George Mason (1-0) vs. Towson (0-1)
WHEN: Saturday, November 9, at 3 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena; Fairfax, Va.  
2023-24 RECORDS: Patriots (23-8, 14-4 A-10), Tigers (20-11, 11-7 CAA)  
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE AUDIO: GoMason Digital Network
GAME NOTES: LINK
DIGITAL PROGRAM:  LINK

FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's basketball team will host the Towson Tigers on Saturday, November 9, at 3 p.m. at EagleBank Arena.
 
George Mason is 19-12 historically with Towson. Before the Patriots joined the Atlantic 10, the two teams used to face off regularly in the CAA conference. Since 2013-14, the teams have only played each other five times, with the Patriots leading the post-CAA series, 3-2.
 
These two teams faced off last season at Towson when the Patriots overcame a 14-point second-half deficit on the back of now-junior Zahirah Walton who scored 23 points to help lift the Green & Gold to victory.
 
A season ago, Mason went 23-8, 14-4 in A-10 play and advanced to the Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals where it ultimately fell to #5 Duquesne, but still received a postseason bid to the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament. The Tigers made it to the semi-finals round of the CAA Tournament, falling to eventual champions, Drexel.
 
PATRIOT POINTS

• Graduate student Ta'Viyanna Habib led the Patriots on Monday in their home opener against Johnson C. Smith with 19 points in 15 minutes. Her four made three-pointers was a career-high. Also setting career numbers for the night was sophomore Kennedy Harris with five assists and junior Page Greenburg who played a career-high 22 minutes after a shoulder injury sidelined her for much of last season.
• 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.
• Despite a heartbreaking loss in the quarterfinals of the A-10 Tournament, the Patriots received a bid to the inaugural WBIT tournament.
• Prior to the start of the 2023-24 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 OPPONENT
Towson finished last season at 20-11 and earned the No. 6 seed in the Coastal Athletic Association tournament after going 11-7 in conference play. The Towson Tigers beat No. 11 seed Northeastern 78-69 in the second round and advanced to the Quarterfinals to play No. 3 seed Charleston. The Tigers pulled away with a 69-60 win to advance to the semi-finals, ultimately falling to the CAA Champion No. 7 Drexel 68-69.
 
Two players averaged more than ten points per game last season. Led by Second Team All-CAA pick Patricia Anumgba, who averaged 14.4 points per game on 40.2% shooting, grabbed 98 rebounds, tallied 67 assists, and 44 steals (second on the team). Second on the team in scoring was Kylie Kornegay-Lucas, averaging 13 points per game on 33.3% shooting. She also grabbed a career-high 247 rebounds, averaging eight per game to rank fourth in the CAA, and accumulated a career-high 37 blocks in the 2023-24 season. Kylie was CAA Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-CAA, and made the CAA All-Defensive and All-Tournament teams. She earned CAA Player of the Week on November 27th, 2023.
 
Another notable player is Alexia Nelson, who averaged 9.8 points and 4.1 rebounds points per game and is ranked second on the team in assists with 96. Quinzia Fulmore averaged 7.8 points per game on 49.2% shooting and averaged 5.3 rebounds per game. Lastly, India Johnston, averaged seven points per game shooting 45.1% from the field and earned CAA Player of the Week on December 11th, 2023.
 
As a team, Towson is ranked third in the conference for offensive rebounds per game (13.1) and ranked fifth in defensive rebounds (27). The Tigers are third in the CAA in blocks per game (3.6) and have the fourth-best scoring offense in the conference (66.8).
 
UP NEXT
The Patriots will host Monmouth on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at  EagleBank Arena.