Women's Basketball | 1/9/2019 2:32:00 PM

WHO: George Mason vs. St. Bonaventure
WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (8-6, 0-1 Atlantic 10); St. Bonaventure (3-11, 0-1 Atlantic 10)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads 5-2
LAST MEETING: Mason defeated St. Bonaventure 89-79 on Feb. 27, 2018 in Fairfax, Va.
LIVE VIDEO: Click Here
LIVE STATS: Click Here
GAME NOTES: Click Here  (PDF)
 
SCOUTING ST. BONAVENTURE
The Bonnies (3-11, 0-1 A-10) have lost five in a row and 10 of 11. Theyput up a fight against A-10 preseason favorite Duquense in a 60-54 losson Saturday in Olean, N.Y., as guard Deja Francis scored a career-high20 points. The freshman is averaging 10.1 points a game and also leadsthe Bonnies with 32 assists. St. Bonaventure has three players averagingdouble figures in scoring with senior Mckenna Maycock (10.8 ppg) andfreshman Asianae Johnson (10.0 ppg).

SERIES HISTORY
The Patriots hold a 5-2 edge in a series that began when Mason joined the Atlantic 10 in 2013-14. The Patriots have won the last first four meetings, including all three last season. The teams met twice in the regular season and then again in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship in which Mason prevailed 89-79 at EagleBank Arena. Jacy Bolton scored a career-high 24 points and made a personal-best five 3-pointers to lead the Patriots. Nicole Cardaño-Hillary chipped in 18 points and Marika Korpinen added 12 in addition to then-graduate student Natalie Butler's 20 points and 19 rebounds.

LAST TIME OUT
The Patriots dropped a 67-59 decision at Davidson in the A-10 opener on Sunday. Nicole Cardaño-Hillary led the way with 21 points and Camarie Gatling posted her third career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Junior Jacy Bolton also blocked a career-high five shots and tied a personal-best with five assists. But it wasn't enough as the Patriots fell behind in the fourth quarter and couldn't recover, going scoreless the last 2:44.

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 19.7 points per game. Sophomore forward Camarie Gatling ranks first in the conference in shooting percentage (.558). Junior Jacy Bolton, who has four double-doubles this season, is second in the A-10 with 8.0 rebounds a game. Her 17 rebounds against College of Charleston on New Year's Eve were also the most in the Atlantic 10 this season. She also ranks sixth with 18 blocked shots. She had five against Davidson on Sunday – the most by a Patriot since the 2013-14 season. Sophomore Marika Korpinen is fifth in 3-point shooting percentage (.377).

BLOCK PARTY
Junior Jacy Bolton has blocked 12 shots in the last four games, including a career-high five against Davidson on Sunday. They were the most by a Mason player since Janaa Pickard blocked seven shots against Georgia Southern on Dec. 30, 2013. The 6-foot Bolton has blocked a career-high 18 shots this season after moving to the power forward position. She has 44 career blocked shots, moving to 18th on Mason's all-time list.