George Mason Squares Off with URI Saturday in Kingston
The George Mason University men’s basketball team heads to the Ocean State for a Saturday matinee against Rhode Island in Kingston.
Tip-off between the Patriots and Rams is set for 12 p.m. Saturday’s game will be broadcast on ESPN+. In addition, Bill Rohland will handle play-by-play duties on the GoMason Digital Network, with pregame coverage beginning at 11:45 a.m. (ET).
PATRIOT POINTS
• The Patriots dropped their first home game of the season Monday during a 78-75 setback to GW in Fairfax. Mason shot 57.7 percent in the second half, but 17 total turnovers led to a +6 (17-11) edge in points off turnovers for the Colonials. GW also held a 17-6 advantage in fast break points.
• Junior Ronald Polite III led the Patriots with a team-high 19 points (3-5 3pt FG) to go along with seven rebounds and four assists. He’s second on the team in scoring in league games (14.2 ppg) and has tallied 10+ points in five of the past six games.
• Josh Oduro added 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists vs. the Colonials. He is averaging 20.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists over Mason’s past four games.
• Oduro was named the A-10 Player of the Week on Monday after stellar performances at SLU and vs. Davidson. He paces the A-10 and ranks 29th nationally with seven double-doubles this season. Oduro leads the A-10 with 10.3 rebounds/contest in league play and is fourth in scoring (17.7 ppg).
• Oduro has thrived in Mason’s two-big lineup and dominated the offensive glass. He’s averaging 5.5 offensive rebounds/game over the past four contests. He leads the league in offensive boards/contest in A-10 play (4.17).
• With his second rebound vs. GW, Oduro became just the fourth player in school history with 1,000 career points, 600 rebounds, 100 blocks and 100 assists.
• Amongst players nationally 6-foot-9 and above, Oduro ranks sixth in assists (57).
• Graduate guard Victor Bailey Jr. is shooting a sizzling 56.9 percent (29-51) from 3pt range over the past 10 games.
• The Patriots rank 35th nationally in effective field goal percentage (.540), marking Mason’s most efficient shooting mark in the KenPom era (2001-23).
• Mason ranks second in the A-10 and 65th nationally in 3pt FG percentage (.361). The Patriots shot 42.1 percent (8-19) from deep against the Colonials.
• George Mason has held its opponent to 30 percent or less from 3pt range in 13 games this season. However, over the past five contests, opponents are shooting 36.9 percent (41-111) from deep against the Patriots.
• George Mason is 10-1 at home this season and 20-5 inside EagleBank Arena under head coach Kim English. Mason’s 10-0 home start was the program’s best since 2010-11.
• The Patriots begin a stretch Saturday in which they will play four of their next six contests on the road.
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