WHERE: EagleBank Arena - Fairfax, Va.
WHEN: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
RECORDS: George Mason (22-7, 13-3), La Salle (12-17, 4-12)
SERIES: George Mason leads, 9-3
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LIVE AUDIO: Click here
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GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)

PROMOTIONS: Free Mason in DC T-Shirt, First 1000 Fans; Senior Night (Ceremony at 6:40 p.m.)

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (22-7, 13-3) honors its seven seniors at the team's final home game of the season Wednesday vs. La Salle (12-17, 4-12).

Tip-off between the Patriots and Explorers is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+, featuring Voice of the Patriots Bill Rohland and former All-CAA forward Will Thomas ('08). In addition, Steve Kolbe will call the game on the GoMason Digital Network, with streaming coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.

The senior ceremony will begin at 6:40 p.m.

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots are 20-4 (.833) over their last 24 games, but have dropped two of the past three contests.

• George Mason has reached 13 league and 22 overall victories for the first time in the program's A-10 history (2013-).

• The Patriots are coming off an 85-68 setback at Duquesne on Saturday. The Dukes hit 15 3-pointers and shot 52.9 percent (27-51) overall from the floor. It marked the first time in the last 34 games a Patriot foe has shot more than 50 percent against the Green & Gold.

• Duquesne's 15 3-pointers marked the most by a Patriot foe since Davidson hit 16 in an A-10 Quarterfinal game on March 5, 2021.

• Jalen Haynes led the Patriots with 14 points (4-5 FG, 6-7 FT) vs. the Dukes while K.D. Johnson (11) and Woody Newton (10) also scored in double figures.

• Johnson added three steals and is now averaging 2.7 steals/game over the past three contests. Against Duquesne, he hit 200 steals for his career. To put that in perspective, only two Patriots have previously reached the 200-steal plateau (George Evans, Nate Langley).

• George Mason ranks third in the nation in FG defense (.378) while also ranking high in effective FG defense (6th, .449), 2pt defense (7th, .445) and 3pt defense (19th, .300). The Patriots are 12th in scoring defense (63.2 ppg allowed) and 21st in overall defensive efficiency (0.958 points/possession).

• 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 18-2 when shooting 30 percent or better from from 3pt range on the season.

• GMU opponents are shooting a much improved 41.2 percent overall and 33 percent from 3 during this 1-2 stretch. The Patriots also are at a +0.3 rebounding margin (+5.3 overall this season).

• George Mason is 16-1 at home this season and has won its first eight A-10 home games for the first time since the Patriots joined the league in 2013-14. The team's 16 home wins this season is a school record.

• 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 75th nationally in the Mar. 4 NET. GM also is 83rd in the Ken Pomeroy rankings.

HISTORY vs. LA SALLE
Wednesday's game will mark the 13th all time matchup between George Mason and La Salle in men's basketball. The Patriots hold a 9-3 advantage in the all time series and are a perfect 6-0 vs. the Explorers in Fairfax. George Mason has won six of the past seven matchups. Last season, the Patriots opened A-10 play with a 77-62 win over La Salle on Jan. 3, 2024. Darius Maddox tallied 15 points (3-4 3pt FG), seven rebounds and two assists in the win.

A LOOK AT THE EXPLORERS (12-17, 4-12 A-10; NET #232, KenPom #243)
La Salle was picked to finish 15th in the A-10 preseason poll and currently sits in 14th with a 4-12 league record. The Explorers have dropped seven straight contests heading into Wednesday. La Salle grabs 12.07 offensive rebounds/game (fourth in A-10) and commits just 10.6 turnovers/contest (fifth in A-10). The team is 251st nationally in offensive efficiency (1.028 points/possession). Corey McKeithan leads the Explorers in scoring (14.9 ppg) and shoots 35 percent from 3pt range. A-10 All-Rookie candidate Deuce Jones adds 12.1 points and a team-best 2.8 assists/game while Daeshon Shepherd chips in 10.5 points/game.

Legendary La Salle head coach Fran Dunphy has announced he will retire at the end of the season. The winningest all time coach in Philadelphia Big 5 history, Dunphy has amassed 623 victories over his 30 years as head coach at Penn (1989-06), Temple (2006-19), and three seasons at La Salle (2022-2025). He is the only coach to oversee multiple Big 5 men's programs, and his teams have competed in 17 NCAA Tournaments.

UP NEXT
George Mason wraps up the regular season with a Saturday (March 8) contest at Richmond. Tip-off between the Patriots and Spiders is set for 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.