Wednesday, January 24
Washington, DC
12:00 p.m.
George Washington University
vs
George Mason
Women’s Basketball Welcomes George Mason on Wednesday
1/23/2024 11:15:00 AM | Women's Basketball
WASHINGTON – The George Washington women's basketball team returns to the Smith Center Wednesday afternoon for a matinee matchup with local rival George Mason at 12 p.m. Not only will the contest serve as Field Trip Day and draw a crowd from area schools, it will also be GW's Faculty and Staff Appreciation Game as well. Fans not in attendance can follow the game live on GWsports.com and on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT
GDUB returned home from a two-game road swing on Saturday to host A-10 foe Saint Louis. The Billikens jumped out to an early 19-10 first quarter lead, aided by a 6-0 run to close out the frame. After Saint Louis led 37-22 at the half, GW made things interesting in the third quarter, using a 14-6 run to cut the Billikens' lead to just seven. Despite the momentum, GW wouldn't draw any closer, eventually falling to the reigning A-10 Tournament Champions, 66-56. The Revolutionaries were led by graduate Nya Lok who tallied 19 points and five rebounds. Graduate Mayowa Taiwo also put together a solid game, logging a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards.
LOK'S "GRAND" MILESTONE
With 19 points in Saturday's loss to Saint Louis, Lok now sits just 20 points shy of 1,000 for her collegiate career. Prior to arriving at GW before the 2021-22 season, Lok spent two years at Midland College in Texas. With the Hawks, Lok tallied 465 points, finishing with a two-year average of 10.3 points per game. Lok shot the ball at a 44.4% clip from the field, while averaging 24.3 minutes per contest. Since arriving at GW, Lok has tallied 515 points and holds a career average of 8.4 points per game at the D1 level. Lok has played in 61 games with GW and averaged 20.7 minutes per game in Foggy Bottom.
TAIWO NEARS REBOUND MARK
Following Saturday's aforementioned double-double from Taiwo, she now sits six rebounds shy of 900 for her career. Taiwo has been on a quest all season to climb up GW's all-time rebounding ranks, already moving past four alumnae this season alone. Taiwo eclipsed 800 rebounds in GW's 64-58 season-opening win over Howard on Nov. 6, and most recently moved past Kas Allen for fifth on the all-time rankings list with 879 boards. After eclipsing 900 rebounds, next on Taiwo's hunt for the top is 2021 WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones who amassed 961 rebounds during her time in Foggy Bottom.
SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS
George Mason enters Wednesday's matchup 14-3 overall and 5-1 in the A-10 following a 73-52 victory over UMass on Sunday evening. The Patriots have won four-straight contests in convincing fashion, all of which were against A-10 opponents, outscoring their foes 344-229. In the team's five conference wins this season, George Mason is winning contests on average by 30.4 points, with the lone conference loss this season coming at the hands of Rhode Island by a score of 70-68. GW has enjoyed success over Mason, leading the all-time series 30-13. Since the Patriots joined the A-10 in 2014, GW has won 18 of the 23 meetings, including a 58-39 in the most recent meeting a season ago.
The Patriots are led by head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis who's in her third season with George Mason. Blair-Lewis has 25 years of head coaching experience which includes nine seasons at the helm of Mount St. Mary's women's basketball program and 13 years with Bethune-Cookman. She has an overall record of 356-339 across her tenure and a 40-37 mark with the Patriots. Blair-Lewis has led six of her teams to 20-win seasons and has 10 winning campaigns under her belt as well. This season, her George Mason squad ranks 38th nationally and first in the A-10 in scoring offense, averaging 77 ppg. The Patriots rank 24th in scoring margin, winning games by an average of 18.1 points. The team also ranks in the top 20 in offense rebounding, averaging 15.3 per contest which places them 19th in the nation. The Patriots are tops in the A-10 in total rebounding, grabbing 42.5 per night as well.
