George Mason (0-0) vs. Temple (0-0)
WHEN: Monday, November 2, at 7 p.m. ET
WHERE: EagleBank Arena; Fairfax, Va.
2025-26 RECORDS: Patriots (23-10, 16-2 A10), Temple (15-17, 8-10 American)
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE AUDIO: GoMason Digital Network
GAME DAY MATERIALS: LINK
FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason women's basketball team hosts their home opener on Monday, November 2 at 7 p.m. vs. the Temple Owls. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with
Steve Kolbe and Jen Surlas on the call. Kerrigan Westbay will be on the GoMason Digital Network starting at approximately 6:45 p.m.
This is the third matchup between the Patriots and Owls. Last season, they played their season opener in Philadelphia and Temple won in overtime.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Last season, Temple finished the with a 15-17 overall record and an 8-10 mark in American Athletic Conference play. The Owls averaged 67.8 points and 38.5 rebounds per game while shooting 39.2 percent from the field, 32.6 percent from three-point range and 72.1 percent from the free-throw line. Temple recorded 13.3 assists and 9.0 steals per game. Kaylah Turner led the team in scoring, averaging 16.4 points per game while shooting 40.9 percent from three-point range, making 83 three-pointers in 32 games.
Saniyah Craig averaged 10.8 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds per game, while Jaleesa Molina contributed 9.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Molina also recorded 19 blocks and 53 steals. Tristen Taylor averaged 9.8 points and a team-high 4.1 assists per game, shooting 81.1 percent from the free-throw line. Savannah Curry added 7.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while recording 54 steals. Drew Alexander averaged 5.3 points per game and made 37 three-pointers, while Brianna Mead contributed 3.2 points per game.
Temple scored 2,169 points across 32 games, averaging 67.8 points per contest, and recorded 1,232 rebounds for an average of 38.5 per game. The Owls made 207 three-pointers and averaged 6.5 per game. Defensively, Temple averaged 9.0 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. The Owls opened the season with a 94-85 overtime victory over George Mason on Nov. 3, 2025, and finished the season with a 1-1 record at the American Athletic Conference Championship, defeating Tulane 86-77 in overtime before falling to UTSA 59-51.
PATRIOT POINTS
- Sophomore Mary Amoateng was named to the Preseason A10 All-Conference Second Team and All-Defensive Team. Junior Anovia Sheals was named to the Preseason A10 All-Conference Third Team
- The Patriots were selected 4th in the A10 preseason poll
- Redshirt junior Trinity Massenburg, junior Summer Yancy, and sophomore Mary Amoateng were named team captains for the 2026-27 season
- Head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis is the longest tenured Black female head coach in D1 (27 years)
- There are 9 new players on the 2026-27 roster: Madison Bob (Missouri City, Texas/Kilgore College), Roisin Grandberry (Arlington Heights, Ill./Loyola Chicago), Desirae Ashton (Fredericksburg, Va./Bucknell), Tia Dobson (Daytona Beach, Fla./UNCW), Anovia Sheals (Daytona Beach, Fla./Austin Peay), Lourdes Da Silva Costa (Stockholm, Sweden/Alabama), Summer Yancy (Kansas City, Mo./UCF), Mary-Kate Tshibuabua (Ternay, France/Rhode Island), and Irati Franco Dominguez (Portugalete, Spain/AZ Compass Prep)
- The George Mason coaching staff added a familiar piece to the staff this summer: Debbie Taneyhill '92, who was the Patriots head coach from 1998-2008, joined the staff as an assistant coach over the summer.
- Head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis is an alum of Mount St. Mary's and coached there for the first nine years of her career
UP NEXT
The Patriots host the Akron Zips on Thursday, November 5 at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
