George Mason (19-3, 9-2 A-10) vs. VCU (10-13, 4-7 A-10)
WHEN: Wednesday, February 5, at 7 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena; Fairfax, Va.  
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE AUDIO: GoMason Digital Network
DIGITAL PROGRAM:  LINK

FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's basketball team returns home on Wednesday, February 5 at 7 p.m. at EagleBank Arena where the Patriots will welcome interstate rival, VCU. The game will also serve as the team's Homecoming game.
 
George Mason is 33-38 historically with VCU. George Mason is 2-8 with VCU over their last ten matchups, but the Patriots have been consistently ranked higher than the Rams this season. Currently, the Patriots are tied for second in the A-10 and are #41 in the NET ranking, while the Rams are 10^th in the A-10 and #154 in the NET rankings.
 
PATRIOT POINTS

• Sophomore Kennedy Harris and junior Zahirah Walton have led the Patriots in scoring so far this season, averaging 15.4 ppg and 14.4 ppg, respectively.
• Harris was named A-10 Player of the Week the second time this season for the week of Jan. 20, 2025 after averaging 25.5 ppg on 55% shooting, 6.0 apg, and 1.0 spg
• Head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis was named to the Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Mid-Season Watch List.
• The Patriots checked in at #45 in the first NET ranking of the 2024-25 season. They then moved to #40 after their win over GW and stayed there after their wins over Georgetown and UMES. #40 is the highest NET ranking for the women's basketball program since the NET rankings debuted in 2018. They currently stand at #41.
• George Mason is currently listed in the "First Four Out" group in the NCAA Tournament per ESPN's Bracketology.
• The Jan. 2 game vs. Saint Joseph's set a George Mason women's basketball attendance record at 3,354.
• Two of the Patriots' first four wins came against teams that made the NCAA Tournament in the last two years: Monmouth and Marshall.
• Prior to the start of the 2024-25 season, Mason was picked to finish third out of 15 teams in the conference, their highest preseason pick since joining the Atlantic 10.
• 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.
• Last season, the Patriots posted their first 20+ win season since 2017-18 when the team went 24-10.

 
SCOUTING THE RAMS
The VCU Rams are currently ranked 10^th in the Atlantic 10 standings. They dropped their most recent conference match-up against Davidson in a close game, 51-54. On the road, the Rams are 3-5 coming into George Mason. The last time these two teams played each other, VCU secured the win 61-56 in 2024.
 
Two players are currently averaging double figures in scoring for the Rams, led by junior guard Mary-Anna Asare, who averages 15.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. She leads the team in steals with 38. Asare is ranked second in the conference and 69^th in the nation in field goal attempts (308) and fifth in the conference for field goals (130). 2024 All-Atlantic 10 Third Team selection Timaya Lewis-Eutsey averages 14.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
 
Another notable player is 2024 All-Atlantic 10 Defensive Team member Mykel Parham, who leads the team in rebounds per game (10.4) and averages 4.4 points per game. She is ranked second in the conference and eighth in the country for rebounds with (240) and second in the A10 for rebounds per game (10.4). Parham leads the team in blocks with 26, which ranks her first in the conference and 72^nd in the nation.
 
As a team, VCU has the best field goal percentage defense in the Atlantic 10 (36.2%), ranking them 23^rd in the country. The Rams rank third in scoring defense (56.5%) and in three-point percentage defense (27.6%).
 
UP NEXT
The Patriots travel to New York this weekend to take on the Fordham Rams on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 2 p.m. Broadcast will be available on ESPN+.