Women's Basketball | 1/5/2019 11:48:00 AM

WHO: George Mason at Davidson
WHEN: Sunday, 2 p.m.
WHERE: Belk Arena, Davidson, N.C.
RECORDS: Mason (8-5, 0-0 Atlantic 10); Davidson (6-7, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads 3-2
LAST MEETING: Mason defeated Davidson 74-61 on Dec. 31, 2017 in Fairfax, Va.
LIVE VIDEO: Click Here
LIVE STATS: Click Here
GAME NOTES: Click Here (PDF)

A-10 PLAY BEGINS
The Patriots open Atlantic 10 play on Sunday at Davidson. Mason is 4-1 in A-10 openers – all under head coach Nyla Milleson – since joining the conference in 2013-14. In A-10 road openers, the Patriots are 3-2, winning three straight. Mason was picked to finish eighth in the conference in the A-10 preseason coaches poll. The Patriots return three starters and nine letterwinners from a 2017-18 team that finished a program-best fourth in the A-10, won a school-record 24 games and reached the second round of the WNIT. Davidson was picked to finish 11th in the A-10 after taking ninth last year for its best finish since joining the league in 2014-15.

SCOUTING DAVIDSON
The Wildcats (6-7) have lost two straight and last played on Sunday, falling to then-No. 9 North Carolina State 75-45 in Raleigh, N.C. Davidson is led by the inside-out combo of sophomores Katie Turner (12.9 ppg) and Sarah Donovan (12.5 ppg). Donovan is tied with Mason's Jacy Bolton atop the A-10 with 8.2 rebounds a game. Turner also ranks second in the league with 4.2 assists per game. Seniors Justine Lyon (12.1 ppg) and Kianna Speight (11.5) also average in double figures scoring.

SERIES HISTORY
The Patriots hold a 3-2 edge in a series that has been tightly contested since Davidson joined the Atlantic 10 in 2014-15. The first four match­ups were decided by five points or less. Last season, Mason erased a 21-point deficit and rallied to a 74-61 victory in Fairfax on Dec. 31, 2017 to open A-10 play. Four players scored in double figures, highlighted by a 19-point, 28 rebound effort from then-graduate student Natalie Butler. She set the school for rebounds in a game and tied the Atlantic 10 record set in 1985. Guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary also added 18 points as the Patriots won their second straight in the series.

ATLANTIC 10 LEADERS
Several Patriots are among the league's best in numerous statistical categories. Sophomore Nicole Cardaño-Hillary leads the Atlantic 10 in scoring with 19.6 points per game. Sophomore forward Camarie Gatling ranks first in the conference in shooting percentage (.573). Junior Jacy Bolton, who has four double-doubles this season, is tied for first in the A-10 with 8.2 rebounds a game. Her 17 rebounds against College of Charleston on New Year's Eve on Monday were also the most in the Atlantic 10 this season. Sophomore Marika Korpinen is fifth in 3-point shooting percentage (.380).

LAST TIME OUT
The Patriots ended 2018 with a 66-52 victory over College of Charleston on New Year's Eve to cap off a three-game homestand. Sophomore guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary led the way with 19 points. Junior Jacy Bolton also posted her fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. Sophomores Camarie Gatling and Marika Korpinen each scored 11 points as the Patriots never trailed and closed out non-conference play with an 8-5 mark.