George Mason (20-3, 10-2 A-10) at Fordgam (12-10, 6-5 A-10)
WHEN: Saturday, February 7, at 2 p.m. ET
WHERE: Rose Hill Gymnasium; Bronx. N.Y.  
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE AUDIO: GoMason Digital Network

BRONX, N.Y. – The Patriots will travel to the Bronx to take on the Fordham Rams on Saturday afternoon. The game is set to tip-off at 2 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN+, with a radio broadcast on the GoMason Digital Network.

George Mason is 5-11 historically with Fordham. Dating back to the 2001-2002 season, the Patriots won three of the first four game, but the Rams then won 10 straight games. But, as of late, the Patriots have won the last two games. The last time these two teams faced each other, the Patriots claimed a 54-57 win in Fairfax.
 
PATRIOT POINTS

• Sophomore Kennedy Harris and redshirt sophomore Zahirah Walton have led the Patriots is scoring so far this season, averaging 14.8  ppg and 14.5 ppg, respectively.
• Harris was named A-10 Player of the Week for 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
• The Patriots have recoded their fasted season to 20 wins after their win against VCU.
• Head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis was named to the Mid-Major Coach of the Year Midseason Watch List by Her Hoop Stats
• 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.
• George Mason is currently in the "First Four Out" group per ESPN's Bracketology.
• 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.
• 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.
• The Patriots welcome four newcomers, including two transfers, to the roster: Khamya McNeal (Stetson/Syracuse) and Louis Volker (Missouri State).
• The freshman class includes Sarah Oduro and LeAire Nicks.
• Mason returns three of its top five scorers from a season ago: Zahirah Walton (11.3), Ta'Viyanna Habib (10.0), and Kennedy Harris (9.4).
• Kaysia also returns after sitting out last year due to medical reasons.
• Last season, the Patriots posted their first 20+ win season since 2017-18 when the team went 24-10.
• Prior to the start of the 2024-25 season, Mason was chosen to finish third out of 15 teams in the conference, their highest preseason pick since joining the Atlantic 10.

SCOUTING THE RAMS
The Fordham Rams are currently ranked 9th in the Atlantic 10 standings. They've lost the last three games, but are the sole loss on Richmond's otherwise perfect conference season. At home, the Rams are 8-2 coming into Saturday.
 
Two players are currently averaging double figures in scoring for the Rams, led by graduate student Taylor Donaldson, who averages 17.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. She leads the team in points, three-pointers, and steals. She is also top-ten in the conference in those three categories as well.
 
Graduate student Irene Murua is the other player averaging double digit points, tallying 12.2 points and 6.1 rebounds on average per game. She leads the team in free throws, rebounds, and minutes played. Her 73 offensive boards over 22 games has helped turn the Rams into the best offensive rebounding team in the conference
 
Another notable player is Taya Davis, who leads the team in assists and assists/turnover ratio. She averages 7.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. Chlaé Harris also plays a big role for the Rams, having started 15 of the 22 games, and averaging 8.4 points and 2.5 rebounds.
 
As a team, Fordham is most formidable on the offensive boards, where they rank 14^th in the nation and first in the A-10 for averaging 15.5 per game. They also rank third in the conference in turnovers forced per game (19.14) and 4^th in turnover margin (0.91).

UP NEXT
The Patriots return home to host Rhode Island in their second matchup of the season. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 12 with coverage available on ESPN+ and GoMason Digital.