WHERE: Tom Gola Arena - Philadelphia, Pa.
WHEN: Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. 
RECORDS: George Mason (11-2), La Salle (9-4)
SERIES: George Mason leads, 8-3
LAST MEETING: Mason def. La Salle, 70-66, on Feb. 18, 2023
LIVE VIDEO: Click here
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (11-2) opens Atlantic 10 play Wednesday night with a trip to Philly to battle La Salle (9-4).

Tip-off between the Patriots and Explorers is set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+. In addition, Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 6:15 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• Mason is 4-6 all time in A-10 openers, but has won two of the past three and three of the past five dating back to 2018-19.

• The Patriots are 11-2 to begin the season and are 76th in the NCAA NET rankings. That's Mason's all-time best NET ranking entering league play.

• Mason has tallied 11 non-conference wins for just the second time in the past 40 seasons. A win Wednesday would give the Patriots a 12-2 start for the first time since the 1983-84 campaign.

• The Patriots have won four-straight games, including a 94-69 home triumph over North Carolina A&T in the program's most recent outing on Saturday. It marked the highest scoring output by a Patriot team since Mason dropped 97 on Longwood on Dec. 12, 2016 in Fairfax.

• Mason shot 58.6 percent and had four players reach double figures against the Aggies. Sophomore Keyshawn Hall scored all of his game-high 18 points in the second half while adding seven rebounds and three assists.

• Senior Ronald Polite III added 15 points (3-5 3pt FG), a game-high four assists, four rebounds and two steals in 31 minutes.

• Polite III is averaging 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and shooting 61.1 percent from the floor over the past two games. Mason is 7-0 when he records 3+ assists this season.

• Senior Darius Maddox chipped 15 points and has now scored 13+ points in each of his past nine games. With his 6-of-6 performance at the line Saturday, he now ranks 15th nationally in free throw percentage (30-32, .938).

• The Patriots rank 55th nationally in 3pt FG percentage (.370), but have shot just 28.4 percent (21-74) from deep over the past four games.

• Mason held a solid +10 (37-27) edge on the glass vs. N.C. A&T. The Patriots lead the A-10 in rebounding margin (+6.3) and are a perfect 11-0 when winning the battle on the boards this season.

• The Patriots enter league play featuring one of the most potent defenses in the country. Mason ranks third nationally in 2pt FG defense (.413) and is 14th in overall FG defense (.370).

• Head coach Tony Skinn's 11-2 record marks the best-ever start by a Mason first-year head coach.

• The Patriots are ranked 23rd in this week's Mid-Major Top 25 poll, compiled by Mid-Major Madness.

HISTORY vs. THE BIG 5
Mason is 37-22 all time against members of Philadelphia's "Big 5." The Patriots are 14-8 against new member Drexel, 10-6 against Saint Joseph's, 8-3 vs. La Salle, 1-4 against Villanova and 4-1 vs. Penn. The Patriots have never played Temple. Mason's most memorable Big Five win came in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, when the Green & Gold knocked off Villanova, 61-57, in the Round of 64 in Cleveland, Ohio.

HISTORY vs. LA SALLE
Wednesday's game will mark the 12th all time matchup between George Mason and La Salle in men's basketball. The Patriots hold an 8-3 advantage in the all time series, although the Explorers hold a 3-2 edge in Philadelphia. In the most recent matchup, Mason claimed a 70-66 last season on Feb. 18, 2023 in Fairfax. Ronald Polite III notched 15 points, six rebounds and a game-high six assists in the win.

A LOOK AT THE EXPLORERS (9-4, 0-0 A-10; NET #206, KenPom #212)
La Salle was picked to finish 15th in the 2023-24 A-10 Preseason Poll. So far this season, the Explorers have exceeded expectations and tallied a 9-4 non-conference mark. La Salle is coming off a 71-66 home loss to Howard on Saturday. The Explorers make 9.2 3-pointers per game (52nd nationally) and get 36.1 percent of their points from beyond the arc (50th nationally). La Salle has a pair of dynamic guards, led by Khalil Brantley, who paces the team in scoring (16.1 points/game) while dishing out 4.3 assists/contest. Fellow guard Jhamir Brickus adds 14.2 points/game, shoots 43.3 percent from 3pt range and ranks second in the league with 5.2 assists/contest. Anwar Gill (11.5 ppg) and Daeshon Shepherd (10.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg) also average double figures for the Explorers.

UP NEXT
George Mason hosts Saint Louis on Saturday (January 6) inside EagleBank Arena. Tip-off between the Patriots and Billikens is set for 2 p.m. The contest will be broadcast nationally on USA Network.