Patriots Head to St. Louis for Wednesday Tilt with the Billikens

Patriots Head to St. Louis for Wednesday Tilt with the Billikens | https://gomason.com/

By Press release submission

Jan 14, 2023

Patriots Head to St. Louis for Wednesday Tilt with the Billikens

The George Mason University men's basketball team (10-6, 2-1) goes west for a Wednesday night contest at Saint Louis (10-6, 2-1).

Tip-off between the Patriots and Billikens is set for 8 p.m. (ET). Wednesday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ and televised regionally on Bally Sports Midwest. In addition, Bill Rohland will handle play-by-play duties on the GoMason Digital Network, with pregame coverage beginning at 7:45 p.m. (ET).

PATRIOT POINTS
• Mason has won eight of its past 10 games. Most recently, the Patriots earned an 86-75 win over Loyola Chicago Saturday afternoon inside EagleBank Arena. The Patriots shot 51.6 percent from the floor and held a 48-30 edge in points in the paint.

• Josh Oduro led the Patriots with 17 points (7-11 FG), 12 rebounds and two assists in just 23 minutes due to foul trouble. He ranks second in the A-10 and 28th nationally with six double-doubles this season.

• DeVon Cooper added 17 points, while Victor Bailey Jr. registered 14 points and made 4-of-6 3pt attempts.

• Bailey Jr. now leads the A-10 and ranks 10th nationally in 3pt FG percentage (.482). He's averaging a team-high 13.2 points/game this season.

• The Patriots held a 26-6 edge in bench scoring for the game. That included a career-best performance from junior forward Malik Henry, who tallied personal bests in points (15) and blocks (3) in a season-high 17 minutes.

• Ronald Polite III (12 points vs. Loyola Chicago) leads the Patriots in scoring (15.3 ppg) and assists (3.0 apg) in A-10 play.

• The Green & Gold tied a season low with just eight turnovers vs. the Ramblers. After averaging 11.5 turnovers/game in non-conference play, Mason is at just 10.0/contest in A-10 games.

• The Patriots held a 37-34 edge on the glass vs. Loyola Chicago and improved to 9-3 when outrebounding their opponent this season.

• The Green & Gold have shot 48 percent or better from the floor in four of the past five games.

BACK IN THE GATEWAY CITY
Wednesday marks George Mason head coach Kim English's first game in St. Louis since in more than a decade. English, a former All-Big 12 guard at the University of Missouri, last played in the Gateway City with the Tigers on Dec. 22, 2011, when ninth-ranked Mizzou picked up a 78-74 win in the Braggin' Rights Game over 24th-ranked Illinois. Wednesday's game is English's first in St. Louis during his eight seasons as a collegiate coach. In December, English was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

HISTORY vs. SAINT LOUIS
Wednesday's game marks the 14th all-time meeting between George Mason and Saint Louis in men's basketball. The Billikens hold a 9-4 advantage in the all-time series. SLU has won seven of the past eight contests. Mason has not made the trip to Chaifetz Arena since March 2, 2019. In the most recent matchup between the schools, the Patriots erased an 11-point deficit with four minutes to go in regulation and forced two overtimes, but it wasn't enough as a Saint Louis buzzer beater pushed the Billikens to a 92-90 win in Fairfax on February 2, 2022. Josh Oduro led Mason with 32 points (11-22 FG) to go along with six rebounds and three blocks in 42 minutes.

A LOOK AT THE BILLIKENS (10-6, 2-1 A-10; NET #109, KenPom #76)
Saint Louis was picked second in the 2022-23 Atlantic 10 preseason poll. The Billikens went 8-5 in non-conference play, highlighted by top-40 wins over Memphis (90-84) and Providence (76-73). Saint Louis features a top-40 offense (1.173 points/possession) and ranks 11th nationally in defensive rebounds/game (29.1). That high-powered offense is fueled by Preseason All-A-10 First Team selection Yuri Collins, who leads the nation in assists per game (10.8) and is 15th in assists/turnover ratio (3.15). He also notches 12.2 points/contest. Gibson Jimerson leads the team in scoring (12.9 ppg), while Missouri transfer Javon Pickett adds 11.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest. Francis Okoro paces the A-10 in offensive rebounds/game (3.31) and is third in blocks/contest (1.69).