The George Mason women’s basketball team is set to play the Dayton Flyers in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Friday, March 6. The game will take place at Henrico Entertainment & Sports Arena in Henrico, Virginia, with tip-off scheduled for 5 p.m. ET and coverage available on USA Network. Audio commentary by Tommy Buckles and Mackenzie Banks will be provided through the GoMason Digital Network.
This matchup marks the 18th meeting between George Mason and Dayton. While George Mason has won both encounters this season, Dayton leads the overall series 9-8.
Dayton enters the contest with a 17-13 record overall and a 9-9 record in conference play. The Flyers average 66.4 points per game while allowing opponents an average of 66.9 points. Their shooting percentages stand at .437 from the field, .308 from three-point range, and .667 from the free throw line. The team averages 38.4 rebounds per game and has recorded a total of 1,153 rebounds over the season.
Nayo Lear leads Dayton’s scoring efforts with an average of 14.1 points per game on .466 shooting across 29 games. Nicole Stephens contributes an average of 10.9 points per game and leads her team with 103 assists this season. Olivia Leung adds another offensive option with an average of 8.7 points per game and a team-high of 40 made three-pointers.
Other key contributors include Ajok Madol (7.6 ppg, 163 rebounds), Molly O’Riordan (6.9 ppg, 168 rebounds, and a team-leading 31 blocks), and Fatima Ibrahim (6.9 ppg, leading rebounder with 187 boards and tops in blocks at 55). Additional players such as Maliyah Johnson (4 ppg), Jayda Johnson (3.5 ppg), Shantavia Dawkins (3.3 ppg), and M.G Talle (3.2 ppg) provide depth to Dayton’s roster.
The Patriots recently secured their first regular season championship in program history after finishing the regular season with a school-record of sixteen conference wins.
Zahirah Walton and Kennedy Harris were named to the All-Conference First Team this year—a feat previously achieved by only two other pairs in program history: Jen Surlas & Trish Halpin in 1999, and Marcell Harrison & Nickie Hilton in 1993. Walton is also recognized as “the first Patriot to win back-to-back First Team honors since Surlas in ’99 and ’00.”
Defensively, Hawa Komara and Mary Amoateng earned spots on the All-Defensive Team; Amoateng is now one of just two freshmen from George Mason ever named to that squad alongside Nicole Cardaño-Hillary.
Amoateng was also selected for the All-Rookie Team—becoming only “the sixth Patriot to be named to the All-Rookie Team in the program’s A-10 era.” Junior Kennedy Harris surpassed her career milestone last Saturday against Duquesne by joining teammate Zahirah Walton—and twenty-one others—in George Mason’s “1K point club.”
Head coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis holds distinction as “the longest tenured Black female head coach in D1 (27 years).” She celebrated her four-hundredth career win earlier this year against VCU on January fourth.
Zahirah Walton was included on “the Becky Hammon Player of the Year Midseason Watch List.” Last season saw George Mason capture its first-ever Atlantic Ten championship—earning its inaugural NCAA Tournament berth—and they were picked second in this year’s preseason poll.
If victorious against Dayton, George Mason will advance to face either Richmond or whoever prevails between Saint Louis or La Salle; that semifinal match-up is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Henrico Entertainment & Sports Arena.
