George Mason (13-3, 4-1) vs. UMass (3-15, 1-5)
WHEN: Sunday, 4 p.m.
WHERE: Mullins Center; Amherst, Mass.
2022-23 RECORDS: Patriots (16-15, 8-8 A-10), Minutewomen (27-7, 14-2 A-10)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads 9-5
LAST MEETING: UMass defeated Mason, 63-50, in the Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals on March 3, 2023
LIVE VIDEO: CBS Sports Network
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE AUDIO: GoMason Digital Network
GAME NOTES: LINK
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's basketball team will look to set a new program-best start to A-10 play on Sunday when it travels to Massachusetts to take on the reigning Atlantic 10 Regular Season Co-Champions on Sunday.
The Patriots are coming off of another dominant win at home, downing Saint Louis 91-61, to remain undefeated at home this season. On the other hand, UMass fell to Loyola Chicago in Amherst, 79-66.
Mason and Massachusetts will meet for the 15th time in school history on Sunday afternoon as the Patriots look to snap a three-game skid. All time, Mason holds a 9-5 advantage over UMass, but have not won since 2020 in Fairfax and last time the Patriots won in Amherst came in 2019.
PATRIOT POINTS
- The Patriots earned their highest-ever NET ranking on Jan. 11 after defeating top-50 Davidson 79-41, jumping to No. 52.
- On Monday, Zahirah Walton was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, marking the fourth-straight week and fifth overall that a Patriot has won the award
- Sonia Smith ranks sixth in the Atlantic 10 with 15.2 points per game and also ranks in the top-10 in assists (3.2) and steals (1.3)
- Walton and Ta'Viyanna Habib both rank in the top-15 in the A-10 in field goal percentage at .463 and .461, respectively. Meanwhile, Habib and Kennedy Harris rank in the top-10 in three-point shooting at .419 and .418
- The Patriots lead the A-10 with 77.3 points per game (39th nationally), 42.8 boards per game (25th nationally), a 5.38 turnover margin (26th nationally) and are forcing a league best 19.5 turnovers per game (48th nationally)
- Mason boasts one of the top benches in the country, currently sitting at 2nd nationally with 37.1 bench points per game. Walton leads the way with a team-second-best 11.3 points per game
SCOUTING THE MINUTEWOMEN
UMass went 2-10 in nonconference play this season, with wins over Saint Peter's and UMass Lowell. Outside of Atlantic 10 teams, the Patriots and Minutewomen share just one common opponent in Maryland, who downed UMass 92-63 in College Park. Through six Atlantic 10 contests, UMass sits at 1-5, with its' lone win coming over Dayton at home. Notably, all of the Minutewomen's wins have come at home.
The Minutewomen are led across the court by junior Stephanie Kulesza, who boasts team-highs with 12.3 points (20th, A-10), 8.2 rebounds (4th, A-10) and 1.8 steals per game (7th, A-10) to go with five blocks on the season. She has tallied double-figure scoring in 12 of 18 games this season, double-figure rebounding in five games and three double doubles.
Kristin Williams is second on the team with 11.9 points and 2.6 assists per game this year and has tallied a team-high 33 made three-pointers. Tori Hyduke leads the team with 2.8 assists per game (15th, A-10) and is second with 1.2 steals to go with 5.2 points this season.
UP NEXT
The Patriots will take the short trip to the nation's capital on Wednesday, Jan. 24 for a matinee game at rival George Washington. Tip-off with the Revolutionaries is set for 12 p.m.
