Jan. 16, 2005

Box Score

NEWARK, DE -- George Mason University's women's basketball team lost a 72-56 effort in a Colonial Athletic Association match-up against Delaware Sunday afternoon at the Bob Carpenter Center.

The Blue Hens (12-2, 5-0 CAA) won their 10th straight game and remained in sole possession of first place in the CAA standings with a 5-0 mark. Delaware also posted its ninth straight home win at the BCC since last season.

George Mason (6-8, 2-3 CAA), which had won two-straight conference games, trailed by just five points at the half but shot 34.5 percent from the field in the second half. George Mason guard Jen Daniels scored a career-high 26 points, pulled six rebounds, and registered four steals in the loss. Daniels converted 5 of 12 three-pointers as the Patriots hit nine treys in a BCC-record tying 27 attempts.

Sophomore guard Tyresa Smith finished with a team-high 19 points while also pulling seven rebounds while and senior forward Tiara Malcom recorded 17 points, five rebounds, three steals, and three assists and converted all 11 of her free throw attempts. Liz Hayes added nine points off the bench, including two three-pointers, while Amanda Blackstone pulled eight rebounds as the Hens held a commanding 38-28 advantage on the boards.

Delaware converted 23 of 28 free throws for the game (.821), including hitting 16 of 19 in the second half as the Blue Hens pulled away from a close game.

George Mason led for the opening 10 minutes of the first half before the Hens tied the score at 13-13 with 9:25 left in the stanza. After two more ties and six lead changes, the Blue Hens took the lead for good on one free throw by Blackstone and two by Smith to go up 30-27 with 2:10 left in the stanza. Delaware guard Alena Koshansky converted a conventional three-point play with two seconds left to send the Hens up 36-31 at halftime.

The Blue Hens never trailed in the second half as Malcom scored 13 of her 17 points in the stanza. The Hens outscored the Patriots 17-8 over the first seven minutes of the half to take a 53-39 lead with 12:58 remaining and never looked back. Malcom scored seven points and Smith added four during the pivotal run. The Hens led by as much as 19 points at 60-41 with 9:02 left to play.

The Patriots will return to action when they face UNC Wilmington in North Carolina on Jan. 20 at 7 p.m.