patriots in the top-100 nationally in defensive efficiency. Teams post an effective field goal percentage ((FG+0.5*3P)/FGA)  of just 48.2%, which is 73rd-best nationally. That number improves to just 42.4 percent in A-10 play (1st in the league), while Mason allows .902 points/possession in league play (2nd in A-10). Mason is 8-2 this season when holding its opponent under 70 points.

IT'S MILLER TIME!
Due to the foot injury to starter Goanar Mar, freshman Jordan Miller saw his first action of the year at URI and dazzled with 14 points (6-8 FG). Miller's scoring total is the highest in a Mason debut in more than a decade. He's averaging 10.5 points and shooting 61.5 percent in 26 minutes/game over his first two contests.

HISTORY vs. FORDHAM
Saturday's matchup marks the 10th all-time meeting between Mason and Fordham. The Rams hold a 7-2 advantage in the series, although the Patriots have won two of the past three matchups. The teams have split a pair of meetings in Fairfax, while the Rams have captured two of the three games in the A-10 Tournament. Mason earned its first ever A-10 Tournament win over Fordham with an 82-71 overtime victory in Pittsburgh on March 9, 2017. This past season, Mason led by as many as 17 in the first half and 10 at the break, but Fordham hit 10 3-pointers in the second half to win 67-66 in the Bronx on Feb. 17, 2018. Otis Livingston II tallied 16 points and seven assists, while Ian Boyd added 15 points and seven rebounds. Livingston II has posted at least 16 points in each of the past three meetings with the Rams.

A LOOK AT THE RAMS (9-8, 0-4 Atlantic 10; KenPom No. 219, NET No. 223)
Fordham was picked to finish 14th in the 2018-19 Atlantic 10 preseason poll. The Rams posted a 9-4 non-conference record, including a 78-70 win over Rutgers, but have dropped their first four conference contests. The Rams average .983 points/possession (259th nationally) and are one of the most deliberate teams in the nation, with a 340th ranking in tempo and an average possession length of 19.7 seconds (346th). The Rams use their swarming defensive style to force a turnover on 17.8 percent of opponent possessions (93rd nationally) and get 38.9 percent of their points from beyond the arc (37th nationally). Freshman Nick Honor leads the team in scoring (15.8 ppg) and shoots 34.5 percent from 3-point range, while Saint Peter's transfer Antwon Portley chips in 11.6 points, a team-high 2.9 assists and shoots 37.9 percent from deep. Freshman Jalen Cobb is at 10.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per contest.

UP NEXT
Mason heads back on the road for a Wednesday contest in one of the A-10's most raucous road venues. The Patriots will battle Dayton inside UD Arena at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN+ and locally on Spectrum News One in Ohio.