WHERE: EagleBank Arena - Fairfax, Va.
WHEN: Sunday, 2 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Click here
TICKETS: Click here
GAME NOTES: Click here (PDF)

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team wraps up its exhibition slate with a Sunday afternoon contest against St. Mary's (Md.).

Tip-off between the Patriots and Seahawks is set for 2 p.m. Fans can follow Sunday's game via Live Stats on GoMason.com.

PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots opened exhibition play with an 84-67 setback at Villanova on Oct. 17. Brayden O'Connor led the Patriots with a team-high 14 points while Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor added 12 points. Missing starting point guard Baraka Okojie and Makhai Valentine, the Patriots trailed by six (54-48) with 10:18 remaining, but a late 14-3 run by Villanova ultimately put the game out of reach.

• George Mason head coach Tony Skinn ('06) has set new program bests for overall wins (70), league wins (35), overall winning percentage (.693) and league winning percentage (.648) for a Patriot coach over his first three campaigns.

• Skinn's 69.3 overall winning percentage ranks 17th nationally amongst current Division I head coaches with at least three seasons at the helm. He's the first coach in school history to lead his teams to three-straight 20-win seasons.

• George Mason is one of just three A10 programs during Skinn's tenure to finish in the NET top-100 all three seasons.

• On the strength of back-to-back NIT appearances, the Patriots have now made two-straight postseasons for the first time since 2007-09.

• Since the start of the 2024-25 season, Mason ranks second in the A-10 and t-32nd nationally in total wins (50).

• George Mason finished fifth in the 2025-26 Atlantic 10 standings after posting 11 league victories.

• George Mason won 23 games (11-7 A-10) last season despite 2025-26 Preseason All-A-10 First Team selection Brayden O'Connor playing in just one game due to a season-ending foot injury.

• O'Connor (the starting PG on GMU's 2025-26 A-10 regular season co-championship team) returns for his fifth year. He is joined amongst the returners by senior Malik Presley, who started 22 of 32 games, and sophomore Emmanuel Kanga, who ranked second in the nation in rebounding percentage in his debut campaign.

• The Patriots also welcome back their first boomerang transfer in program history, Baraka Okojie (Oko-jay), who earned 2023-24 A-10 All-Rookie honors at GMU in 2023-24 before making stops at Memphis (2024-25) and Mercer (2025-26).

• Last season with the Bears, Okojie was a First Team All-SoCon pick (19.7 ppg, 5.3 apg) and ranked third in the nation in FT made (224).

• Additional impact transfers include former Northern Illinois sharpshooter Makhai Valentine (13.3 ppg in 2025-26) and former Butler defensive stopper Efeosa Oliogu-Elabor.

• The non-conference schedule includes new home-and-homes with projected Top-100 foes High Point (Dec. 2 at HPU) and South Florida (Nov. 21 in Fairfax).

• The Patriots enter the season ranked No. 92 in Bart Torvik's T-Rankings and No. 99 in KenPom.

HISTORY vs. ST. MARY'S (MD.)
Sunday's game will mark the second time in three seasons the Patriots have hosted St. Mary's (Md.) in an exhibition game. George Mason won the matchup two seasons ago, 91-62, on Oct. 26, 2024. Darius Maddox (2-4 3pt FG) and junior Brayden O'Connor chipped in 12 points, while junior Jalen Haynes notched 11 points and made 7-of-11 attempts at the free throw line.

A LOOK AT THE SEAHAWKS (2025-26: 10-14, 6-7 UNITED EAST)
Div. III foe St. Mary's (Md.) is coming off a 2025-26 campaign in which the Seahawks posted a 10-14 record and went 6-7 in United East play. The Seahawks return their top-2 scorers from a season ago, including Korey Blair (13.9 ppg) and James Crimaudo (13.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg).

UP NEXT
The Patriots open the 2026-27 regular season on Monday, November 2, when George Mason takes on 2026 America East champion UMBC. Tip-off between the Patriots and Retrievers is set for 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.