Getty
The La Salle Explorers basketball team will host the George Mason Patriots in Atlantic 10 play on Saturday.
The game (2 p.m. ET start time) won’t be on TV anywhere, but you can watch it live on ESPN+:
Note: Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
ESPN+ is the digital streaming service from ESPN that has exclusive coverage of over 1,500 college basketball games (including many MVC games) this season, plus other live sports every day, all the 30-for-30 documentaries, and additional original content (both video and written) all for $4.99 per month.
Or, if you plan on buying UFC 246: McGregor vs Cowboy on Jan. 18, you can get a special bundle that includes a year of ESPN+ ($49.99 value) and the UFC 246 PPV ($64.99 value) for $84.98, which works out to about 26 percent savings:
Another option, if you also want the new Disney+ streaming service and Hulu, you can get all three for $12.99 per month, which comes out to 25 percent savings:
Get ESPN+, Disney+ & Hulu Bundle
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can then watch George Mason vs La Salle live on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the ESPN app.
George Mason vs La Salle Preview
After an 11-1 start, the Patriots have dropped three straight, including their first two tests in Atlantic 10 action.
On Wednesday, three days after they opened their conference slate with a 72-59 home defeat to the VCU Rams, George Mason fell at home to the St. Bonaventure Bonnies 61-49.
Forward AJ Wilson and guard Justin Kier led the Patriots with 11 points apiece. Wilson grabbed 6 rebounds and came up with 5 blocks, and Kier dished 3 assists and recorded a pair of steals.
St. Bonaventure center Osun Osunniyi scored 8 points to go with 18 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 5 blocks. His side outscored George Mason 34-18 after the midway break.
“The Bonnies really turned it up in the second half,” George Mason head coach Dave Paulsen said, according to the Augusta Free Press. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player impact the game so much and score eight points [Osun Osunniyi]. We really struggled against their matchup zone. We got really good looks in the first half and then our guys got a little tentative. We looked tremendous the first 15 minutes, but our toughness getting to the 50-50 balls and battling adversity needs to get better.”
La Salle entered conference play with a 9-3 mark, holding opponents to just 38.9% shooting from the field and 27.1% from 3-point range. But they’ve gone 1-2 against Atlantic 10 foes since then, sandwiching a road loss to the then-No. 20 Dayton Flyers and a home loss to the UMass Minutemen around a road victory over the Fordham Rams.
Across their three conference tilts, the Explorers have allowed opponents to shoot 47.5% from the field and 38.5% from distance.
“I think that we have to make that our calling card. I want to establish a culture of a team that defends, and being able to win games where you don’t score the ball, that only happens if you can defend,” La Salle head coach Ashley Howard said after a 71-59 home victory over the Bucknell Bison on Dec. 28 — the team’s last game before their trio of conference matchups — according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. “And then if, over time, through player development and recruiting, you get a roster where you’ve got guys that can score and defend, then you’ve got a really good team.”
Three Explorers averaged more than a steal per game: guards Saul Phiri, Ayinde Hikim, and Christian Ray.
La Salle fell to the Minutemen 77-69 on Wednesday. Explorers guard Isiah Deas led all participants with 25 points, adding 9 rebounds and a pair of assists.