SLU’s Terrence Hargrove scored 19 points in the Billikens’ most recent game against Loyola. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
SLU Basketball – Gameday Info
Game No. 15 – Saint Louis University (7-7) at George Mason (12-2)
Date/Time – January 6, 2024 – 1 pm
Location – EagleBank Arena — Fairfax, VA
Broadcast – USA Network
Radio – KMOX 1120AM
Live Stats – SLU StatBroadcast
DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer
FAIRFAX, VA — The Saint Louis University men’s basketball team will play its second Atlantic 10 Conference game, Saturday afternoon, when it travels to Virginia to take on George Mason.
SLU is coming off a tough loss this past Wednesday, when the Billikens lost 80-73 to Loyola-Chicago.
George Mason, which was picked to finish 10th in the A-10 this year, is one of the top surprise teams in the country so far. The Patriots boast a 12-2 record, which includes a win on Wednesday in its league play opener against La Salle.
Saturday’s matchup will be the middle game in an A-10 tripleheader that will be televised on the USA Network. La Salle will play Fordham in the opener at 11 a.m, followed by SLU-George Mason. The day will then conclude with a matchup between George Washington and VCU at 3 p.m.
ABOUT THE BILLIKENS
- The Billikens (7-7, 0-1 A-10) will be looking to bounce back after opening their A-10 season with an 80-73 home loss against Loyola Chicago on Wednesday.
- Bradley Ezewiro is three games into his Billiken career and is averaging 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds. He posted his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Loyola Chicago. Ezewiro became eligible on Dec. 15 with the rest of the NCAA’s two-time transfers.
- Gibson Jimerson (16.3 ppg) has led the Bills in scoring in eight games and four out of the last five. He is 17 points away from surpassing Tommie Liddell III for eighth on SLU’s all-time list.
- Over the last four games, Terrence Hargrove has shot 70 percent from the field (21-30) and 69.2 percent from 3-point range (9-13). He is averaging 14.5 ppg over that four-game span.
- Against Loyola Chicago, Larry Hughes buried three treys, collected a career-high six rebounds and posted three steals.
- Mike Meadows is second in the A-10 and 33rd in the NCAA with a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio.
- SLU has already had six different starting lineup combinations this season, tied for the most in the Travis Ford era (2021-22).
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS
- UNLV transfer Keyshawn Hall leads George Mason with 16.9 points and a league-leading 9.8 rebounds. He collected his league-leading eighth double-double of the season against La Salle, pouring in 27 points and snagging 13 rebounds in a full 40 minutes. It was among the top performances in the A-10 on opening night.
- Virginia Tech transfer Darius Maddox scores 13.7 ppg and has drilled a team-best 30 3-pointers. He connects on 43.5 percent from beyond the arc as well. Maddox is seventh in the NCAA among all active Division I players in career 3FG% (.429).
- Amari Kelly, a transfer from UNC Wilmington, is third on the Patriot with 12.2 ppg and second with 6.6 rpg. He has a team-high 19 blocked shots.
- The Patriots are one of the top shooting and rebounding teams in the A-10. They lead the conference in rebound margin (+7.1) and are second in rebounds per game (39.2). Mason ranks second in the league in FG% (.482).
- Defensively, George Mason ranks third in the A-10 in scoring defense, yielding 65.4 ppg.
- Tony Skinn is in his first season as head coach at his alma mater after being an assistant coach at Maryland, Ohio State, Seton Hall and Louisiana Tech. Skinn was a key starter on the 2006 George Mason Final Four team and is one of the players in George Mason history.
Up Next: SLU will be back home at Chaifetz Arena for its next contest, which will be Wednesday, January 13, when the Billikens will host Saint Joseph’s.
SLU sports information contributed to this story.
SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY BILLIKENS STARTERS
| Player | Yr. | Pos. | Ht./Wt. | PPG | RPG | Assists | Steals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Cian Medley | Fr. | Guard | 6’4/185 | 4.8 | 2.3 | 41 | 13 |
| 3 Bradley Ezewiro | Gr. | Center | 6’9/265 | 17.5 | 7.0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 Tim Dalger | Sr. | Forward | 6’7/215 | 11.3 | 4.8 | 13 | 10 |
| 22 Terrance Hargrove | Sr. | Forward | 6’5/215 | 13.6 | 6.4 | 13 | 10 |
| 24 Gibson Jimerson | Jr. | Guard | 6’5/215 | 16.1 | 2.9 | 7 | 3 |
GEORGE MASON PATRIOTS STARTERS
| Player | Yr. | Pos. | Ht./Wt. | PPG | RPG | Assists | Steals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 Jared Billups | Jr. | Guard | 6’4/210 | 5.2 | 3.8 | 26 | 13 |
| 1 Ronald Polite | Sr. | Guard | 6’2/195 | 8.4 | 1.8 | 44 | 13 |
| 4 Keyshawn Hall | So. | Forward | 6’7/220 | 16.9 | 9.8 | 24 | 7 |
| 13 Darius Maddox | Sr. | Guard | 6’5/205 | 13.7 | 4.0 | 26 | 5 |
| 23 Amari Kelly | Sr. | Center | 6’9/220 | 12.2 | 6.6 | 20 | 6 |
2023-24 SLU Billikens Men’s Basketball Schedule
| Date | Gametime | At | Opponent | Location | TV | Radio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 6, 2024 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Away | George Mason | Fairfax, Va. (EagleBank Arena) | USA Network | KMOX 1120AM |
| January 10, 2024 (Wednesday) | 6 pm | Home | Saint Joseph’s | Chaifetz Arena | CBSSN | KMOX 1120AM |
| January 16, 2024 (Tuesday) | 7 pm | Away | Dayton | Dayton, Ohio (UD Arena) | CBSSN | KMOX 1120AM |
| January 19, 2024 (Friday) | 6 pm | Away | VCU | Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center) | ESPN2 | KMOX 1120AM |
| January 24, 2024 (Wednesday) | 6 pm | Home | Davidson | Chaifetz Arena | Bally’s Sports Midwest | KMOX 1120AM |
| January 27, 2024 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Home | Massachusetts | Chaifetz Arena | Bally’s Sports Midwest | KMOX 1120AM |
| January 30, 2024 (Tuesday) | 7 pm | Away | Loyola Chicago | Chicago, Ill. (Gentile Arena) | Bally’s Sports Midwest | KMOX 1120AM |
| February 3, 2024 (Saturday) | 1:30 pm | Home | Fordham | Chaifetz Arena | USA Network | KMOX 1120AM |
| February 7, 2024 (Wednesday) | 5:30 pm | Away | La Salle | Philadelphia, Pa. (Gola Arena) | Bally’s Sports Midwest | KMOX 1120AM |
| February 10, 2024 (Saturday) | 11:30 am | Away | Saint Joseph’s | Philadelphia, Pa. (Hagan Arena) | USA Network | KMOX 1120AM |
| February 16, 2024 (Friday) | 6 pm | Home | VCU | Chaifetz Arena | ESPN2 | KMOX 1120AM |
| February 20, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Away | Duquesne | Pittsburgh, Pa. (UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse) | Bally’s Sports Midwest | KMOX 1120AM |
| February 24, 2024 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | George Washington | Chaifetz Arena | Bally’s Sports Midwest | KMOX 1120AM |
| February 28, 2024 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | Richmond | Chaifetz Arena | Bally’s Sports Midwest | KMOX 1120AM |
| March 2, 2024 (Saturday) | 3 pm | Away | Rhode Island | Kingston, R.I. (Ryan Center) | CBSSN | KMOX 1120AM |
| March 5, 2024 (Tuesday) | 8 pm | Home | Dayton | Chaifetz Arena | CBSSN | KMOX 1120AM |
| March 9, 2024 (Saturday) | 11:30 am | Away | St. Bonaventure | St. Bonaventure, N.Y. (Reilly Center) | USA Network | KMOX 1120AM |
| March 12-17 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament | TBA | Neutral | TBA | Brooklyn, N.Y. (Barclay’s Center) |