George Mason (4-5) vs. American (0-6)
WHEN: Saturday, 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena; Fairfax, Va.  
2021-22 RECORDS: Patriots (10-19, 3-12 A-10), Eagles (23-9, 13-5 Patriot)  
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads, 31-22  
LAST MEETING: American won, 69-61
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ 
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE AUDIO: GoMason Digital Network
GAME NOTES: LINK
 
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's basketball team welcomes American to EagleBank Arena on Saturday as it looks for its' fifth-straight win at home. 
 
This is the 54th all-time meeting between the two teams, as the DMV rivals and former CAA foes meet for the fifth time in the last six seasons. The two teams battled at least once a year from 1981-2001 in conference, and have met sporadically throughout the years since, with Mason holding an all-time record of 31-22 over the Eagles and an impressive 19-7 record in Fairfax.
 
The Patriots (4-5) picked up their fourth-straight win at home on Thursday night, taking down the East Carolina Pirates with stout defense, 54-41. The four-game home winning streak is the longest since the 2017-2018 season. Between Nov. 17, 2017 and Jan. 24, 2018 when the Patriots won 12-straight in EagleBank Arena.
 
American is off to a tough start this season, coming into Saturday's game at 0-6. The Eagles have taken on a heavy schedule however, taking on three Power 5 schools and DePaul, who most recently knocked off Maryland. The Eagles were also in Bimini, Bahamas for the Goombay Splash over Thanksgiving in the Goombay Division. AU fell to No. 7 Notre Dame and lost a tight game to Arizona State, 70-61.
 
PATRIOT POINTS

• Seniors Sonia Smith and Jazmyn Doster led Mason offensively for the second-straight game on Thursday, posting 13 and 17 points, respectively. Smith and Doster also combined for 13 rebounds on both ends of the court.
• Junior Taylor Jameson and sophomore Paula Suarez contributed offensively as well, combining for 14 points, three assists and three rebounds.
• Jameson leads Mason with 13.7 points per game, good for 15^th in the Atlantic 10 and is knocking down 1.8 3-pt. field goals per game (17^th, A-10).
• Defensively, Mason has three athletes in the top-15 in the conference in blocks per game: Riley Childs (1.3, tied-4^th), Nalani Kaysia (0.9, 11^th) and Jazmyn Doster (0.7, tied-14^th).
• As a team, George Mason ranks fifth in the conference in rebounding, averaging 40.0/game. It has out-rebounded its opponent in six out of nine games this season.

 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Emily Johns is leading the Eagles' offense with 15.5 points per game and has scored in double-figures in the last five games, including 23 in Wednesday night's matchup with Howard. She is also contributing 4.8 rebounds per game (2nd, team).
 
Ivy Bales is leading American with 6.3 boards per game, leading the team in both offensive and defensive rebounding. She has also dished out a team-high 19 assists and is contributing 5.5 points/game. Kayla Henning is averaging a team second-best average of 9.2 points per game and 2.7 assists per game while Lauren Stack paces the Eagles defense with 10 steals and two blocks.
 
UP NEXT
The Patriots will have a two-week break before wrapping up their three-game home stand against Coppin St. on Dec. 17. Tip off from EagleBank Arena is set for 3 p.m.