George Mason (1-0) vs. Marshall (0-0)
WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena; Fairfax, Va.
2022-23 RECORDS: Patriots (16-15, 8-8 A-10), Marshall (17-14, 9-9 SBC)
SERIES RECORD: First meeting
LAST MEETING:
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE AUDIO: GoMason Digital Network
GAME NOTES: LINK
DIGITAL PROGRAM: LINK
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's basketball team will look to build on its' season opening win on Thursday night when it welcomes the Marshall Herd to Fairfax.
Thursday's matchup will mark the first meeting between the two programs, as well as the first meeting between George Mason and any program from the state of West Virginia.
The last time out, Mason scored the most points in a game since November of 2014 in its' 96-45 victory over Bowie State. Four players posted double-figure scoring performances, highlighted by
Sonia Smith's 12 points to reach 1,000 for her career.
PATRIOT POINTS
- Junior transfer Ta'Viyanna Habib made a splash in her Mason debut, dropping a game-high 18 points on 6-12 shooting. She also led the Patriots with three made three-pointers
- Two other players also shined in their collegiate debut as sophomore Zahirah Walton (17) and freshman Kennedy Harris (15) also scored in double figures. Walton also pulled down a game-best 10 rebounds for the first double-double in her young career
- In a strong defensive showing, the Patriots held Bowie State to just 28.8% from the field while forcing the Bulldogs into 21 turnovers. Sophomore Jada Brown led the way with a career-high six steals
- Mason also doubled up Bowie State in several important categories including assists (22-11) and rebounding (63-31), while committing just six turnovers
- All 12 players in uniform saw the floor on Monday, with each tallying a positive stat
SCOUTING THE HERD
The Herd opened the 2023-24 season two weekends ago in an exhibition contest with University of Pikeville on Oct. 29. Marshall downed UPike 127-76 in an offensive-heavy outing, led by 15 points from Abby Beeman and double-figure scoring from eight different players. CC Mays was just off of a double-double with nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Last month, the Herd was picked to finish ninth overall in the Sun Belt with 85 points. Senior guard Roshala Scott was named to the Preseason First Team. Scott led the conference with 196 made field goals last season, due in large part to her double-digit output in 27 of 29 regular season games. She was fourth in the conference with 17.4 points per game and sixth with 44.5 shooting.
Also returning is Abby Beeman, who was first on the team with 164 assists, 58 steals, 6.3 rebounds per game and an 82.6% free throw percentage and second with 13.8 points per game. Mahogany Matthews also returns as a strong defensive presence, tallying a team-high 63 blocks and was second with 4.8 rebounds per game.
A familiar face will also make her way back to Fairfax as a member of the Marshall squad, as four-year Patriot
Tamia Lawhorne returns to EagleBank Arena as a grad transfer for the Herd.
UP NEXT
The Patriots will take the in-state trip to William & Mary on Sunday, Nov. 12 for their first road game of the season. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
