Jan. 13, 2005

George Mason (5-7, 1-2 CAA) vs. James Madison (8-4, 1-2)
January 14, 2005; 7 p.m.
Fairfax, Va. (Patriot Center)

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Series Record The Dukes hold a 35-19 advantage in the overall series between George Mason and JMU. Mason is 6-17 when playing in Harrisonburg and the Patriots are 9-15 when playing on their home turf. When competing on neutral ground, the series is even at four a piece. The last time these two teams met was in the quarterfinals of the CAA Championship and the Patriots defeated the Dukes by a score of 84-67 on Mar. 11, 2004 in Norfolk, Va.

Last Time On the Court George Mason University's women's basketball team dropped a 53-48 decision to Columbia in a non-conference match-up on Jan. 11 at the Patriot Center.

Sophomore forward Kristin Higy opened up the scoring for both teams as she netted a lay-up in the first minute of play, but Columbia responded with a 10-2 run to put the score at 10-4 at the 12:51 mark. Mason pulled within one (12-11) after a lay-up by senior center Julie Flanders with nine minutes remaining in the first half. The Lions then had a 10-0 scoring spurt, which was halted after Higy sank a jumper at 4:34 to put the score at 21-11. Columbia had its largest lead of the first stanza with seconds remaining after a made 3-pointer by Nicole Lesko to head into the break with a 33-20 lead.

Mason's switch to a zone defense in the second 20 minutes, stymied Columbia's outside shooting as the Lions shot 18 percent in the second half from beyond the arc compared to 67 percent in the first. Mason came all the way back from a 15 point deficit to tie the game at 41 (4:26) after a turnaround jumper in the paint by Higy from senior guard Lauren Hediger. Columbia regained the lead and the Patriots kept it close with key 3-pointers down the stretch, but the Lions held on and claimed its eighth victory of the season.

Freshman guard Keyhana Wakefield came off the bench to score a team-high 12 points for the Patriots, while Higy amassed a team second-best 11 in 36 minutes of play. Flanders grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, while Hediger collected five steals in the loss.

Mason shot 34 percent (18-53), while Columbia was 21-46 on the night (46 percent). The Lions outrebounded the Patriots, 35-27, while Mason scored 24 points in the paint to the Lions 22.

Leading the Way George Mason continues to sit first in the conference in overall games in 3-point field goals made with 5.83 per game.

Coming to An End George Mason closes out its longest homestand this season of four against the Dukes. After tonight's game, the Patriots will have played four teams in nine days at the Patriot Center in Hofstra (Jan. 6), William & Mary (Jan. 9) Columbia (Jan. 11) and JMU (Jan. 14).

James Madison's Numbers James Madison heads into tonight's contest having lost two-straight, inlcuding a double overtime loss at Virginia Commonwealth (86-78) on Jan. 9. The Dukes began the season 7-1 and currently own an 8-4 overall record (1-2 CAA). Tamera Young has averaged a team best 15.8 points per game, while sophomore Meredith Alexis leads the Dukes with 8.3 rpg.

Wakin' Up Freshman guard Keyhana Wakefield played a career-high 30 minutes against Columbia on Jan. 11. Wakefield came off the bench to score a team-high 12 points from a personal-best five made field goals and also set a new standard in rebounds with six.

Taking It Away Senior guard Lauren Hediger amassed a new career-best in steals with five, which was also a game-high, against Columbia on Jan. 11.

Eighty or More Mason's 81 points on Sunday marked the first time since Mar. 13, 2004 in which the Patriots scored 80 or more points. On that day, Mason fell to Old Dominion by a score of 85-81 in the CAA Championship game in Norfolk, Va.

For Charity Junior guard Jen Daniels scored a career-high 17 points against the Tribe as she made a personal-best 15 free throws, from 18 attempts, on Jan. 9.

Eight is Great! The Patriots held Miami to just eight points in the first half on Nov. 30, which is tied for second in the NCAA Division I record books for fewest points scored by one team in a single half. Florida State set the standard as the Seminoles led Savannah State by a score of 54-3 at the break on Nov. 23, 2003.

Playing Professionally Former Mason standout Jen Derevjanik became just the second Patriot to play in the WNBA as she was on the Connecticut Sun's roster for the 2004 season, which made it to the 2004 WNBA Finals. Another senior from last year's team also extended her playing career as Osato Edobor-Osula is currently playing with Germany.

Playing Host For the first time in school history, George Mason will host the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament which will be held from Mar. 9-12 at the Patriot Center. For the past five years, the tournament has been held in Norfolk, Va. and the closest it has been to Fairfax is when American hosted in 1987.

Home Cookin' Mason's women's hoops team started playing all of its home games at the Patriot Center since the 1994-95 season. Since then, the Patriots have posted a regular season record of 81-49 (.623) when competing at the PC.