George Mason (9-2, 0-0) vs. La Salle (3-8, 0-0)
WHEN: Saturday, 6 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena; Fairfax, Va. 
2022-23 RECORDS: Patriots (16-15, 8-8 A-10), Pirates (23-10, 11-5 American)  
SERIES RECORD: La Salle leads, 6-11
LAST MEETING:  Mason defeated La Salle in the A-10 Second Round, 64-58 on March 2, 2023
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ 
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE AUDIO: GoMason Digital Network
GAME NOTES: LINK
 
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's basketball team will return to EagleBank Arena on Saturday for the first time since Nov. 18 to open Atlantic 10 play against La Salle. 
 
In a rematch of last year's Atlantic 10 Second Round, both teams look to open the conference season with a victory. The Patriots and Explorers will meet for the 18th time on Saturday, with all but two meetings coming as members of the Atlantic 10. La Salle holds a 6-11 record over the Patriots and won six-straight meetings dating back to the 2019 A-10 Tournament. However, the Patriots snapped that streak and avenged last season's regular-season loss with the tournament win on March 2, 2023 with a 64-58 win.
 
Mason is coming off a come-from-behind victory just over a week ago at Towson, downing the Tigers on the road, 83-76. La Salle fell to city rival Villanova in its' final non-conference game, 74-60.
 
PATRIOT POINTS

• Zahirah Walton was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week on Tuesday after averaging 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals. She led Mason in the comeback victory with a career-high 23 points, 3 steals and 2 blocks
• Sonia Smith leads the team with 13.8 points per game, good for 8th in the Atlantic 10, and posted her first double-double at Mason against Towson with 20 points and 10 rebounds
• The Patriots lead the Atlantic 10 in rebounding with 44.4 boards per game (19th nationally), a 6.18 turnover margin (24th nationally) and are forcing opponents into a league best 20.9 turnovers per game (33rd nationally) 
• Mason boasts one of the top benches in the country, as it currently sits at third nationally in bench points with 35.5. Walton leads the way with a team-second-best 10.6 points per game

 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
La Salle enters Friday's game after a nine-day break, dropping its' last non-conference game to Villanova, 74-60. After opening the season with a 3-2 record, the Explorers have lost six straight contests. However, La Salle holds wins over common opponents Coppin St., 73-68, and American, 62-53. Overall, La Salle sits at 3-8 this year.
 
Nicole Melious leads the team with 10.7 points and is the team's top three-point shooter with 24 makes this season. Molly Masciantonio is second on the team with 8.5 points and leads the team in assists (3.2 per game) and steals (1.6 per game).
 
Jolene Armendariz leads the team in rebounding with 5.9 boards per game, adding 5.1 points on offense. Amber Bullard leads the team with nine blocks on the season while Makayla Miller is second on the team with 8.5 points, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals. As a team, the Explorers rank third in the Atlantic 10 with 7.9 three-pointers per game, while limiting their opponents to 27% from deep.
 
UP NEXT
The Patriots will travel to reigning Atlantic 10 Co-Regular Season Champion Rhode Island on Tuesday, Jan. 2, for their first A-10 road test of the season. Tip-off with the Rams is set for 6 p.m.