WHERE: EagleBank Arena - Fairfax, Va.
WHEN: Saturday, 2 p.m.
RECORDS: George Mason (13-5, 2-3), St. Bonaventure (11-5, 2-2)
SERIES: Bonnies lead, 12-4
LIVE VIDEO: Click here
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
TICKETS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)

PROMOTIONS: Free Mason spirit socks for first 1600 fans. Free face painting for kids at South Entrance of concourse. 

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (13-5, 2-3) hosts St. Bonaventure (11-5, 2-2) for a top-100 matchup Saturday in Fairfax.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Bonnies is set for 2 p.m. Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+, featuring commentary from Voice of the Patriots Bill Rohland. In addition, Steve Kolbe will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 1:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots check in at 85th in Friday's NET rankings, while St. Bonaventure is No. 75.

• Mason is 9-1 at home this season and has won 23 of its past 26 games played inside EagleBank Arena.

• The Green & Gold will look to break a three-game losing skid against the Bonnies. Most recently, Mason dug itself an 18-point hole on the road en route to a 75-62 setback at George Washington on Monday in Foggy Bottom.

• The Patriots shot a season-low 32.8 percent against the Revs, including a 7-for-31 (.226) mark in the opening half.

• Sophomore Keyshawn Hall led Mason with team highs in points (19) and rebounds (9) Monday. He ranks eighth in the A-10 in scoring (18.0 ppg) in league games.

• Graduate forward Amari Kelly added 14 points (2-4 3pt FG), five rebounds, a season-high three steals and two blocks. He's scored 10+ points in seven-straight games.

• The Patriots are averaging 78.5 points and shooting 49.4 percent (.377 3pt FG) in wins, but just 59.4 points and 38.2 percent in losses (.282 3pt FG).

• Hall ranks fifth nationally in defensive rebounds/game (8.1), 17th in double-doubles (8) and 39th in overall rebounding (9.3 rpg). He leads the A-10 in all three of those categories.

• The Patriots feature one of the most potent defenses in the country. Mason ranks seventh nationally in 2pt FG defense (.427), 13th in overall FG defense (.389) and 53rd in scoring defense (66.1 ppg). The Patriots allow 1.012 points/possession (83rd).

• Mason's offense proved highly efficient during its 11-2 non-conference slate, but the Patriots have struggled in A-10 play. The team is 13th in the league in effective field goal percentage in conference games and 12th in 3pt FG percentage (.295). Mason shot 37 percent from 3 in non-conference play.

• The Patriots have yet to allow an opponent to shoot 50 percent from the floor over 18 games. That's the longest stretch for a Mason team to begin a season since 2011-12.

• In league games, George Mason leads the A-10 in free throw percentage (.813), while the Bonnies rank second (.800).

• Senior Ronald Polite III ranks 10th in the A-10 in assists through four conference contests (3.6/game). He is sporting a solid 2.3 assist/turnover ratio in those contests.

CURRAN FACES FORMER PROGRAM FOR FIRST TIME
George Mason associate head coach Steve Curran is in his first season with the Patriots. He spent the previous 13 seasons at St. Bonaventure under Mark Schmidt, including five as associate head coach (2018-23).

HISTORY vs. ST. BONAVENTURE
Saturday's matchup marks the 17th all-time meeting between Mason and SBU. The Bonnies hold a 12-4 advantage in the series, including an 11-2 edge since Mason joined the A-10 in 2013-14. The Patriots have won two of the past three matchups in Fairfax. Last season, the Bonnies won a 73-69 contest in Olean on Jan. 4, 2023. Mason trailed by one (68-67) with 2:10 to play, but the Bonnies scored on the next two possessions to build a 73-67 lead with 46 seconds remaining.

A LOOK AT THE BONNIES (11-5, 2-2 A-10; NET #75, KenPom #81)
St. Bonaventure was picked to finish third in the A-10 Preseason Poll. The Bonnies went 9-3 in non-conference play, including wins over Oklahoma State and Akron. The Bonnies are 2-2 to begin A-10 play, including a dominant 99-64 home win over Rhode Island in the team's most recent outing on Wednesday. St. Bonaventure leads the A-10 in field goal percentage (.473) and free throw percentage (.782, 8th nationally). The team averages 1.119 points/possession (70th nationally). Chad Venning leads the team in scoring (14.3 ppg) and shoots 54.2 percent from the floor. Mika Adams-Woods adds 13.8 points, shoots 48.1 percent from distance and dishes out 3.7 assists per contest. Charles Pride grabs a team-best 6.9 rebounds and scores 13.2 points/contest, while Moses Flowers also averages double figures (10.1 ppg).

UP NEXT
George Mason hosts Rhode Island on Homecoming Saturday. The Patriots and Rams will tip at 4 p.m. on January 27. The game will be televised on MASN and streamed on ESPN+.