WHEN: Friday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (1-0), Longwood (1-0)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads, 2-0
LAST MEETING: Mason def. Longwood, 97-60, on Dec. 12, 2016.
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF) 
TICKETS: Click here

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (1-0) returns to EagleBank Arena for a Family Weekend matchup with Longwood University on Friday night.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Lancers is set for 7 p.m. Friday's game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN+, featuring commentary from Steve Kolbe. In addition, Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network. Pregame coverage will begin at 6:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• With a win, Mason would begin the season 2-0 for the first time since 2013-14.

• The Patriots opened the 2019-20 campaign with a 68-55 victory over Navy Tuesday night. In the overtime contest, Mason held a +13 scoring edge (16-3) in the extra session.

• With the victory, the Patriots improved to 31-23 (.574) all time in season openers and 20-8 in home debuts.

• Forward AJ Wilson led Mason with his third career double-double (15 pts, 11 reb) and tallied five blocks in the win.

• Freshman guard Xavier Johnson tallied 15 points (5-7 FG), four assists and two steals in 30 minutes. Xavier's 15-point effort marked the highest scoring total in a Mason freshman debut since George Evans had 15 vs. Howard in November 1997.

• Sophomore Jamal Hartwell II added 12 points (4-10 3pt FG), including a big 3-pointer to send the game into overtime, and junior Javon Greene added 11 points, five assists and three steals. Greene hit two big 3-pointers to ice the game in the extra session.

• In the win over Navy, head coach Dave Paulsen picked up his 200th career Division I victory. That total includes 134 victories at Bucknell and 66 at George Mason. Paulsen has recorded 462 wins overall in his career in 26 seasons.

OTIS OUT, HARTWELL II/JOHNSON IN
The opener vs. Navy marked the first time since Nov. 13, 2016, that Otis Livingston II did not start for Mason at point guard. Livingston II played all 132 games of head coach Dave Paulsen's first four seasons in Fairfax and left  Mason second all-time in assists (493), fourth in scoring (1,865 pts) and first in free throw percentage (.859).

Mason has replaced Livingston II with a two-headed attack of speed and power. On the speed side, sophomore Jamal Hartwell II gets the starting nod, and played 39 minutes in the opener vs. Navy. He hit four 3-pointers, including a critical one with 50 seconds left and Mason down 52-49 that helped send the game into overtime. On the power side, freshman Xavier Johnson posted a game-high 15 points (5-7 FG), tallied four assists and locked in on defense in 30 minutes of action. In addition, Hartwell II and Johnson played together for stretches of Tuesday's game.

NEW D, WHO DIS?
Head coach Dave Paulsen has unveiled a new full-court pressure defense in 2019-20, and the results have been impressive to date. Through two games (ex. vs. Catholic and vs. Navy), Mason opponents are averaging 19 turnovers per game. The pressure defense also is forcing opponents to enter their halfcourt offense later in the shot clock. As a result, those two opponents have combined to shoot 28.6 percent (30-105) from the floor and 17.9 percent (7-39) from 3.

WILSON READY FOR BIGGER ROLE IN MASON LINEUP
Redshirt-junior AJ Wilson has dazzled Mason fans with acrobatic dunks and huge blocks during his first two seasons in Fairfax while averaging 11.2 minutes per game. In 2019-20, Wilson will look to impact Mason with a stronger all-around presence after an outstanding summer and fall of work. The Laurel, Md., product started both Mason's closed scrimmage vs. Towson and open exhibition vs. Catholic and broke out for the Patriots with 15 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks in 30 minutes vs. Navy.

HISTORY vs. LONGWOOD
Mason and Longwood will meet for the third time Friday night. Most recently, the Patriots stormed past the Lancers during Dave Paulsen's second season leading the Green & Gold. In a 97-60 triumph in Fairfax on Dec. 12, 2016, Marquise Moore, Otis Livingston II and Jaire Grayer each tallied 17 points, while then-sophomore Justin Kier added 12 points. The win was Mason's eighth victory in a row in what would eventually peak as a nine-game winning streak. The Patriots would go on to win 20 games and post nine A-10 victories.. In 2015-16 in Paulsen's first season, Mason won 75-70 in Fairfax.

A LOOK AT THE LANCERS (1-0, 0-0 BIG SOUTH)
Longwood was picked to finish sixth out of 11 teams in the 2019-20 Big South preseason poll. In 2018-19, the Lancers won the second-most games in program annals (16), advanced to the postseason for the first time (CBI) and won a game in that tournament over Southern Miss. The Lancers welcome back two of their top scorers from that team in Shabooty Phillips (14.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.8 apg) and Jaylon Wilson (11.0 ppg, .495 FG%) to the roster in 2019-20. The Lancers opened the season with a 73-51 win over Div. III Marymount on Tuesday. Sophomore Christian Wilson led Longwood with 12 points in the victory.

HISTORY vs. IN-STATE DIV. I OPPONENTS
Friday's game marks the 394th all-time game for Mason against an in-state, Div. I foe. The Patriots are 183-210 (.466) vs. Commonwealth opponents over the past 53 seasons. Harkening back to its CAA history, Mason's most common in-state opponents are James Madison (48-50), William & Mary (40-28), Richmond (25-37), VCU (20-41) and Old Dominion (21-36). This season, Mason will host Longwood and James Madison, and play home-and-homes with A-10 Virginia schools Richmond and VCU.

UP NEXT
Mason plays its third home game of 2019-20 when the Patriots host Long Island University on Wednesday (Nov. 13). Tip-off in EagleBank Arena is set for 7 p.m.

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