It’ll be a special Sunday afternoon in EagleBank Arena as George Mason (14-12, 6-7) takes on fourth-place Dayton (14-10, 9-4) on Senior Day + Breast Cancer Awareness Day. The Patriots will honor seniors Casey Davis and Jewel Triggs pre-game, so be sure to arrive early for the ceremony. In addition, George Mason will wear special pink uniforms for breast cancer awareness.
Casey Davis and Jewel Triggs both have been key glue-players for the Patriots for a number of years now. Davis is a fifth-year senior that has appeared in 91 games over the course of her five seasons. Though she has battled through many injuries during her time in Fairfax, Casey has been a tremendous asset for this team, both on an off the court.
The same can be said about Jewel Triggs, who has been a defensive specialist for the Patriots, appearing in 98 games throughout her career. Neither Casey or Jewel are the type of players to “wow” you in the stat column, but one cannot say enough about their character and their willingness to be excellent teammates regardless of their own personal statistics or successes.
This will mark the eight all-time meeting between the two schools, with the Flyers dominating the series 7-1, including a 71-66 victory over Mason a year ago at UD Arena. This is a crucial game for Dayton who comes in in fourth place after Davidson’s victory over Saint Louis yesterday. A win today would move the Flyers into a tie for third, just a game behind second-place Fordham with a head-to-head meeting with the Rams looming on Wednesday.
Here’s a look at the standings entering today:
Updated #A10WBB Standings:
12-2 VCU
10-3 Fordham
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10-4 Davidson
9-4 Dayton
9-5 Duquesne
8-6 Saint Louis
6-7 George Mason
6-7 Saint Joseph's
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6-7 George Washington
5-8 St. Bonaventure
5-8 UMass
4-9 Richmond
2-11 Rhode Island
1-12 La Salle— Daniel Frank (@n1a2v3y4) February 24, 2019
Along with George Mason vs Dayton today, there are four other games going on across the Atlantic 10 today: GW vs St. Bonaventure, UMass vs Fordham, Richmond vs La Salle and Rhode Island vs Saint Joseph’s.
Here’s how the battle for the 7th and 8th seeds in the A-10 Tournament is shaping up:
For George Mason to be successful today, there are going to need the balanced scoring attack they got Thursday night at Richmond, when five separate players reached double-figures. Nicole Cardaño-Hillary leads the Atlantic 10 in scoring, averaging 20.4 points per game, which ranks her 19th in the nation overall. She averages just 0.5 points per game less than Louisville’s Asia Durr who is likely to be a finalist, if not the national player of the year. Nikki is going to need another big performance today for the Patriots to be successful.
This is going to be a really tough test for George Mason. Dayton is, obviously, one of the best teams in the Atlantic 10. Guard Jayla Scaife is third in the A-10 in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game along with 7.7 rebounds per game which is fifth in the A-10. The Flyers are going to be focused, hungry and well prepared.
I’ll be honest, I don’t know what to expect from this game. If Mason can hang around for the first 25-30 minutes, they may find themselves in a position to make a run late. That said, we could also see a repeat of VCU. It’s tough to say, really. Regardless, end your Homecoming Week with a bang, and come out and celebrate Casey Davis and Jewel Triggs on Senior Day, while also honoring breast cancer awareness day!
Tip-off is 2:00 from EBA, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+. See y’all there!
