George Mason (14-6, 9-0 A-10) vs. Saint Louis (11-12, 5-5 A-10)
WHEN: Saturday, January 31, at 3 p.m. ET
WHERE: EagleBank Arena; Fairfax, Va.
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+/MASN
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE AUDIO: GoMason Digital Network

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason women's basketball team hosts the Saint Louis Billikens on Saturday, January 31. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and MASN with tip-off set for 3 p.m ET. Simon Burts will be on the GoMason Digital Network starting at approximately 2:45 p.m. 

This is the 17th matchup between the Patriots and the Billiken, with Saint Louis leading 9-7. George Mason won the last matchup in the quarter-finals of 2025 A-10 Tournament, 87-57. 

SCOUTING THE BILLIKENS

The Saint Louis Billikens enter the matchup with an overall record of 11–12 and a 5–5 mark in conference play. The Billikens are averaging 68.7 points per game while allowing 67.0, shooting .398 from the field, .285 from three-point range, and .736 at the free throw line. Saint Louis averages 39.7 rebounds per game, including 298 offensive boards, and posts 13.2 assists per contest. The Billikens average 17.9 turnovers per game and record 8.7 steals and 5.2 blocks per outing. In conference play, Saint Louis averages 62.2 points per game, shoots .358 from the floor, .208 from three, and .768 from the free throw line.

Individually, Saint Louis features five players averaging at least 8.8 points per game overall. Zya Nugent averages 13.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 31.8 minutes per game, while Alexia Nelson posts 13.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 34.7 minutes per contest. Jahda Denis contributes 12.2 points per game while shooting .895 from the free throw line, and Alyssa Koerkenmeier adds 11.1 points and a team-high 8.5 rebounds per game, along with 57 total blocks. Zhykera Brown averages 8.8 points per game and leads the team in made three-pointers with 36.

From a team perspective, Saint Louis has totaled 1,581 points through 23 games and has recorded 303 assists on 559 made field goals. The Billikens have outblocked opponents 119–81 and have accumulated 200 steals on the season. Saint Louis scores most frequently in the third quarter with 450 total points and has played in three overtime periods. In conference games, Koerkenmeier (9.2 rebounds per game) and Denis (13.8 points per game) lead the Billikens statistically, while the team averages 37.9 rebounds and 12.2 assists per game against league opponents.

• The Patriots are 9-0 in conference play for the first time in program history
• Zahirah Walton was named to the 2026 Becky Hammon Player of the Year Midseason Watch List
• Head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis won her 400th career game on January 4, 2026 vs. VCU, 68-58
• The Patriot's January 25th game vs. Richmond was postponed to February 16th due to weather
• Head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis is the longest tenured Black female head coach in D1 (27 years)
• 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 seven 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), Kailani Merrell (Daytona, Fla./Sprunce Creek), 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 have a bye week before hitting the road to face the Richmond Spiders on Saturday, February 7 at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.