GAME NOTES: Colonial Athletic Association play resumes at the Sports Arena in Atlanta today, as the George Mason Patriots do battle with the Georgia State Panthers. The Patriots enter the contest on a high note, as they scored a 72-64 victory over Liberty on Sunday. It was the second win in a row for GMU, which ran its overall mark to 9-3. The Patriots have played just one CAA game thus far and that resulted in an 85-38 trouncing of Drexel back on November 29th. As for GSU, it comes into the tilt on a decline, having dropped five of its past six outings, including two in a row. The team was last in play on Saturday, when it was stopped by Bethune-Cookman, 60-56. With the loss, the Panthers fell to 3-8 overall and that includes a 72-64 setback to Old Dominion in their only previous league game of the season. In terms of the all-time series, GMU is a perfect 3-0 versus GSU and that takes into account last season's 60-54 victory.

The Patriots are guided by the trio of Will Thomas, Folarin Campbell and John Vaughan and they are the primary reason the team is averaging 69.6 ppg and outrebounding their foes by 4.3 rpg. Thomas is the squad's top scorer (15.7 ppg) and rebounder (9.4 rpg), and he is also shooting a sizzling 60.0 percent from the floor. Campbell contributes 12.2 ppg and 4.3 rpg and he leads GMU in both assists (3.1 apg) and steals (13). As for Vaughan, he has also done a little of everything for the Patriots, putting forth 12.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 2.5 apg. In the team's last game, Thomas notched a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, as GMU posted a 72-64 win over Liberty. Campbell had 14 points and eight assists in the win, while Vaughan logged 13 points, six assists and six rebounds. The Patriots knocked down 52.5 percent of their total shots in the game and they also won the battle on the boards, 30-21.

The Panthers are turning the ball over 17.7 times per game and they are allowing their foes to score 73.5 ppg and shoot 47.5 percent from the field, and those are a few reasons for their poor start. Leonard Mendez, however, has been a bright spot for GSU, as he leads the team in scoring (16.2 ppg) as well as steals (17). Rashad Chase has provided a nice complement to him and he is nearly averaging a double-double with 10.5 ppg and a team-high 9.5 rpg. In the club's prior contest, Mendez and Chase each turned in 12 points and five rebounds, but it wasn't enough for GSU in a four-point loss to Bethune- Cookman. The Panthers made good on just 38.0 percent of their attempts from the field, while allowing Bethune-Cookman to shoot a much higher 51.4 percent from the floor.

The Patriots are clearly the better team here and although it is tough to win on the road, they should still be able to get the job done against a slumping GSU club today.