WHERE: EagleBank Arena - Fairfax, Va.
WHEN: Saturday, 6 p.m.
RECORDS: George Mason (7-2), Loyola (Md.) (1-9)
SERIES: George Mason leads, 8-6
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LIVE STATS: Click here
TICKETS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)

UGLY SWEATER CONTEST: Wear your best ugly holiday sweater to Saturday's game! The top-3 sweater wearers will be invited on to the court for an in-game contest. The winner will receive a ball signed by the 2023-24 Patriots!

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (7-2) begins a two-game holiday homestand with a Saturday night contest vs. Loyola (Md.).

Tip-off between the Patriots and Greyhounds is set for 6 p.m. Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+, featuring commentary from Bill Rohland. In addition, Steve Kolbe will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 5:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots are 7-2 to begin the season and currently hold the highest NET ranking (60) in program history.

• The Green & Gold return to action Saturday after a 10-day competitive break for final exams. Mason most recently split its two-game road swing, which included an 86-77 win at Toledo on Dec. 2 and 87-66 setback at #17/13 Tennessee on Dec. 5.

• The Patriots rank 11th nationally in 3pt FG percentage (.403) and have been on fire as of late. Mason is shooting 44.3 percent  (47-106) and making 9.4 triples per game over its past five contests. Over the past three contests, the Patriots are shooting a sizzling 50 percent (28-56) from beyond the arc.

• Senior Darius Maddox led Mason with 15 points (3-6 3pt FG) at Tennessee. He is averaging a team-best 16.3 points over the last four games while shooting 52.1 percent from the floor and 47.6 percent from deep.

• Senior Woody Newton added a career-best 13 points (4-5 FG, 3-4 3pt FG) against the Vols. He's averaging 9.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and shooting 66.7 percent over Mason's past four games. Although he doesn't have enough attempts to qualify in the official NCAA rankings, Newton's 63.6 3pt FG clip (14-22) this season leads the nation.

• Freshman guard Baraka Okojie added 11 points (3-5 FG, 2-2 3pt FG) and a team-high three assists at Tennessee. He leads the team in free throws made (30) and free throws attempted (41) this season.

• Sophomore Keyshawn Hall ranks eighth nationally in defensive rebounds/game (7.9), 24th in double-doubles (4) and is 42nd in overall rebounding (9.0/game). He leads the A-10 in all three of those categories.

• The Green & Gold have moved into the KenPom top-100 overall (98) and offensively (92nd, 1.089 points/possession).

• In addition to the Patriots' 3-point prowess, Mason also ranks 49th nationally in effective field goal percentage (.545).

• Mason is 5-0 at home this season and has won 19 of its past 21 games inside EagleBank Arena. The Patriots are shooting 49.1 percent from the floor in home games and have limited their foes to 35.4 percent in their five Fairfax contests.

• Three of the Patriots' final four non-conference games will be played in Fairfax.

HISTORY vs. PATRIOT LEAGUE OPPONENTS
George Mason is 73-33 (.689) all time against programs currently representing the Patriot League. Mason's most common opponents are former CAA foes American (34-11) and Navy (17-9). In the most recent matchup with a Patriot League foe, the Green & Gold knocked off American, 73-56, last season on Nov. 13, 2022.

HISTORY vs. LOYOLA (MD.)
The Patriots hold an 8-6 (.571) all-time record vs. Loyola (Md.). Saturday marks the 15th meeting between the two programs. This will be only the fifth matchup between the teams since 1982. Mason and Loyola played often in the mid-1970s when the two schools were part of the Mason-Dixon Conference (DII). Mason has won five out of the six meetings since the start of the 1980s. In the most recent matchup, the Patriots claimed a 65-61 victory on Nov. 19, 2019, in Fairfax. Sophomore Jordan Miller led Mason with a game-high 23 points (11-13 FT) to go along with eight rebounds in 35 minutes. Redshirt-junior AJ Wilson added a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) while grabbing nine offensive boards.

A LOOK AT THE GREYHOUNDS (1-9, 0-0 PATRIOT; KenPom #329, NET #323)
Loyola (Md.) was picked to finish sixth out of 10 teams in the Patriot League preseason poll. The Greyhounds have dropped their last eight contests, most recently falling to Mount St. Mary's (64-77), La Salle (61-62), and Delaware State (73-79 in OT). They knocked off Brown in overtime (77-75) on November 11. Loyola (Md.) averages 66.2 points per game, shoots 42 percent from the floor and FG and 32 percent from 3pt range. Golden Dike is currently ranked first in the Patriot League in rebounds, averaging 7.4 rpg while adding 8.5 points/contest. Deon Perry is second in the Patriot League in steals (1.4) and fourth in assists (4.0). Perry leads the Greyhounds in scoring, averaging 12.0 points/contest.

UP NEXT
The Patriots wrap up a two-game homestand with a Tuesday night contest vs. Bridgewater (Va.). Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.