Delaware closes out the 2019 calendar year and non-conference competition for the 2019-20 season both on Sunday, hosting George Mason.

Who: George Mason Patriots (5-6) at Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens (3-7) 

When: Sunday, Dec. 29, 1 p.m. ET 

Where: Bob Carpenter Center

Watch: LIVE on FloHoops

The Fightin’ Blue Hens are back home at Bob Carpenter Center for the first time in nearly a month. Delaware last played at home on Dec. 4, and has been out of action altogether since Dec. 17. 

George Mason opened the season hot, winning four of its first five, including an upset over the Big Ten’s Penn State Nittany Lions. The Patriots have since dropped 5-of-6. 

George Mason Patriots At A Glance

Slated to finish sixth in the Atlantic 10 Conference preseason poll, the Patriots finish out their non-conference docket at Delaware before jumping into A-10 play. 

Mason features double-figure-per-game scorers, paced by Nicole Cardano-Hillary’s 17.8. Cardano-Hillary provides the perimeter scoring punch, with forwards Camarie Gatling and Jacy Bolton adding presences inside the arc. 

Gatling averages 6.8 rebounds per game and shoots a team-high 54.8 percent from the floor. Bolton and Cardano-Hillary also pace the defense, both averaging around two steals per game. Not far behind, Alexiss Grate averages 1.7 steals per game. 

The Patriots excel at converting those turnovers into points, averaging 15.4 per game on takeaways. 

George Mason has not shot particularly well from 3-point range at 28.1 percent as a team, but Sarah Kaminski is a threat from deep. She’s knocked down 22 3-pointers, a team-high, at a 34.4 percent clip. 

For a Delaware defense that has given up 36.6 percent shooting from behind the arc on the season, limiting the Patriots’ looks from long range is essential. 

Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens At A Glance

The Delaware offense starts with attacking the rim, whether it’s slashing from the perimeter or feeding the ball into the post. Nicole Enabosi -- who returned from injury just before the Blue Hens’ holiday break -- is averaging 14.5 points per game, while Jasmine Dickey has put up 12.5. 

Between the two, they’ve attempted just 12 3-pointers all season. But while Delaware focuses less on hoisting shots from deep, its leading scorers also see and capitalize on plenty of rebounding opportunities. 

Enabosi and Dickey both average north of seven rebounds per game, and Delaware enjoys a 1.8 per game edge on the glass. Where the Blue Hens need to button up against George Mason is in their ball control. 

Opponents have turned 16.8 Delaware turnovers per game into more than 20 points on average. Against a team with aggressive defenders jumping in passing lanes and pressuring ball-handlers, scoring runs can come in a hurry. 

Delaware cut down on its turnovers its last time out, committing just 12 at Charlotte. But 20 turnovers made the difference in a two-point loss at Gardner-Webb on Dec. 15. 

Samone DeFreese scored 19 points against Gardner-Webb, but went 0-for-4 from 3-point range. If she and Abby Gonzales can knock down a few from deep early, Delaware will be able to draw out the George Mason defense and open the interior.