Patriot Brew 2/23: Flyin' High

Mason Magic Strikes Fairfax With Upset of #16 Dayton

Author

Patriot Brew Crew
February 23, 2024

TGIF Mason Nation. Wednesday night. Feb 21, 2024. It will be a night that will be talked about for a long, long time in Fairfax.

It’s one of those nights that students, fans, alumni and all Patriots will relive for years to come!

We’ll recap all the excitement and much more! Check it out!

🏀 Flyin’ High
🎉 Oh What A Night
🥍 Joining The Party
​⭐ And much, much more!

🎉 OH WHAT A NIGHT

📈 STOCK UP

🔺 Flyin’ High. The Patriots have been playing basketball in Fairfax for nearly 60 years. On Wednesday night, they achieved something that has NEVER been done.

A hard-fought, gritty night by the Green & Gold led to a 71-67 upset of #16 Dayton, marking the first-ever home win over a nationally-ranked opponent. It’s the highest-ranking regular season win in school history.

Freshman guard Baraka Okojie led the Green & Gold with a career-best 19 points, all of which came in the second half.
 
Sophomore guard Keyshawn Hall added 17 points (9-10 FT) and six rebounds, while senior guard Ronald Polite III tallied 13 points (5-8 FG), three rebounds and two assists. Graduate forward Amari Kelly chipped in 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks in 22 minutes.

🔺 Enjoyin’ The Road Life. The season has already been full of records for the Mason women’s hoops squad.

On Wednesday night, another record was set as the Patriots picked up their 12th Atlantic-10 win, the highest in program history. It came with a 57-53 gut-it-out victory at St. Bonaventure.

Its the 21st overall victory, matching the second-highest win total in program history.

Ta’Viyanna Habib was once again outstanding for the Green & Gold, leading the way with a game-high 19 points and grabbed a team-high seven boards. It marks the eighth-straight game that she has hit double-figure scoring and is averaging a team-best 13.5 points during the stretch.

🔺 Joining The Historic Party. The hoops squads aren’t the only ones making history this week.

Mason’s women’s lacrosse team made history of its own after a dominant 20-6 victory over Howard on Thursday evening gave the Patriots their best start in program history at 4-0.

Shannon Tuozzo continued her hot start to the year with a season-high five goal performance, while Chloe Reed recorded her second hat trick of the season with three goals and two assists.

Sophomore Lauren Distad was tremendous all night, picking up a career-high 13 draw controls for the Green & Gold.

George Mason Athletics is conducting a brief online survey to gather
valuable feedback from our stakeholders to facilitate the 
department’s strategic planning process. 

Faculty and staff input is critical to developing a comprehensive
roadmap for the department’s future and ensures we provide
the best athletic and academic experiences for our student-athletes.

Please take a moment to complete and submit the
5–10-minute survey by Mon., February 26.

⛳️ OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME

This is a spectacular event played on one of the world’s most spectacular golf courses.

If you would like to attend, we have 6 premium Golf Plus Eagle packages still available. This package includes the #1 and #8 ranked courses in the world outside the US. We have several other packages as well. 

Please contact Cian Booth [email protected] to book your Alumni/Supporter package.

🤔 PATRIOT TRIVIA

Even with a few weeks left in the regular season, it’s already been one heckuva a season on the court for the Mason hoops squads.

The two programs have combined for a 39-13 ledger, including a 23-3 record at EagleBank Arena.

What is the all-time record for combined wins between the men’s and women’s hoops programs?

Got a guess?

Scroll on down to the bottom of this email for the answer!

Patriot Trivia is sponsored by our official Student Housing Partner,
The Main on University

The Official Burrito Bowl of Mason Athletics

📚 SIGN UP YOUR SUPER READER!

Got a Super Reader at home?

Virginia529’s Super Reader program is available for all Mason super kids who read two books or more.

Two books = free hoops! Sign up now and your child can receive a ticket to the men’s basketball game on March 2nd when the Patriots host Duquesne.

📅 WHAT’S ON TAP?

Friday, February 23
🏊 Swimming & Diving at Atlantic 10 Championships (Hampton, Va.)
👟 Track & Field at Atlantic 10 Championships (Virginia Beach, Va.)
🥎 Softball vs. Merrimack College @ 2:30pm (Wilmington, N.C.)
⚾️ Baseball vs. Purdue @ 3pm (Holly Springs, NC)
🥎 Softball vs. Kent State @ 5pm (Wilmington, N.C.)
🏐 Men’s Volleyball at University of Charleston @ 7pm

Saturday, February 24
🏊 Swimming & Diving at Atlantic 10 Championships (Hampton, Va.)
👟 Track & Field at Atlantic 10 Championships (Virginia Beach, Va.)
🥎 Softball vs. Providence @ 9:30am (Wilmington, N.C.)
⚾️ Baseball vs. Purdue @ 1pm (Holly Springs, NC)
🏐 Men’s Volleyball at University of Charleston @ 1pm
🥎 Softball vs. UMBC @ 2:30pm (Wilmington, N.C.)
🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. Richmond @ 3pm
⚾️ Baseball vs. Purdue @ 4:30pm (Holly Springs, NC)
🏀 Men’s Basketball at Loyola-Chicago @ 4:30pm
🎾 Women’s Tennis vs. Richmond @ 6:45pm

Sunday, February 25
⛳️ Men’s Golf at Dorado Beach Collegiate (Puerto Rico)
🤼‍♂️ Wrestling at Patriot Last Chance Meet (Mason Field House)
🥍 Women’s Lacrosse at Gardner-Webb @ 12pm
⚾️ Baseball vs. Purdue @ 1pm (Holly Springs, NC)
🎾 Women’s Tennis at William & Mary @ 1pm

📬 STICK WITH US

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🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: 41.

Only once in school history has both programs have 20+ win seasons, that came during the 1987-88 campaign. The women went 21-9, while the men went 20-10.

The 41 wins was later tied in 2003-04 when the men went 23-10 and the women’s squad went 18-11.

Patriot Trivia is sponsored by our official Student Housing Partner,
The Main on University

⭐️ Let’s keep it rolling, y’all!