WHEN: Saturday, 2 p.m.
WHERE: Tom Gola Arena - Philadelphia, Pa.
RECORDS: George Mason (11-8, 4-2), La Salle (6-13, 1-8)
SERIES: Mason leads, 7-2
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PHILADELPHIA - The George Mason University men's basketball team (11-8, 4-2) begins a two-game road swing with a Saturday afternoon contest at La Salle (6-13, 1-8).

Tip-off between the Patriots and Explorers is set for 2 p.m. Saturday's contest will be broadcast on ESPN+, featuring commentary from Kale Beers. In addition, Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• Last time out, Mason dropped a heartbreaker in double overtime vs. Saint Louis, 92-90. The Patriots erased an 11-point deficit with four minutes to play in regulation and led by five in the first overtime, but could not close out the victory.

• Junior Josh Oduro tied his career high to lead Mason with a monster 32-point effort (11-22 FG) to go along with three blocks. It marked his third 30+ point game of the season. Oduro leads the A-10 in scoring (17.7 ppg) in 2021-22.

• Junior Davonte Gaines added a monster double-double with 12 points and a career-best 17 rebounds. It marked the highest rebounding output by a Patriot since Marquise Moore had 17 against VCU on March 30, 2017. He's just the third Patriot since 2010-11 to record a 17-rebound game (MM, Shevon Thompson).

• Gaines is third in the A-10 in double-doubles (6) and is 38th nationally in rebounds/game (8.6).

• Graduate student DeVon Cooper notched a season-best 22 points and made 5-of-11 3-pointers on Wednesday. He's 30th nationally in 3pt FG percentage this season (.421). Cooper is averaging 17.7 points over Mason's past three games and is shooting 50 percent from 3 (13-26) while making 4.3/game. Cooper is shooting 47.4 percent from 3 in league play.

• Graduate student D'Shawn Schwartz added 15 points vs. SLU. It marked his ninth-straight game with at least 14 points. He's seventh in the A-10 in scoring in league games (18.0 ppg).

• Oduro ranks fourth in the A-10 and 28th nationally in field goal percentage (.563). He is one of just three players in the country this season to average 17 or more points, shoot 56 percent or better from the floor and tally at least 1.5 blocks per game. Oduro's 2.4 blocks/game in A-10 play rank fourth in the conference.

• Mason ranks third the A-10 in A/TO ratio (1.30) in league games and is 7-0 when winning the turnover battle against its opponent this season. However, in Patriot losses, turnovers often prove critical. Mason turned it over 17 times vs. Saint Louis, which led to a +10 edge for the Billikens in points off turnovers for the game.

• The Patriots are one of the most efficient shooting teams in the nation. Mason ranks 20th in the country in effective FG percentage (.552), 24th in 2pt FG percentage (.552) and 34th in 3pt FG percentage (.369).

• Mason is ranked 96th in the latest NCAA NET rankings. The Patriots also are #104 in KenPom, marking the team's highest February ranking since 2012.

HISTORY vs. LA SALLE
Saturday's matchup marks the 10th all-time meeting between Mason and La Salle. The programs had never met prior to the Patriots' entry into the Atlantic 10 in 2013-14. The Patriots have split four all-time matchups with the Explorers in Philly. The Patriots lead the overall series, 7-2. Last season, due to COVID-19 scheduling parameters, the Patriots played La Salle twice in Fairfax. Mason won both matchups handily, including a 75-42 win on Jan. 13 and an 89-54 triumph on Feb. 27.

HISTORY vs. THE BIG 5
Mason is 21-12 all time against members of Philadelphia's "Big 5." Mason is 9-5 against Saint Joseph's, 7-2 vs. La Salle, 1-4 against Villanova and 4-1 vs. Penn. The Patriots have never played Temple. Mason's most memorable Big Five win came in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, when the Green & Gold knocked off Villanova, 61-57, in the Round of 64 in Cleveland, Ohio. Harkening back to the old CAA days, Mason also has battled "City Six" school Drexel on 22 occasions while amassing a record of 14-8. Earlier this season, Mason defeated Penn 87-66 on Nov. 12 in Fairfax, then took down Saint Joseph's 77-71 on Jan. 24 in EBA.

A LOOK AT THE EXPLORERS (14-6, 5-2 A-10; KenPom 246, NET 251)
La Salle was picked 12th in the 2021-22 A-10 preseason poll. The Explorers are 1-8 to begin A-10 play, with the victory coming over Big 5 rival Saint Joseph's, 75-64, on Jan. 17. The Explorers are a top-50 offensive rebounding team, but rank just 271st nationally in effective field goal percentage (.476). Clifton Moore leads La Salle in scoring (12.5 ppg) and shoots 49.5 percent from the floor, while Josh Nickelberry adds 12.1 points and shoots 35.1 percent from 3pt range. Jack Clark chips in 10.8  points and 5.6 rebounds per contest.

UP NEXT
Mason remains on the road for the first of back-to-back contests vs. Richmond. The Patriots will battle the Spiders on Monday (Feb. 7) at 7 p.m. inside the Robins Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. Mason will then host Richmond on Wednesday (Feb. 9) in a game televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.