March 12, 2004

Box Score

NORFOLK, Va. - George Mason University senior Jen Derevjanik (Staten Island, N.Y.) poured in a career-high 40 points to lead the second-seeded Patriots to a 73-59 victory over sixth-seeded Virginia Commonwealth University in the first semifinal game of the 2004 Colonial Athletic Association Women's Basketball Championship Friday evening at the Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk.

Derevjanik's 40-point performance sets a CAA tournament single-game record, surpassing the previous mark of 38 by East Carolina's Danielle Melvin against Richmond in 1999, and matches the fifth-best single-game total in CAA history. Derevjanik shot 17-for-24 overall from the field, including 4-of-6 from behind the three-point arc.

The Patriots, who improve to 18-9 on the year, advance to Saturday's CAA Championship Game at noon, where they will face the winner of Friday's second semifinal contest between top-seeded Old Dominion and fourth-seeded Delaware. The Rams, who advanced to Friday's semifinal tilt by upsetting third-seeded Hofstra a day earlier, close the year at 14-14.

Derevjanik and VCU senior guard Cyndy Wilks (Bridgeton, N.J.) nearly went shot-for-shot in the first half, as Derevjanik scored 16 points and Wilks tallied 14 of her team-high 22 points in the opening half, as the Patriots held a narrow 33-31 advantage at intermission.

In the second half, the teams battled to a 36-36 tie in the opening minutes of the period, before Derevjanik scored nine points over 2:47 in a 9-2 run that gave the Patriots a 47-38 lead with 15:35 remaining on the clock. Derevjanik, who scored Mason's first 14 points of the second half, started the run by converting a three-point play, then in nearly two identical plays recorded steals at mid-court and broke away for back-to-back uncontested layups.

The Rams closed the gap to as few as four points in the second half, after a Wilks' layup with 11:38 to play, but Derevjanik was too strong down the stretch hitting 10-of-14 field-goal attempts in the second half. Derevjanik's 17 field goals are also the second-best single-game total in CAA history.

Patriots' senior Vernessa Neamo (Forrestville, Md.) chipped in with 13 points and six rebounds and classmate Osato Edobor-Osula (Columbia, Md.) added eight points and six boards to compliment Derevjanik's career-night. Derevjanik's previous career-high of 33 points came earlier this season on Jan. 11, also against VCU.

The Patriots shot 46.6% (27-for-58) from the field overall and scored 27 points off 22 VCU turnovers. Derevjanik ended up with four steals, while Neamo added a pair of thefts. The Rams shot 44.8% (26-for-58) from the field on the night.

Wilks brought her season points total to 618, which ranks as the fourth-best single-season total in CAA history. In addition, Wilks closes her senior season after averaging 22.1 points per game, which is the best single-season scoring average in the history of the league.

VCU junior Maria Giovannetti (Richmond, Va.) added 10 points, while fellow junior Lauren Hogan (Prince George, Va.) scored nine points and hauled in a game-high 12 rebounds in defeat. Junior center Kristina Cesnaviciute (Kaunas, Lithuania) contributed nine points, eight rebounds and five blocks for the Rams.

The Patriots advance to the CAA title game for just the third time in school history and the first time since 1994, when they lost to 12-time defending champion Old Dominion 78-61.