WHEN: Friday, 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: Reitz Arena, Baltimore, Md.
RECORDS: Mason (1-0, 0-0 A-10), Loyola (0-1, 0-0 Patriot)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads, 8-3
LAST MEETING: Mason defeated Loyola, 70-38, on Nov. 6, 2018 in Fairfax
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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's basketball team travels to Baltimore for a Friday morning matchup against Loyola (Md.). Tip-off is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at Reitz Arena for Field Trip Day.

Friday's game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN+. In addition, Brian McSweeney will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with pre-game coverage beginning at 11:20 a.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
* Mason kicked off the Blair-Lewis era with a thrilling 69-67 win over FIU on Tuesday in Miami, Fla. Senior transfer Amaya Scott scored the go-ahead basket with less than a minute remaining as Mason's defense held strong on the final play.

* Head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis became the third Mason women's basketball head coach to earn a victory in their Mason coaching debut, joining Jim Wolfe/Jim Conklin (1974-75) and Becky Burch (1976-77). She also improved to 3-0 in her head coaching debuts, with previous first wins at Mount St. Mary's in 1998 (67-45 vs. UMBC) and Bethune-Cookman in 2008 (68-56 vs. North Florida).

* Junior Jordan Wakefield led the Patriots with a career-high 17 points. She went a personal-best 8-of-8 from the free throw line. It marked the second-most free throws made in the A-10 this season.

* Scott finished with 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting. She pulled down six rebounds and added two steals in her Patriot debut. It marked the 41st double-digit scoring performance of her career.

* Redshirt sophomore Jayla Adams dished out seven of Mason's 14 assists against FIU, tying her career high. It marked the second-most assists in the A-10 this season. She added eight points in 31 minutes of play in her Patriot debut.

* Wakefield, Scott and junior Tamia Lawhorne all finished in double-figures. Lawhorne recorded six of her 10 points in the second quarter, and finished 5-of-10 from the floor overall.

* The Patriots shot 48.0 percent from the field (24-50) but made just two three-pointers on 12 attempts (.167).

* Mason made 19-of-24 free throw attempts (.792) while holding its opponent to just 11 trips to the charity stripe (7-11 FT). Along with Wakefield's perfect showing, sophomore Taylor Jameson went 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

* With a 69-67 win over FIU in Miami, the Patriots earned their first road win since Feb. 22, 2020.

* Mason returns nine letterwinners including five players who started at least 10 games during the 2020-21 campaign. That group also consists of five players who averaged at least 5.0 points per game: Marika Korpinen (9.3), Jordan Wakefield (6.4), Jazmyn Doster (5.7), Taylor Jameson (5.7) and Rachel Balzer (5.6).

* The Patriots welcome five newcomers to the 2021-22 roster. That group includes four transfers: senior Amaya Scott (Bethune-Cookman), senior J-Naya Ephraim (Illinois), sophomore Angelee Rodriguez (USF) and redshirt sophomore Jayla Adams (Bethune-Cookman). In addition, Spanish native Paula Suarez joins the Patriots as their lone true freshman.

* Mason will play seven road games in the month of November. The lone home matchup will take place on Sunday, Nov. 14 against No. 24 Virginia Tech.  

SERIES HISTORY
Mason holds an 8-3 lead in the all-time series. The teams last met on Nov. 6, 2018 in the season opener, with the Patriots winning 70-38 in Fairfax. Mason has won seven of the last eight meetings between the two teams, and is 4-2 when playing in Baltimore.

This marks the first of four matchups against a Patriot League opponent this season. Mason is 55-37 all-time against the Patriot League. 
 
SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS
Loyola (Md.) fell in its season opener to Niagara, 81-71, on Nov. 9 in New York. Four Loyola players finished in double-figures, but Niagara overcame a 19-point second-half deficit to earn the victory. Loyola was outscored 21-9 in the final quarter of play.

Danielle O'Banion was announced as the 12th head coach in program history on April 23, joining the Greyhounds after spending the past three seasons as an assistant at the University of Minnesota.

Loyola brings back 11 student-athletes, including four starters, from a squad which went 0-12 against Patriot League opponents during the 2020-21 regular season. Loyola was ranked ninth out of 10 schools in this year's Patriot League preseason poll.
 
UP NEXT
Mason opens the home portion of its 2021-22 campaign on Sunday against No. 24 Virginia Tech. Tip-off is scheduled for noon at EagleBank Arena.