George Mason (12-3, 3-1) vs. Saint Louis (7-11, 2-3)
WHEN: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena; Fairfax, Va.
2022-23 RECORDS: Patriots (16-15, 8-8 A-10), Billikens (17-18, 10-6 A-10)
SERIES RECORD: SLU leads, 9-4
LAST MEETING: SLU defeated Mason, 68-56, in Saint Louis, Mo. on Feb. 1, 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 look to push its' win streak to three on Wednesday night when it welcomes the defending Atlantic 10 Champions, Saint Louis, to EagleBank Arena.
Both teams enter Wednesday's contest after a home win the last time out. Mason dominated Davidson 79-41 in Fairfax while Saint Louis battled Dayton to a 74-70 victory in Chaifetz Arena on Friday night.
George Mason and Saint Louis will meet for the 14th time in the series on Wednesday as the Patriots look for their second win over the Billikens in the last three years. Last season, Saint Louis used strong defense in a 68-56 win over Mason. All 14 meetings have come as members of the Atlantic 10 with the Billikens holding a 9-4 record over the Patriots.
PATRIOT POINTS
- The Patriots earned their highest-ever NET ranking on Jan. 11 after defeating top-50 Davidson 79-41, jumping to No. 52
- Sonia Smith continues to lead the Mason offense with 15.1 points per game (6th, A-10) after a game-high 17 against Davidson last week. She is also the team leader in assists with 3.3
- Ta'Viyanna Habib leads the team and ranks among the top of the conference in shooting efficiency, converting 46.7% from the field (11th, A-10) and 43.9% from beyond the arc (5th, A-10) for 9.4 points per game
- The newcomer duo of Zahirah Walton and Kennedy Harris are also contributing double-figure scoring for Mason with 10.8 and 10.0 points per game
- The Patriots lead the A-10 with 76.3 points per game (46th nationally), 43.1 boards per game (22nd nationally), a 5.27 turnover margin (27th nationally) and are forcing a league best 19.4 turnovers per game (50th nationally)
- Mason boasts one of the top benches in the country, currently sitting at 2nd nationally with 36.4 bench points per game. Walton leads the way with a team-second-best 10.8 points per game.
SCOUTING THE BILLIKENS
After an Atlantic 10 win over Dayton the last time out, Saint Louis sits at 2-3 in conference play and 7-11 overall. The Billikens' most significant non-conference win came in the second game of the season with a victory over SEC member and in-state rival Missouri, 93-85, at home. So far, Saint Louis has also downed Massachusetts, and has fallen to Rhode Island, Loyola Chicago and Saint Joseph's.
Three Billikens average double-figure scoring, led by Kyla McMakin with 16.7 points per game, good for third in the Atlantic 10. She has started all 18 games and averages 34.4 minutes per game and is second on the team with 27 made three-pointers. Peyton Kennedy (13.9) and Brooklyn Gray (11.3) also average double-figure scoring, and Kennedy is the top three-point shooter on the team with 29 makes at a .382 clip.
Julia Martinez leads the team and ranks first in the conference in two major categories, with 6.1 assists (14th nationally) and 2.5 steals per game. She also contributes 9.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Tierra Simon leads the defensive effort for the Billikens with 6.9 rebounds (8th, A-10) and 1.2 blocks (4th, A-10) per game.
As a team, Saint Louis has the third-best scoring offense in the league with 72.9 points per game. It also sits at third with 15.06 assists per game and a solid 75.4% free throw percentage. The Billikens are also fourth in the Atlantic 10 with a 43.0 field goal percentage.
UP NEXT
After two weeks at home, Mason will get back on the road to UMass for a nationally televised game on Sunday, Jan. 21. Tip-off with the Minutewomen is set for 4 p.m.
