George Mason (23-8, 16-2 A-10) vs. Rhode Island (27-4, 16-2 A-10)
WHEN: Sunday, March 8, at 4 p.m ET
WHERE: Henrico Entertainment & Sports Arena; Henrico, Va.
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN 2
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE AUDIO: GoMason Digital Network
A-10 TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: LINK
HENRICO, Va. - The #2 George Mason women's basketball team will take on the #1 Rhode Island Rams on Sunday, March 8 in the Championship game of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The game will be broadcast on the ESPN 2 with tip-off set for 4 p.m ET with Carolyn Peck and Courtney Lyle on the call. Tommy Buckles and Simon Burts will be on the GoMason Digital Network starting at approximately 3:45 p.m. ET.
This is the 15th matchup between the Patriots and Rams. Rhode Island won the sole matchup between the two teams this season. They have never met on a neutral site court.
SCOUTING THE RAMS
Rhode Island enters with a 27–4 overall record and a 16–2 conference record. The team averages 68.1 points per game while allowing 53.8 points per game, with a scoring margin of 14.3. Rhode Island shoots 42.6% from the field (775–1819), 29.5% from three-point range (168–570), and 77.1% from the free throw line (394–511). The team averages 38.7 rebounds per game compared to 31.9 by opponents, along with 13.0 assists per game and 11.5 turnovers per game. Defensively, opponents shoot 37.4% from the field and average 53.8 points per game. Rhode Island also averages 6.8 steals and 3.3 blocks per game.
In NCAA statistical rankings, Rhode Island ranks 6th nationally in scoring defense at 54.1 points allowed per game and 14th in winning percentage at 86.7%. The team ranks 5th nationally in turnovers per game at 11.2 and 23rd in free throw percentage at 76.9%. Additional national rankings include 38th in rebound margin (6.7), 40th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.15), and 53rd in field goal percentage defense (37.5%). Within the conference, Rhode Island ranks 1st in scoring defense (54.1), turnover per game (11.2), rebound margin (6.7), and winning percentage (86.7%).
Individually, Brooklyn Gray averages 12.4 points per game with 384 total points while shooting 41.5% from the field and 90.5% from the free throw line (86–95). Palmire Mbu averages 10.9 points per game with 181 total rebounds and 50 blocks, including 1.67 blocks per game. Vanessa Harris averages 10.4 points per game with 322 total points. Albina Syla averages 9.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while Ines Debroise averages 9.1 points and has 92 assists. Sophia Vital leads the team with 114 assists and averages 3.7 assists per game with a 2.52 assist-to-turnover ratio. Brooklyn Gray ranks 5th nationally in free throw percentage at 90.3%, and Palmire Mbu ranks 39th nationally in blocks per game at 1.67.
PATRIOT POINTS
- George Mason looks to be the first back-to-back A-10 Champions since GW in 2015 & 2016
- A win on Sunday would be Coach Blair-Lewis' 100th win at George Mason
- The Patriots secured a piece of the 2026 Regular Season Championship - the program's first regular season championship ever in any conference
- George Mason finish the 2025-26 regular season with the most conference wins in program history (16)
- Zahirah Walton and Kennedy Harris were named to the All-Conference First Team. Only two other set of Patriots have been name to their conference's first team in the same season: Jen Surlas & Trish Halpin (1999) and Marcell Harrison & Nickie Hilton (1993). Walton is also the first Patriot to win back-to-back First Team honors since Surlas in '99 and '00.
- Hawa Komara and Mary Amoateng were named to the All-Defensive Team. Amoateng joins Nicole Cardaño-Hillary as the only George Mason players to make the A-10 All-Defensive Team as freshmen.
- Amoateng was also named to the All-Rookie Team. She becomes just the 6th Patriot to be named to the All-Rookie Team in the program's A-10 era
- Junior Kennedy Harris eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark last Saturday vs. Duquesne. She joins teammate Zahirah Walton and 21 other Patriots in the program's 1K point club
- Head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis is the longest tenured Black female head coach in D1 (27 years)
- 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 Patriots won the Atlantic 10 championship for the first time in program history in 2024-25, giving them their first NCAA Tournament berth
- The Patriots were picked to finish second in the A-10 Preseason Poll
WITH A WIN...
The Patriots will be back-to-back champions.
