WHERE: EagleBank Arena - Fairfax, Va.
WHEN: Saturday, 2 p.m.
RECORDS: George Mason (18-10, 7-8), Duquesne (17-11, 7-8)
SERIES: Duquesne leads, 9-6
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GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)

PROMOTION: Post-Game Autographs on Concourse with Select Student-Athletes

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (18-10, 7-8) returns to Fairfax for its first home contest vs. Duquesne (17-11, 7-8) since February 2019.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Dukes is set for 2 p.m. Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+, featuring commentary from Voice of the Patriots Bill Rohland. In addition, Steve Kolbe will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 1:45 p.m. (ET).

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots check in at 93rd 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 are 13-2 at home this season and have won 27 of their past 31 games in Fairfax. Mason is shooting 49.7 percent and averaging 77.7 points in home games while holding opponents to 65.5 points and 38.6 percent.

• The Patriots have dropped two straight road contests, most recently 61-60 at Fordham on Tuesday. Mason led 40-26 with 12:22 left, but the Rams made 10 second-half threes to shoot past the Patriots in the Bronx.

• Keyshawn Hall tallied a team-best 15 points vs. the Rams, while Darius Maddox added 13 points (4-8 FG), five rebounds, four assists and two steals in 36 minutes.

• George Mason held the Rams to just 32.2 percent from the floor, but Fordham shot 40 percent (12-30) from 3pt range, including a 10-of-17 (.588) effort in the second half.

• The Patriots have proved to be a strong defensive team all season, but the team has been vulnerable from beyond the arc. Over the past three games, Mason foes are averaging 11.0 3pt FG made/game and shooting 42.9 percent (33-77) from deep.

• Freshman Austin Ball notched seven points (3-7 FG) in 21 minutes Tuesday night. He's become a regular part of the Mason rotation over the past four games while averaging 18.0 minutes/contest.

• Graduate forward Amari Kelly ranks 27th nationally in true shooting percentage (.652). Since 1992, he is one of just 88 Div. I players to average 10+ points/game with splits of at least .550 FG%/.450 FG%/.750 FT%. He is the only Mason player and one of just three A-10 players in that span to accomplish the feat. He is one of three players nationally this season to feature those splits.

• Freshman Baraka Okojie ranks t-5th in the A-10 in steals in league play (1.7) and is 11th amongst all Div. I freshmen in free throw attempts (117).

• A win Saturday would give the Patriots 19 regular season (pre-conf. tournament) victories for only the third time in past 11 seasons. Two wins in the final three regular season games would give Mason 20 pre-tourney wins for the first time since 2011-12.

HISTORY vs. DUQUESNE
Saturday's matchup marks the 16th all-time meeting between Mason and Duquesne. The Dukes lead the series 9-6 and have won seven of the nine Atlantic 10 matchups. Four of the last five meetings have come down to the wire, with three of the games being decided by five total points and the other going to double overtime. Last season marked the first for the programs since a pre-pandemic contest on February 29, 2020, due to COVID-19 cancellations in both 2020-21 and 2021-22. Duquesne won the game in Pittsburgh on February 8, 2023, by the score of 75-52. The teams have not played in Fairfax since February 23, 2019.

A LOOK AT THE DUKES (17-11, 7-8 A-10; NET #104, KenPom #109)
Duquesne was picked to finish fourth in the 2023-24 Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll. The Dukes opened A-10 play 0-5 but have since won seven of their past 10 conference games. The Dukes feature a top-75 KenPom defense (1.010 points/possession, #71) and hold foes to a .484 effective field goal percentage (72nd). Dae Dae Grant leads the team in scoring (16.8 ppg) and ranks second in the nation in free throw percentage (.953, 123-129). Jimmy Clark III adds 15.1 points/contest and ranks eighth in the A-10 with 3.9 assists/contest.

UP NEXT
George Mason plays its final regular season road game of the 2023-24 campaign when the Patriots head to the Ocean State for a Wednesday night contest at Rhode Island. Tip-off between the Patriots and Rams is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.