WHERE: Hagan Arena - Philadelphia, Pa.
WHEN: Wednesday, 7 p.m. 
RECORDS: George Mason (15-5, 4-3), Saint Joseph's (13-7, 3-4)
SERIES: George Mason leads, 10-6
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FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (15-5, 4-3) heads to Philly for a Wednesday night contest at Saint Joseph's (13-7, 3-4).

Tip-off between the Patriots and Hawks is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+. In addition, Voice of the Patriots Bill Rohland will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots check in at 82nd in Tuesday's NET rankings. That's the highest Mason has been at this point of the season in program history. The team also is No. 98 in the KenPom rankings.

• The Patriots have won two in a row, most recently knocking off Rhode Island 92-84 on Saturday in Fairfax. Mason's 92-point output marked its highest in a league contest since a 93-92 2OT win at UMass on Dec. 30, 2020. For a regulation A-10 game, Mason had not scored 92+ points since a Feb. 14, 2017 win against Richmond.

• Senior Darius Maddox led the Patriots with a career-best 24 points (8-13 FG, 4-6 3pt FG), while sophomore Keyshawn Hall added 22 points (7-11 FG) and a team-best four assists.

• A-10 Co-Rookie of the Week Baraka Okojie posted a personal-best 18 points (5-6 FG, 8-10 FT) against the Rams. He's averaging 11.7 points, 2.7 assists, 2.3 steals and shooting 56.3 percent from the floor over Mason's past three games. The freshman ranks t-4th in the A-10 in steals (1.7/game) in league contests this season.

• Mason ranks 10th nationally in 2pt FG defense (.432), 15th in overall FG defense (.394) and 60th in scoring defense (66.7 ppg).

• George Mason committed a season-low two turnovers vs. Rhode Island. The Patriots are one of just seven teams nationally with two or fewer turnovers in a game this season. It marked Mason's first game with three or fewer turnovers since Jan. 24, 2022.

• The Patriots are averaging 78.7 points and shooting 49.3 percent (.370 3pt FG) in wins, but just 59.4 points and 38.2 percent in losses (.282 3pt FG).

• Mason shot 50.8 percent in the win over URI. The Patriots are now a perfect 8-0 when shooting 50 percent or better this season.

• In league games, George Mason ranks second the A-10 in free throw percentage (.782). Mason's 75.0 overall FT percentage ranks 53rd in the country. In conference play, 23.0 percent of the team's points come from the free throw line (3rd in A-10).

• Mason shot 37 percent from 3-point range in non-conference play but ranks 13th in the A-10 in 3pt FG percentage in league games (.304).

HISTORY vs. THE BIG 5
Mason is 38-22 all time against members of Philadelphia's "Big 5." The Patriots are 14-8 against new member Drexel, 10-6 against Saint Joseph's, 9-3 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. Mason won its first Big 5 contest this season at La Salle on Jan. 3. The Patriots picked up a 77-62 victory inside Tom Gola Arena.

HISTORY vs. SAINT JOSEPH'S
Wednesday's matchup marks the 17th all-time meeting between Mason and Saint Joseph's. Mason leads the series, 10-6, and has won 10 of the past 12 meetings. The Patriots have not dropped a contest at Hagan Arena since February 7, 2015 (5-0). This past season, the Hawks claimed a 79-76 triumph on January 29, 2023. Ronald Polite III tallied 12 points and three assists in the contest.

A LOOK AT THE HAWKS (13-7, 3-4 A-10; NET #86, KenPom #96)
Saint Joseph's was picked to finish fifth in the 2023-24 A-10 Preseason Poll. The Hawks went 10-3 in non-conference play, highlighted by a win at Villanova (78-65) and overall Big 5 Championship. SJU is 3-4 to begin A-10 play and is coming off a 91-72 setback at St. Bonaventure on Friday in Olean. The Hawks played outstanding defense during non-conference play but are allowing 1.120 points/possession in league games (13th in A-10). Offensively, Saint Joseph's leads the A-10 and ranks seventh nationally in 3pt FG made/game (10.6). Preseason All-A-10 selection Eric Reynolds II leads the team in scoring (17.9 ppg) and ranks 11th nationally with 3.3 3pt FG made/game. Lynn Greer III adds 11.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and a team-best 4.1 assists/game.

UP NEXT
George Mason wraps up its two-game road swing with a trip to Amherst to battle UMass. Tip-off on Saturday (Feb. 3) between the Patriots and Minutemen is set for 12 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.