WHERE: UMPC Cooper Fieldhouse
WHEN: Saturday, 2 p.m.
RECORDS: George Mason (22-6, 13-2), Duquesne (12-16, 7-8)
SERIES: George Mason trails, 6-10
TELEVISION: SportsNet Pittsburgh
LIVE VIDEO: Click here
LIVE AUDIO: Click here
LIVE STATS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (22-6, 13-2) heads to the Steel City for a Saturday afternoon battle with Duquesne (12-16, 7-8).

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

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots are 20-3 (.870) over their last 23 games.

• George Mason has reached 13 league and 22 overall victories for the first time in the program's A-10 history (2013-). GM and VCU both sport the best records in the league (13-2) with three games to play.

• The Patriots are coming off a 74-64 win over Fordham Wednesday night in Fairfax. The victory gave George Mason 16 home wins for the first time in school history.

• Jalen Haynes tied his George Mason personal best with 25 points in the win (8-20 FG, 9-11 FT) while adding seven rebounds in just 24 minutes.

• Darius Maddox added 14 points while Brayden O'Connor notched 12 points and a team-best four assists. K.D. Johnson chipped in 10 points, three steals and two assists.

• Jared Billups tallied team highs in rebounds (8), blocks (3) and steals (3). He's averaging 2.2 steals/game over the past five contests.

• Johnson is just two steals shy of 200 for his career. To put that in perspective, only two Patriots have reached the 200-steal plateau in their careers (George Evans, Nate Langley).

• George Mason ranks third in the nation in FG defense (.373) while also ranking high in effective FG defense (2nd, .441), 2pt defense (7th, .441) and 3pt defense (10th, .292). The Patriots are 11th in scoring defense (62.4 ppg allowed) and 17th in overall defensive efficiency (0.949 points/possession).

• The Patriots are the only team in the nation to rank in the top-10  in FG defense, effective FG defense, 2pt defense and 3pt defense.

• The Patriots are 6-0 in their last five contests decided by five points or less and 3-0 in their last three overtime games.

• GM is a perfect 13-0 when winning the turnover battle or if turnovers are tied this season.

• The Patriots are 18-1 when shooting 30 percent or better from from 3pt range on the season.

• George Mason is 5-2 on the road in league play and won five-straight road contests (Jan. 15-Feb. 11) for the first time in the program's A-10 history. GM is the first team to win at Dayton and St. Bonaventure in the same season since VCU in 2018-19.

• GMU has clinched its first A-10 Tournament double bye in school history and will compete as either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed.

• George Mason is ranked 65th nationally in the Feb. 28 NET. GM also is 74th in the Ken Pomeroy rankings. It marks the Patriots' highest spot in the KenPom ledger since December 2011.

HISTORY vs. DUQUESNE
Saturday's matchup marks the 17th all-time meeting between Mason and Duquesne. The Dukes lead the series 10-6, hold a 5-3 advantage in Pittsburgh and have won eight of the 10 Atlantic 10 matchups. Five of the last six 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.The teams did not play due to COVID-19 cancellations in both 2020-21 and 2021-22. George Mason is looking for its first win in the series since March 2017 and first victory in Pittsburgh since 2014.

This past season, the Dukes won 59-51 in Fairfax on March 2, 2024. The Patriots forced 18 Duquesne turnovers, but committed 18 of their own while shooting 36.5 percent (18-48) from the floor. The Patriots led 24-21 at the half and trailed by just two (53-51) with 1:11 to go. But Mason would not score on its final three possessions as the Dukes escaped Fairfax with a win. Darius Maddox led the Patriots with a game-high 22 points, while Woody Newton added eight points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Jared Billups chipped in eight points, five rebounds and four steals.

A LOOK AT THE DUKES (12-16, 3-11 A-10; NET #153, KenPom #143)
Duquesne was picked to finish eighth in the A-10 preseason poll and currently sits in seventh with a 7-8 league mark. The Dukes are 5-2 at home in A-10 play. Duquesne ranks fourth in the A-10 and 42nd nationally in scoring defense (66.4 points/game allowed). The team also leads the A-10 in bench scoring (26.43 points/game) and is fifth in offensive rebounds/contest (11.82). Tre Dinkins leads the team in scoring (12.7 ppg) and shoots 38.5 percent from 3pt range. Jake DiMichele adds 10.9 points/contest, while point guard Kareem Rozier dishes out 3.5 assists/game and leads the conference in assist/turnover ratio (3.5).

UP NEXT
George Mason returns home to host La Salle for Senior Night on Wednesday (March 5). Tip-off between the Patriots and Explorers is set for 7 p.m. Prior to the contest, the George Mason program will honor its seven senior student-athletes and four senior student managers in a pregame ceremony.