WHERE: EagleBank Arena - Fairfax, Va.
WHEN: Saturday, 2 p.m.
RECORDS: George Mason (3-3), Ferrum (3-0)
SERIES: First meeting
LIVE VIDEO: Click here
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
TICKETS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)
PROMOTION: Students Run The Show, including student emcee, DJ and more!

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team concludes up a two-game homestand Saturday with an afternoon contest vs. Ferrum.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Panthers is set for 2 p.m. Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+, featuring commentary from Voice of the Patriots Bill Rohland and former GM standout Chris Fleming ('09). 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 opened the homestand with a 93-55 victory over Coppin State Wednesday.

• The team shot a season-best 60.4 percent (32-53) for the game and limited the Eagles to just 33.3 percent (19-57) on the night. It marked the first time a Patriot team shot over 60 percent from the floor since a February 4, 2017 win vs. La Salle.

• Graduate forward Zach Anderson scorched the nets with seven 3-pointers on just nine attempts. He finished with 21 points. It marked the most triples by a Patriot since Otis Livingston II went 7-for-9 in a February 14, 2018 victory over Dayton.

• Junior Giovanni Emejuru added a season-high 21 points (8-9 FG) and two blocks to go along with seven rebounds. He's tallied 10+ points in four of six games for George Mason.

• The Patriots came into the game ranked 325th nationally with 16.0 turnovers/game, but committed just 10 miscues in the win.

• Much like Coach Skinn's first season at the helm, the Patriots feature an outstanding FG defense. GM is 16th in 2pt FG defense (.410) and 12th in effective FG defense (.402). GM leads the A-10 in FG defense (.346) and 3pt defense (.269) and the  Patriots are 78th nationally in overall defensive efficiency (0.992 points allowed/possession).

•  With his last basket of Wednesday's game, Anderson reached the 1000-point milestone for his career.

• George Mason shot 42.9 percent (9-21) from deep against the Eagles. GM makes 33.8 (22-65) of its attempts from 3 in wins, but just 28.8 percent (19-66) in losses.

• The Patriots rank second in the A-10 and 20th nationally with 20.7 free throws made/game. More than 26.3 percent of the team's scoring output comes at the charity stripe. That ranks 27th nationally.

• The Patriots are a good offensive rebounding team but have struggled on the defensive glass of late. George Mason has given up an average of 20.5 offensive rebounds/game over the past two contests. GM has allowed an offensive board on 35 percent of opponent possessions this season, which ranks 299th nationally.

• The Patriots were ranked in the preseason KenPom top-100 this season for the first time since 2013-14. GM enters Wednesday's game ranked 91st in the metric.

HISTORY vs. FERRUM
Saturday's matchup will mark the first all time meeting between George Mason and Ferrum in men's basketball.

HISTORY vs. ODAC FOES
George Mason is 20-29 (.408) all time against programs currently in the Div. III Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The Patriots' most common foes are Randolph Macon (3-11), Virginia Wesleyan (8-2) and Roanoke (3-6). The bulk of the matchups came during Mason's NAIA and Division II seasons (pre-1979). In the most recent meeting with an ODAC foe, the Patriots knocked off Bridgewater (Va.), 84-60, on Dec. 19, 2023.

A LOOK AT THE PANTHERS (3-0, 0-0 ODAC)
Ferrum was picked eighth out of 13 teams in the 2024-25 ODAC preseason poll. The Panthers are 3-0 to start the season, including victories over Carolina Christian (116-58), Warren Wilson (124-68) and N.C. Wesleyan (82-54). Ferrum is averaging a sizable 107.3 points/game and allowing just 60 per contest. The team has made 60.8 percent of its shots through three games. Charles Tart III leads the team with 17.7 points per game and has made 19-of-23 shots on the year. Alfredo Abel-Rivera adds 17.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest.

UP NEXT
The Patriots return from Thanksgiving to battle rival James Madison on Black Friday (Nov. 29) in Harrisonburg. Tip-off between the Patriots and Dukes is scheduled for 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.