George Mason (9-7, 2-1 A-10) vs. La Salle (9-8, 0-2 A-10)
WHEN: Thursday, 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Tom Gola Arena; Philadelphia, Pa.  
2021-22 RECORDS: Patriots (10-19, 3-12 A-10), Explorers (11-18, 6-10 A-10)  
SERIES RECORD: La Salle leads, 10-5  
LAST MEETING: La Salle won, 63-53
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ 
LIVE STATS: LINK 
LIVE AUDIO: GoMason Digital Network
GAME NOTES: LINK (PDF)
 
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The George Mason women's basketball team will travel to Philadelphia to begin a two-game road swing, beginning with La Salle on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
 
This is the 16th all-time meeting between the Explorers and the Patriots, with all but two of the games being played as members of the Atlantic 10. La Salle has won the last five match-ups, but Mason won four of the last five before that streak, with their last win coming on Feb. 14, 2019.
 
Mason earned its' second-straight A-10 win on Sunday, downing Duquesne 61-45 in EagleBank Arena. The Patriots were led by 15 points from Tamia Lawhorne and 15 rebounds from J-Naya Ephraim.
 
La Salle went 9-6 in out-of-conference play to begin the 2022-23 season before dropping its' first two A-10 match-ups to the two of the leagues' top teams. The Explorers fell to Saint Joseph's 68-64 at home and 70-59 to Rhode Island on the road.
 
PATRIOT POINTS

• The trio of Tamia Lawhorne (15 PTS), Paula Suarez (career-high 11 PTS) and Taylor Jameson (10 PTS) all posted double-digit performances, and Mason is now 9-3 this season when multiple players score in double-figures.
• Senior Nalani Kaysia notched a career-high four blocks and three assists to go along with nine points, eight rebounds and two steals in a comprehensive night.
• Mason held Duquesne to just 28.3% shooting from the field and 26.1% from three-point range, the second-straight game it held its' opponent to under 30% in both categories.
• The Patriots are ranked fourth in the A-10 in scoring defense, limiting their opponents to just 61.6 points per game. Mason has allowed 45 or less points in their last two outings.
• Mason is dominating the boards, and is ranked first in the conference with 13.9 offensive rebounds per game. The team has pulled down an average of 18.5 over the last four contests.

 
SCOUTING THE EXPLORERS
Two Explorers are averaging over 12 points/game, Kayla Spruill (12.8) and Claire Jacobs (12.5) Spruill is the teams' most efficient shooter at .500 (8th, A-10) and the top three-point shooter with 28 makes at a .424 (2nd, A-10) efficiency. She has also dished out 16 assists and registered 16 steals.
 
Molly Masciantonio leads the team with 4.4 assists and 1.9 steals per game in a team-high 24.7 minutes per contest. Under the net, sisters Mia and Amy Jacobs lead the Explorers in rebound with 4.9 and 4.8 boards, respectively. Mia is also averaging 7.9 points per game, good for third on the team.
 
As a team, La Salle ranks third in the Atlantic 10 in opponent 3-point field goal percentage, holding the opposition to 28.9%. The Explorers are ranked 6th in the conference in scoring, averaging 67.6 points per game.
 
UP NEXT
Mason will wrap up their road swing when it travels to VCU for a 1 p.m. tip on Saturday, Jan. 14.