PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle men's basketball team will host George Mason on Thursday at 8:00 PM for Senior Night. The game will be televised on NBC Sports Network.

George Mason Patriots (10-18, 3-11 A-10) at La Salle Explorers (14-14, 6-8 A-10)
Thursday, March 6, 2014 | 8:00 PM | Tom Gola Arena

TV: NBC Sports Network (Steve Schlanger, Stan Van Gundy) 
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Game Notes
La Salle | George Mason 

Last Time Out
Last second heroics by Tyreek Duren pushed the Explorers over top, as La Salle edged Fordham 64-62 at Rose Hill Gymnasium on Saturday evening. The Rams tied the score at 62-62 with 35 seconds remaining, allowing La Salle to hold for last possession. It looked as though the game would go to overtime, as Tyrone Garland's final shot was blocked out of bounds as time was expiring. However, upon video review, 0.7 seconds was put back on the clock, allowing the Explorers a sliver of time for one final scoring opportunity. Head coach Dr. John Giannini drew up a crafty backdoor play for Tyreek Duren, who nailed an off-balance layup at the buzzer to send the Explorers to their second straight victory. Sam Mills paced the Explorers with 18 points, going 4-of-8 from three-point range. Jerrell Wright added 14 points and nine rebounds, while Duren finished with ten points and four assists.
 
Series History
This season's matchup marks the first ever meeting between La Salle and George Mason. The teams have never met in non-conference play, but will meet for the first time as Atlantic 10 foes at Tom Gola Arena on Thursday evening.

At a glance
• Seniors Taylor Dunn, Tyreek Duren, Tyrone Garland and Sam Mills are now the fifth winningest class at La?Salle in the past 25 years with 74 wins. They will be recognized on Senior Night before the game.
Scouting the Explorers
As a team, La Salle ranks fifth in the A-10 in free throw percentage (.700) and offensive rebounds/game (12.3).

Much of the Explorers' rebounding prowess can be attributed to junior Steve Zack, who continues to lead the conference in rebounds/game (9.7). He ranks fifth in the A-10 in blocks/game (1.9) and is the Explorers fourth-leading scorer (9.0 ppg).Frontcourt mate, junior Jerrell Wright, is second on the team in scoring (13.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.4 rpg). Wright is shooting 57 percent from the floor, the sixth-best mark in the conference.

Senior Tyreek Duren continues to anchor the Blue and Gold backcourt, leading the squad in scoring (14.8 ppg), assists/game (3.6), and steals (46). He ranks in the top-15 in the conference in seven statistical categories and is second in the A-10 in minutes/game (35.9). Duren, along with fellow seniors Tyrone Garland, Sam Mills, and Taylor Dunn will be playing at Gola Arena for the final time on Thursday. 

Garland is averaging 13.0 points/game and is second on the team with 73 assists. Mills (7.4 ppg) is shooting 41 percent from behind the arc and is eight points shy of 1,000 for his career. Dunn has seen the floor in 20 games this season, highlighted by a nine-point showing vs. Saint Joseph's on February 15. 

Scouting the Patriots
George Mason has had a tough first season as an Atlantic 10 conference member. The Patriots enter Thursday's matchup with the Explorers with an overall record of 10-18 and a 3-11 mark in A-10 play. However, while the results have been somewhat disappointing for the Patriots, they do not tell the whole story. Seven of the Patriots conference losses have been by six points or less, while three of those losses have come in overtime. They took conference leader Saint Louis to overtime in both their matchups this season, coming up just short in both contests.
 
The Patriots have been hot in recent weeks. They have notched all three of their conference victories in recent weeks, posting a 3-3 mark over their last six contests. They are also not phased by playing on the road, as two of those three victories came in hostile gymnasiums. George Mason scored consecutive road victories over Duquesne and Massachusetts earlier this season.
 
George Mason is fairly strong shooting team. They rank 6^th in the conference in field goal percentage, knocking down their shots at a 44.7% clip this season. However, where the Patriots struggle is in taking care of the basketball. They rank 11^th in turnover margin (-1.57) and are last in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (0.8). The Explorers will want to look to pressure the Patriots defensively in order to create scoring opportunities off of turnovers.
 
The Patriots boast one of the strongest backcourt scoring combinations in the Atlantic 10 this season in senior guards Sherrod Wright and Bryon Allen. Wright ranks 8^th in the conference in scoring this season, averaging 15.7 points/game. He has been one of the strongest shooting guards in the A-10 this season, going 148-of-322 (46.0%) from the field. Allen does a little bit of everything for the Patriots. He ranks 10^th in the conference in scoring average, pouring in 15.5 points/game this season. He is also one of the conferences best free-throw shooters, ranking 3^rd with an 84.2% mark. Allen is the Patriots best creator, dishing 3.1 assists/game. He also leads the team in steals (25) and is third on the team in rebounding average (4.0).   
 
Up Next
The Explorers will wrap up their regular season with a trip to Hagan Arena to take on Big 5 rival Saint Joseph's. The matchup will also count towards the Big 5 record. Opening tip is scheduled for Sunday at 4:00pm, with the game being broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.