George Mason women’s basketball set for WBIT appearance, hosts Quinnipiac in first round

George Mason wasn’t selected for an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, but its season will continue this week in the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT).

The Patriots are a No. 3 seed in the WBIT, and they will host Quinnipiac inside EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia, on Thursday with a tipoff time yet to be announced. It’s George Mason’s second-ever appearance in the WBIT, which is an annual 32-team tournament that began in 2024 for squads who just missed out on the NCAA Tournament.

How George Mason got here

The Patriots went 23-9 overall and 16-2 in Atlantic 10 play this season, finishing second in the conference following a 53-51 loss to Rhode Island in the conference tournament championship game on March 8. 

In addition to the Rams earning an automatic bid, Richmond received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as the Atlantic 10 had a total of two teams in the field. George Mason went 2-1 against the Spiders this season, but Richmond holds a better overall record at 26-7.

Forward Zahirah Walton leads George Mason with 17.9 points per game with 40.9 shooting from the field across 31 starts this season. Guard Kennedy Harris averages double figures as well at 14.0 points per game, and the Patriots shoot 39.1% on field goals and 32.7% on 3-points as a team.

The starting lineup for George Mason also features forward Hawa Komara, who averages a team-high 7.4 rebounds per game. Defensively, Guard Mary Amoateng and Harris each average above two steals per game as the Patriots force 18.6 turnovers per game on their opponents.

WBIT preview 

For George Mason to win the WBIT Championship, it’ll have to win five consecutive games in the tournament. The Patriots’ postseason run will begin against Quinnipiac, which went 26-6 overall and 19-1 in MAAC play this season.

The Bobcats shoot the 3-point shot well as a team as they knock down 36.1% of their 3-point attempts, including guard Ella Ryan’s 40.8% 3-point percentage and guard Jackie Grisdale’s 38.7% 3-point percentage. George Mason has allowed just 26.5% of 3-pointers by opponents to fall, which is the 15th-best mark in Division I.

Quinnipiac has four players who score in double figures on average, led by Grisdale’s 12.2 points per game. 

The winner between George Mason and Quinnipiac will advance and play the winner of No. 2 seed Stanford versus Loyola Marymount on March 22. Should the Patriots defeat the Bobcats, they would have to play on the road if their opponent is the Cardinal, while they would host the second-round game if their opponent is the Lions.

Coming out of that part of the bracket, whoever advances to the quarterfinals would face either No. 1 seed BYU, No. 4 seed Missouri, Seton Hall or Alabama A&M on March 26. The host site will be determined by the higher seed, and streams can be watched on ESPN+ for all games in the first round, second round and quarterfinals.

The semifinals on March 30 and the championship game on April 1 will be played inside Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas. ESPNU carries the broadcast for semifinal games while the championship game will be on ESPN2.