Art Pittman/George Mason Univ.

Patriots Open Daytona Beach Classic on Friday vs. Murray St.

Women's Basketball 11/27/2025 6:00:00 PM

George Mason (5-2) vs. Murray St. (3-2)
WHEN: Friday, November 28, at 1:30 p.m. ET
WHERE: Ocean Center; Daytona Beach, Fla.
LIVE VIDEO: BallerTV
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE AUDIO: GoMason Digital Network
GAME NOTES: LINK

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason women's basketball team is open the Daytona Beach Classic vs. Murray St. on Friday, November 28. The game will be broadcast on the BallerTV with tip-off set for 1:30 p.m ET. Mackenzie Banks will be on the GoMason Digital Network starting at approximately 1:15 p.m.

This is the first match up between the Patriots and Racers.

SCOUTING THE RACERS

Murray State enters the game with a 3–2 record, averaging 78.0 points per game on .368 shooting from the field and .258 from three across five contests. The Racers produce 6.6 made threes per game and get to the free-throw line at a high rate, averaging 29.4 attempts and 23.8 makes per game at an .810 clip. They collect 41.6 rebounds per game with a +0.6 margin while adding 9.6 assists, 14.8 turnovers, 5.8 steals, and 2.0 blocks per outing. Opponents are scoring 83.8 points per game on .473 shooting and .292 from three.

Sharnecce Currie-Jelks leads Murray State with 18.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game while shooting .517 from the field, .625 from three, and .800 at the free-throw line. Halli Poock adds 16.6 points per game with 31 made free throws and 6 made threes, while Keslyn Secrist contributes 14.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game on .392 shooting. Haven Ford provides 13.4 points and 7.0 rebounds to go with 17 assists and 6 steals. Briley Pena adds 6.2 points and has hit 5 threes, while Braxcynn Baker, Ellery Minch, and Jada Cook supply additional depth scoring.

National and conference rankings show Murray State positioned first in the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring offense (78.0), free-throw attempts (29.4), free-throw percentage (.810), free throws made (23.8), offensive rebounds (14.2), and total rebounds per game (41.6). Individual rankings highlight Currie-Jelks with three double-doubles and top-five conference marks in scoring, rebounding, and field-goal percentage. Poock ranks sixth in the league in scoring, while Secrist ranks second in free-throw percentage and fifth in rebounding. Ford stands among the league's top five in free-throw percentage as well.

PATRIOT POINTS

Zahirah Walton was named A-10 co-Player of the Week for her performance in the first week of action
The Patriots won the Atlantic 10 championship for the first time in program history in 2024-25, giving them their first NCAA Tournament berth
Three Patriots were named to the 2025-26 A-10 Preseason teams: Zahirah Walton and Kennedy Harris were named to the Preseason First Team and Hawa Komara was named to the Preseason Second Team. Walton and Komara were also named to the Preseason All-Defensive Team.
The Patriots were picked to finish second in the A-10 Preseason Poll
Head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis was named to the Kathy Delaney-Smith Coach of the Year Watch List for the third year in a row
Zahirah Walton and Kennedy Harris were named to the Becky Hammon Player of the Year Watch List for the 2025-26 season
Redshirt juniors Page Greenburg and Zahirah Walton and junior Kennedy Harris were named team captains for the 2025-26 season
Two transfer graduate students joined the Patriots this season: MJ Johnson (Texas A&M/Ball St.) and Hawa Komara (Rhode Island)
There are six freshman making their collegiate debuts with the Green & Gold this season: Sanyiah Littlejohn (Philadephia, Pa./Lansdale Catholic), Kayla Johnson (Upper Marlboro, Md./Elizabeth Seton), Mary Amoateng (Baltimore, Md./Bishop McNamara), Matilde Motta (Saronno, Italy/S.M. Legnani), Leah Keyes (Stafford, Va./Virginia Academy), and Sara Blair (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas).
The George Mason coaching staff added a few new pieces and promoted two key staff members this off season. Demetria Frank was promoted to Associate Head Coach and Nigel Bowden was promoted to Director of Basketball Operations. Lauren Stack and Kate McCarney joined as graduate assistants, and Brandon Stewart was appointed Director of Player Personnel.