Prince William Reporter

Patriots Back in Fairfax to Welcome Pirates to EagleBank Arena

George Mason (3-5) vs. East Carolina (5-2)

WHEN: Thursday, 7 p.m.

WHERE: EagleBank Arena; Fairfax, Va.  

2021-22 RECORDS: Patriots (10-19, 3-12 A-10), Greyhounds (11-18, 4-11 American)  

SERIES RECORD: ECU leads, 21-26  

LAST MEETING: ECU won, 75-66

LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+ 

LIVE STATS: LINK

LIVE AUDIO: GoMason Digital Network

GAME NOTES: LINK (PDF)

 

FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's basketball team is back on home soil and will return to EagleBank Arena to kick off their second three-game homestand of the season against East Carolina on Thursday.

 

This is the 48th all-time meeting between the two teams, as the former CAA rivals meet for the first time since the 2013-14 season. East Carolina has won all three meetings since leaving the CAA after the 2001 season, and have won eight of the last 10 meetings. However, Mason holds a 14-10 advantage when playing Fairfax, and will look to use the home-court advantage again in tomorrow's game.

 

ECU is off to a solid start in 2022, and finished out November with a 5-2 record, including a win over common opponent Charleston Southern, 64-31, on Nov. 20. The Pirates have only played one true road game against Virginia, which they dropped 72-50 in the Cavalier Classic this past weekend.

 

Mason is coming off of a Bahamas trip of tough opponents, dropping games to No. 12 LSU and University of Alabama at Birmingham. Senior Sonia Smith was named a Bimini Division All-Star for her contribution of 13.5 points per game during an average of 33.0 minutes. Smith and junior Taylor Jameson both scored 10+ points in both games.

 

PATRIOT POINTS

• Mason's best basketball has come at home this season, and has won their last three in Fairfax. The last time the Patriots won four-straight in EagleBank Arena was in 2017.
• Additionally, the Patriots are averaging just about 10 more points/game (65.5) at home than on the road (55.75)
• Jameson continues to contribute on both sides of the court, averaging a team-high 14.4 points/game and tallying a team-best 11 steals.
• Smith and sophomore Paula Suárez pace the Mason offense, totaling 20 and 21 assists, respectively. Smith is also averaging 9.5 points/game.
• Under the net, seniors Nalani Kaysia (6.1) and Jazmyn Doster (4.9) lead the team in rebounding, while graduate student Riley Childs has tallied a team-best 10 blocks.

SCOUTING THE PIRATES

The Pirates are led by Danae McNeal, who is averaging a team-high 15.7 points per game and has tallied double-digit scoring in all seven games this season. She also leads the team with 22 steals, averaging over 3.0 per game, and is second on the team with five blocks and 4.0 rebounds per game.

 

Alexsia Rose is second on the team in scoring (9.7 ppg), assisting (2.0 apg) and stealing (3.0 spg). Meanwhile, Amiya Joyner is leading East Carolina with 5.8 rebounds per game while contributing 6.6 points per game. Defensively, Tiara Chambers has tallied a team-best nine blocks so far this season.

TOY DRIVE

The George Mason women's basketball team is spearheading a toy drive beginning with tomorrow's game to benefit the children of incarcerated adults. Fans can bring unwrapped toys to the box office during the Dec. 1 game against East Carolina, the Dec. 3 game against American and the Dec. 17 game against Coppin St. to receive $5 off a ticket to a women's basketball home game. More information about the organization and cause can be found at www.ilmva.org. 

Original source can be found here