WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (2-1, 0-0 A-10), American (2-1, 0-0 Patriot)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads, 30-21
LAST MEETING: American defeated Mason, 86-71, on Nov. 14, 2018 at Bender Arena in Washington, D.C.
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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's basketball team wraps up its three-game homestand on Thursday against American.
 
Tip-off between the Eagles and Patriots is scheduled for 7 p.m. at EagleBank Arena. Thursday's game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN+, featuring commentary from Bill Rohland. In addition, Shawn Ouellete will call the game on GoMason Digital Network, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.
 
PATRIOT POINTS
* Last time out, Mason defeated Detroit Mercy 75-62 at home on Saturday. The Patriots outscored the Titans 27-12 in a decisive third quarter.
 
* Senior Jacy Bolton scored a season-high 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting (.538) to go along with eight rebounds, four assists and three steals against the Titans.
 
* Junior Nicole Cardaño-Hillary tallied 11 of her 19 points in the third quarter – going 4-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from behind the arc. She currently ranks second in the A-10 in points (16.3) and steals (2.7) per game.
 
* Four Patriots finished in double figures vs. Detroit Mercy: Bolton (19 pts), Cardaño-Hillary (19 pts), Camarie Gatling (14 pts) and Marika Korpinen (10 pts). Mason is 2-0 when four players finish in double figures.
 
* With three three-pointers against Detroit Mercy, senior Sarah Kaminski now sits fourth in program history in career three-point field goals made (144). She is two three-pointers away from moving into a third-place tie with Krista Jay (1994-98) with 146 treys made.
 
* The Patriots rank second in the conference in turnover margin (3.33), averaging 13.3 turnovers a game compared to their opponents' average of 16.7. Through three games last season, Mason was averaging 18.7 turnovers a game.
 
* Mason and American will meet for the 52nd time in program history. Since Mason's second season as a program in 1974-75, the Patriots lead the all-time series 30-21, including a home record of 18-7 vs. the Eagles.
 
* Cardaño-Hillary began the season 14th all-time in Mason program history with 1,218 points. With 28 points, she can crack the top-10 and tie Toni Battle (1987-91) with 1,295 points.
 
* Cardaño-Hillary was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award watch list on Oct. 21, given to the nation's top point guard. She led the A-10 and was 21st in the country in scoring (20.4) last season.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The former Colonial Athletic Association foes have met 51 times since Mason's second season as a program in 1974-75 for one of the Patriots' longest running rivalries. The Eagles defeated the Patriots 86-71 in their most recent meeting last year on Nov. 14, 2018 in Washington, D.C. Mason last hosted American on Nov. 20, 2017, resulting in a 71-53 victory for the Patriots. All-time, Mason leads the series 30-21 and boasts an 18-7 home record against the Eagles.
 
SCOUTING AMERICAN
American (2-1) picked up a gritty win over High Point (1-3) on Monday to close out their two-game home stretch. For the second consecutive game, it was sophomore Jade Edwards who paced the way for AU, tying her career-high from Thursday's win over Villanova with 24 points. Sophomore Emily Fisher also came off a career-high 22 points against Villanova, but was held to only two points by the Panthers.
 
The Eagles rank first in the Patriot League in field goal percentage (.450) and sit second in free throw percentage (.739). If there is a point of struggle for AU, it comes from behind the arc. The Eagles are only shooting 27.1 percent from three, which ranks eighth in the Patriot League.
 
The Eagles landed back in the Patriot League Championship game last season after sharing the regular-season title with eventual champion Bucknell. AU closed the season with its second consecutive postseason appearance and fourth in the last six years under head coach Megan Gebbia with a trip to Penn for the WNIT First Round. American lost three starters to graduation, including 2019 Patriot League Player of the Year Cecily Carl, All-League selection Elina Koskimies, and Kaitlyn Lewis. The Eagles were selected to finish fifth in the Patriot League in the 2019-20 preseason poll.
 
LAST TIME OUT
A pair of scoring runs in the third period by George Mason proved to be the deciding factor in a 75-62 home victory over Detroit Mercy on Saturday afternoon. Mason improved to 2-1 on the young season while Detroit Mercy dropped to 0-4 overall. Four Patriots finished in double figures with Bolton and Cardaño-Hillary each contributing 19 points in the contest. Gatling chipped in a season-high 14 points while Korpinen notched 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting.
 
Senior Sarah Kaminski finished with three three-point field goals to now sit fourth all-time in career three-pointers made with 144. She also added a career-high nine rebounds.
 
UP NEXT
Mason hits the road for a Sunday contest against Penn State on Nov. 24. Tip-off between the Nittany Lions and Patriots is scheduled for 2 p.m.