George Mason (2-0) vs. William & Mary (0-2)
WHEN: Sunday, 1 p.m.
WHERE: Kaplan Arena; Williamsburg, Va.  
2022-23 RECORDS: Patriots (16-15, 8-8 A-10), Tribe (18-13, 12-6 CAA)  
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads, 50-25  
LAST MEETING:  Mason defeated W&M, 71-61, on Nov. 21, 2022 in Fairfax, Va.
LIVE VIDEO: FloHoops 
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE AUDIO: GoMason Digital Network
GAME NOTES: LINK
 
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's basketball team will open its' road schedule on Sunday when it travels to Williamsburg to take on the Tribe.
 
One of the Patriots' longest-standing rivalries, the two programs will meet for the 76^th time, dating back to 1977. The teams battled year in and year out for almost three decades as rivals in the CAA through the 80s, 90s and 00s, and have met in three of the last four seasons. Mason won last year's meeting at home, 71-61, but William & Mary has won seven of the last 10.
 
The last time out, Mason downed Marshall 84-77 in an offensive heavy game. The Patriots enter Sunday's contest at 2-0 after also winning their season-opener over Bowie State. William & Mary sits at 0-2 after a losses to Norfolk State and VCU.
 
PATRIOT POINTS

• A win over William & Mary on Sunday will mark the first time since the 2000-01 season that the Patriots started 3-0. That season, Mason opened the year with five-straight wins.
• Ta'Viyanna Habib led the way in scoring for the second time in as many games in Thursday's win over Marshall, dropping 20 points on 6-10 shooting to go with a career-high eight made free throws. She also tallied seven rebounds and a steal
• Taylor Jameson (11), Zahirah Walton (11) and Sonia Smith (10) all registered double-figuring scoring as well. Jameson (3) and Smith (4) also led the way in assists
• The Patriots out-rebounded the Herd 52-43, led by 10 from Nalani Kaysia. Zahirah Walton added eight against Marshall and has pulled down 12 offensive rebounds in two games
• The Patriots have been shooting extremely efficiently inside the arc, going 48% on two-point attempts
• Mason owns a 1.1 assist/turnover ratio through its first two games this season, while forcing opponents into just a 0.4 ratio

 
SCOUTING THE TRIBE
A member of the Colonial Athletic Association, William & Mary was picked to finish ninth out of 14 teams in 2023-24. Graduate transfer Nylah Young was named to the Preseason Second Team after transferring from CAA foe Hampton and averaging 14.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
 
The Tribe opened the season with two games against in-state foes, beginning with a tight two-point loss to Norfolk State to open the season on Nov. 6, 66-64. Last night, the Tribe fell to Atlantic 10 member VCU, 70-54.
 
Nylah Young wasted no time getting acclimated in her first week with the Tribe, dropping 25+ points in the first two games.. The Hampton transfer put up 29 points on 9-for-14 shooting against Norfolk State, setting the mark for most points ever by a Tribe player in a season opener. She followed that up with 26 points against VCU, accounting for just under half of the Tribe's point total in the game.
 
Bella Nascimento is also averaging double figures after the first two games and leads the Patriots with five assists on the season. Young is leading William & Mary with 7.5 rebounds per game.
 
UP NEXT
Mason will return to EagleBank Arena for a two-game home stand against two Pittsburgh natives. The Patriots will welcome Pitt to Fairfax for a 4 p.m. tip on Wednesday, Nov. 15.