On the court, George Mason is led by Sonia Smith who averages a team-high 15.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and a team-high 3.1 assists per game. Smith also leads the team in minutes per game, averaging 28.6 per contest. Zahirah Walton nets 11.6 points and grabs 5.2 rebounds a night for the Patriots, while shooting the ball at a 46.8% clip from the floor. Kennedy Harris puts in 10.1 points per game for Mason, while Nalani Kaysia pulls down a team-high 6.0 rpg.
LAST TIME OUT
GDUB returned home from a two-game road swing on Saturday to host A-10 foe Saint Louis. The Billikens jumped out to an early 19-10 first quarter lead, aided by a 6-0 run to close out the frame. After Saint Louis led 37-22 at the half, GW made things interesting in the third quarter, using a 14-6 run to cut the Billikens' lead to just seven. Despite the momentum, GW wouldn't draw any closer, eventually falling to the reigning A-10 Tournament Champions, 66-56. The Revolutionaries were led by graduate Nya Lok who tallied 19 points and five rebounds. Graduate Mayowa Taiwo also put together a solid game, logging a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards.
LOK'S "GRAND" MILESTONE
With 19 points in Saturday's loss to Saint Louis, Lok now sits just 20 points shy of 1,000 for her collegiate career. Prior to arriving at GW before the 2021-22 season, Lok spent two years at Midland College in Texas. With the Hawks, Lok tallied 465 points, finishing with a two-year average of 10.3 points per game. Lok shot the ball at a 44.4% clip from the field, while averaging 24.3 minutes per contest. Since arriving at GW, Lok has tallied 515 points and holds a career average of 8.4 points per game at the D1 level. Lok has played in 61 games with GW and averaged 20.7 minutes per game in Foggy Bottom.
TAIWO NEARS REBOUND MARK
Following Saturday's aforementioned double-double from Taiwo, she now sits six rebounds shy of 900 for her career. Taiwo has been on a quest all season to climb up GW's all-time rebounding ranks, already moving past four alumnae this season alone. Taiwo eclipsed 800 rebounds in GW's 64-58 season-opening win over Howard on Nov. 6, and most recently moved past Kas Allen for fifth on the all-time rankings list with 879 boards. After eclipsing 900 rebounds, next on Taiwo's hunt for the top is 2021 WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones who amassed 961 rebounds during her time in Foggy Bottom.
SCOUTING THE PATRIOTS
George Mason enters Wednesday's matchup 14-3 overall and 5-1 in the A-10 following a 73-52 victory over UMass on Sunday evening. The Patriots have won four-straight contests in convincing fashion, all of which were against A-10 opponents, outscoring their foes 344-229. In the team's five conference wins this season, George Mason is winning contests on average by 30.4 points, with the lone conference loss this season coming at the hands of Rhode Island by a score of 70-68. GW has enjoyed success over Mason, leading the all-time series 30-13. Since the Patriots joined the A-10 in 2014, GW has won 18 of the 23 meetings, including a 58-39 in the most recent meeting a season ago.
The Patriots are led by head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis who's in her third season with George Mason. Blair-Lewis has 25 years of head coaching experience which includes nine seasons at the helm of Mount St. Mary's women's basketball program and 13 years with Bethune-Cookman. She has an overall record of 356-339 across her tenure and a 40-37 mark with the Patriots. Blair-Lewis has led six of her teams to 20-win seasons and has 10 winning campaigns under her belt as well. This season, her George Mason squad ranks 38th nationally and first in the A-10 in scoring offense, averaging 77 ppg. The Patriots rank 24th in scoring margin, winning games by an average of 18.1 points. The team also ranks in the top 20 in offense rebounding, averaging 15.3 per contest which places them 19th in the nation. The Patriots are tops in the A-10 in total rebounding, grabbing 42.5 per night as well.
On the court, George Mason is led by Sonia Smith who averages a team-high 15.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and a team-high 3.1 assists per game. Smith also leads the team in minutes per game, averaging 28.6 per contest. Zahirah Walton nets 11.6 points and grabs 5.2 rebounds a night for the Patriots, while shooting the ball at a 46.8% clip from the floor. Kennedy Harris puts in 10.1 points per game for Mason, while Nalani Kaysia pulls down a team-high 6.0 rpg.
Players Mentioned
F
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