GAME NOTES: Looking to string a pair of wins together for the first time since November, the Massachusetts Minutemen will travel to face the George Mason Patriots in an Atlantic 10 Conference battle at the Patriot Center.

Massachusetts is coming off a 71-65 victory over La Salle on the road, and will head to Fairfax, Virginia, for a battle with the Patriots. UMass is 8-7 on the season, but is just 1-4 away from home. Still, the Minutemen have won two of their last three contests.

George Mason has followed up a three-game win streak with losses in two of the team's last three games. The Patriots have dropped contests to Oklahoma (61-43) and Richmond (75-65) sandwiched around a win against La Salle (70-62). George Mason is 6-8 on the season, with a 5-2 mark at home.

The Minutemen have met the Patriots on the basketball court just two times in history, with both of those contests occurring last season. UMass took a one- point win on the road against George Mason, while the Patriots defeated the Minutemen by 11 in Massachusetts.

UMass played a strong game defensively against La Salle on Wednesday in Philadelphia, holding the Explorers to 39.1 percent shooting from the floor which included a 2-of-10 mark from 3-point distance. Meanwhile the Minutemen connected on 51.9 percent of their shots from the field in the road victory - the team's first of the season. Maxie Esho tallied a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds to pace the team, while Derrick Gordon chipped in with 13 points of his own in the win. Trey Davis added nine points and dished out a team-best five assists for UMass.

The Minutemen have proven that they can score with relative ease this season, entering Sunday's contest owning a 73.1 ppg mark on 45.2 percent shooting from the floor. But the team has really struggled to hold it together defensively, allowing opponents to net 73.2 ppg this season on 43.9 percent shooting - the worst scoring defense in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Four double-digit scorers are doing their best to prevent offensive lapses for UMass. Esho leads the team at 13.9 ppg headed into Sunday, while Cady Lalanne's 12.5 ppg mark comes in at second, although his 8.7 rpg and 32 blocked shots are both team highs. Gordon (11.5 ppg) and Davis (10.9 ppg) make up the rest of the foursome in double figures this season.

George Mason couldn't seem to handle a strong offensive effort on Richmond's part Thursday night, as the Spiders connected on 55.8 percent of their shots from the floor - including 68 percent in the first half - to take a quick lead over the Patriots. Despite the loss, Shevon Thompson had a stellar game in which he recorded a 19-point, 17-rebound double-double in 35 minutes of action. Patrick Holloway chipped in with 17 points in the losing effort, and Isaiah Jackson added eight with seven boards for Mason.

It doesn't bode well for George Mason that the team is allowing 69.0 ppg to opponents and going up against one of the better scoring offenses in the entire conference Sunday. Still, the Patriots will try to use their home advantage and a 66.8 ppg mark to down an inconsistent Minutemen squad. Thompson will match up against Lalanne for a battle of talented big men. Thompson heads into Sunday averaging 12.9 ppg and 11.4 rpg to lead George Mason in both categories, while Holloway checks in at 12.4 ppg for the Patriots. Marquise Moore is close to double figures at 9.8 ppg, and leads the team with 34 assists (but also 34 turnovers) this season.

UMass has an offense that should be able to put away George Mason with relative ease on Sunday, even if the contest is away from the friendly confines of the Mullins Center. More than just Thompson and Holloway will have to show up for the Patriots if they want to take down the Minutemen.