George Mason (6-6, 1-0 A-10) vs. Dayton (7-5, 0-1 A-10)
WHEN: Wednesday, December 31, at 12 p.m. ET
WHERE: EagleBank Arena; Fairfax, Va.
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE AUDIO: GoMason Digital Network
GAME NOTES: LINK

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason women's basketball team hosts the Dayton Flyers on Wednesday, December 31 for a New Years Eve matchup. The game will be broadcast on the ESPN+ with tip-off set for 12 p.m ET with Steve Kolbe and Debbie Taneyhill on the call. Tommy Buckles will be on the GoMason Digital Network starting at approximately 11:45 p.m.

These two programs have faced off 15 times since the Patriots joined the A-10 in 2013-14. The Flyers lead the series, 9-6, but the Patriots have won the last three matchups, including an 86-53 win in Ohio last year.

SCOUTING THE FLYERS

The Dayton Flyers enter the matchup with an overall record of 7–5 through 12 games, including a 4–1 mark at home, 2–3 on the road, and 1–1 at neutral sites. Dayton is averaging 65.9 points per game while allowing 66.8 points per contest. The Flyers are shooting 44.3% from the field, 30.7% from three-point range, and 66.1% from the free-throw line. They average 37.7 rebounds per game with a +4.3 rebounding margin, along with 11.7 assists per game, 6.8 steals per game, and 4.0 blocks per game.

Individually, Nayo Lear leads Dayton with 16.7 points per game, shooting 55.6% from the field and 41.2% from three-point range, while also contributing 2.9 rebounds per game. Fatima Ibrahim averages 8.9 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game, ranking among conference leaders in blocks with 2.25 per game. Nicole Stephens averages 8.1 points, 3.7 assists, and 33.2 minutes per game, while Ajok Madol adds 7.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest. Multiple Flyers contribute across the stat sheet, with Dayton recording 140 total assists and 48 total blocks on the season.

As a team, Dayton averages 19.3 turnovers per game and has a turnover margin of -3.8. The Flyers attempt 17.7 three-pointers per game and make 5.4 per contest, while opponents average 7.1 made threes per game. Dayton has recorded 82 steals and 48 blocks on the year, and their bench contributes 19.8 points per game. Through 12 games, the Flyers have totaled 791 points scored and 801 points allowed, with scoring distributed across all four quarters.

• Zahirah Walton scored 42 points vs. Murray St. on Nov 28 and 20 points vs. #13 Ole Miss at the Daytona Beach Classic. She was named MVP of the tournament for her performances.
• 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. 

UP NEXT
The Patriots head to Richmond for a match up on Sunday, January 4 at 12 p.m. vs. VCU at the Siegel Center. The game will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.