George Mason (5-0) vs. Mount St. Mary's (Md.) (0-4)
WHEN: Tuesday, November 26, at 7 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena; Fairfax, Va.  
2023-24 RECORDS: Patriots (23-8, 14-4 A-10), Mountaineers (14-17, 10-10 MAAC)  
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE AUDIO: GoMason Digital Network
DIGITAL PROGRAM: LINK
GAME NOTES: LINK

FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's basketball team welcomes the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers on Tuesday, November 26, at 7 p.m. at EagleBank Arena.
 
George Mason is 5-1 historically with Mount St. Mary's. The most recent matchup came last season on December 9, 2023, where the Patriots beat the Mountatineers, 77-30. Kennedy Harris led all scorers with 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
 
Mount St. Mary's is particularly special to Coach Blair-Lewis as she played and began her coaching career there. Still the All-Time Blocks record holder for the Mountaineers, Blair-Lewis was named the Northeast Conference Player of the Decade for the 1990s. She was named the head coach of the Mountaineers in 1998 after two years as an assistant and was at the helm until 2007. Coach Blair-Lewis had her #24 jersey retired at Mount St. Mary's in 2019.

PATRIOT POINTS

• Sophomore Kennedy Harris and junior Zahirah Walton have led the Patriots is scoring so far this season, averaging 15.4 ppg and 11.0 ppg, respectively.
• Two of the Patriots first five wins came against teams that made the NCAA Tournament in the last two years: Monmouth and Marshall.
• Mason returns ten letter winners and three starters from last season's squad, including captains Paula Suárez and Nalani Kaysia, last year's A-10 Rookie of the Year Zahirah Walton, and preseason third team selections Ta'Viyanna Habib and Kennedy Harris.
• The Patriots welcome four newcomers, including two transfers, to the roster: Khamya McNeal (Stetson/Syracuse) and Louis Volker (Missouri State). The freshman class includes Sarah Oduro and LeAire Nicks.
• Mason returns three of its top five scorers from a season ago: Zahirah Walton (11.3), Ta'Viyanna Habib (10.0), and Kennedy Harris (9.4).
• Kaysia also returns after sitting out last year due to medical reasons.
• Last season, the Patriots posted their first 20+ win season since 2017-18 when the team went 24-10.
• Prior to the start of the 2024-25 season, Mason was chosen to finish third out of 15 teams in the conference, their highest preseason pick since joining the Atlantic 10.

 
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
 
Mount St. Mary's is currently 0-4 and finished last year 14-17. They earned the No. 6 spot in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament after going 9-9 in conference play. The Mountaineers beat No. 11 Marist 60-47 in the MAAC Tournament but ultimately fell to No. 3 Siena 57-80 in the quarterfinals.
 
Three players are currently averaging double figures in scoring for the Mountaineers, led by redshirt freshman Gabrielle Kennerly, who averages 13.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. She also leads the team in steals (7). Third Team All-MAAC Selection Jo Raflo is second in scoring, averaging 12 points a game, and leads the team in rebounds, averaging 5 per game. Graduate student Anna LeMaster averages 11.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game and leads the team in free throws made and attempted, going 16-19 from the line.
 
Another notable player is Giana Hoddinott, who leads the team in assists with 15 total. She also averages 3.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Jaedyn Jamison is second on the team in rebounds, averaging 4.8 and 1.3 points per game.
 
As a team, Mount St. Mary's currently boasts the best field goal percentage defense in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, limiting opponents to 35.8%. They also have the best scoring defense in the conference, limiting their opponents to 48.0 points per game. The Mountaineers are ranked fourth in free throw percentage (73.2%).
 
UP NEXT
George Mason heads to Annapolis, Md. to play in the Navy Classic at the Naval Academy. The team will play on Saturday, Nov. 30 against #11 Maryland at 3:30 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 1 against the host Navy at 1 p.m. Sunday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+.