Feb. 20, 2004

Box Score

Fairfax, VA--Senior forward Vernessa Neamo (Forestville, MD) registered her fourth double-double of the season with a game-high 21 points and a team-best 10 rebounds to help lead George Mason University's women's basketball team (14-7, 9-5 CAA) to an 85-69 win over James Madison (10-15, 5-9) at the Patriot Center Friday evening. With this win and a Hofstra loss tonight, Mason is currently tied for second in the Colonial Athletic Association standings with the Pride.

Neamo also added nine assists and two steals for Mason and four other Patriots scored in double figures against the Dukes. Junior Laura Kooij (Den Helder, Holland) netted a team second-best 17 points after shooting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc (5-7 from the field) and mirrored her career-high nine boards, while Jen Derevjanik (Sr.; Staten Island, NY) poured in 13 points (4-12) and matched her season-high of seven helpers for the Patriots. Junior guard Lauren Hediger (Pittsburgh, PA) came off the bench to score 11, nine of which came from long range, and this marks Hediger's second-straight game scoring in double digits. Senior forward Susan Otim (Fairfax, VA) added 10 points after shooting 4-of-7 on the night.

Two Dukes amassed double-doubles on the night as Denae Dobbins pulled down a career-high 11 boards and added 13 points (6-8), while Meredith Alexis matched a team-best 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Jody LeRose shot 6-of-13 on the night for 16 points, while Lesley Dickinson added 14 points along with a team-best two steals for Madison.

Mason shot 30-of-65 from the field (46 percent) and 53 percent from 3-point range, while Madison was 28-of-58 on the night (48 percent) and 36 percent from long range. The Dukes won the battle of the boards, 39-36, but the Patriots scored 21 points off turnovers to Madison's 12 and Mason collected 10 fast break points, while the Dukes had none.

The Patriots will return to action on Sunday, Feb. 22 when they face Towson on the Tigers home turf at 1 p.m.