Feb. 12, 2005

George Mason (9-12, 5-7 CAA) vs. Old Dominion (13-7, 9-2)
February 143, 2005; 2 p.m.
Patriot Center (Fairfax, Va.)

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Series Record Mason and Old Dominion have squared-off 35 times and the Monarchs have won every contest. Thirteen of the Patriots losses have been in Fairfax, while 18 have been in Norfolk and the remaining four were played on neutral ground. Last year these two teams faced each other three times, with the last in the 2004 CAA Championship game where ODU edged Mason, 85-81, (March 13) at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.

First Time Around

The Patriots bench netted 35 points behind a game and career-high 25 points from freshman forward Moni Akintunde and 10 points from Keyhana Wakefield Mason's 68-56 loss to Old Dominion at the Ted Constant Convocation Center on Jan. 27.

Akintunde shot 6-of-12 from the floor and 13-of-19 from the line from off the bench. Her 19 attempts from the charity stripe were one short of the Patriot record set in 1996 by Kristeena Alexander.

ODU point guards Jen Nuzzo and Melea Caldwell combined for 20 points and junior Lawona Davis nearly missed a double-double with a team-high 16 points and nine.

The Lady Monarchs led the entire game from start to finish. The Patriots were held without a field goal the final 9:04 of the first half, but managed to pull within five twice. Akintunde cut the Patriot deficit to 27-22 with 6:09 remaining in the half, but the Lady Monarchs allowed Mason to net just two more points from the line while scoring seven of their own for a 34-24 advantage at the half.

ODU led by double digits the majority of the second half. A lay-up by sophomore Angela Brown gave Old Dominion its largest lead of the game, a 19-point 51-32 edge with 10:09 left in the game.

Last Time On the Court George Mason forward Moni Akintunde led the Patriots with 20 points on 6-10 field goal shooting and 8-9 from the free throw line as they beat William and Mary 69-51 on Feb. 11 at William and Mary Hall.

Mason began the game on a 9-1 run and never looked back. The Patriots shot 62 percent in the first half (13-21), while the Tribe was unable to get its offense rolling, shooting 28 percent (7-25).

W&M pulled within two points in the first half, as a Devin James jumper closed the gap to 10-8. However, the Patriots went on a 12-2 run to open up a 10-point lead (22-10). Mason expanded that lead to 11 as the first period came to a close.

The Patriots came out of the locker room with two straight three-pointers to expand the game to a 17-point margin. That would stand as their largest lead until Akintunde completed a three-point play to raise the lead to 18. That lead would stand as the final difference in the game, as the two teams traded points in the final 90 seconds of the game.

Mason had three players in double figures, as junior Jen Daniels added 15 points, and senior Lauren Hediger added another 10. Center Julie Flanders posted five rebounds, tying for the team-high with Keyhana Wakefield's five off the bench.

James, who scored a game-high 21 points, was one of two Tribe scorers in double-figures, with freshman forward Jalen Boone contributing 14 points of her own.

The game had a total of 45 turnovers, with the Patriots turning the ball over 27 times as compared to the Tribe's 18. The College was outrebounded by a 38-21 margin, and was outshot 54 percent to 37 percent from the floor. W&M had trouble from beyond the arc, shooting 2-12, while the Patriots drained five three-pointers from 12 attempts (42 percent).

ODU's Numbers Old Dominion heads into Sunday's contest with an overall record of 13-7 and a 9-2 mark in the CAA. The Lady Monarchs have only lost to Delaware in the conference for ODU's first sweep by a CAA opponent since joining the league (1991-92). The Lady Monarchs own a 4-5 mark when playing on the road and are 9-2 at home. Senior guard Shareese Grant leads ODU in points per game with an average of 15.0, while freshman forward Tiffany Green averages a team-best 8.1 caroms per contest.

Twenty Something Freshman forward Moni Akintunde scored a team-high 20 points against the Tribe on Feb. 11 for her second career game with 20 or more points. Akintunde has now scored in double figures in eight games thus far this season.

Perfection! Freshman guard Keyhana Wakefield made all of her attempts against William & Mary on Feb. 11 as she shot 3-3 from the field and 2-2 from the charity stripe.

Career Move Through 75 games in a Mason uniform, Daniels has netted 64 treys and is six 3-pointers away from moving into the top-10 in the Patriots' career record books. Toni Battle (1987-91) currently sits in 10th as she finished with 70 career baskets from long range.

Movin' On Up Senior guard Lauren Hediger passed Tracy Kirk (1993-97) in Mason's career record books on Sunday as Hediger made two treys in Mason's win. Hediger currently is now seventh with 106 career 3-pointers, while Kirk graduated with 105 and now sits in eighth.

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 playing with Germany. In addition, Vernessa Neamo (2000-04) plays for the NWBL's Birmingham Power.

Mason Adds Four Head coach Debbie Taneyhill recently announced that three student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Patriots in the 2005-06 season. The signees include Tammy Myers (G/F, 5-9, Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro), Becky Rautzhan (6-3, C, Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg Area) and Colleen Shumaker (F, 6-1, Haymarket, Va./Home School). Leteisha Wade (G, 5-8, Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro/Marshall) has joined the team this semester after transferring from Marshall University and, due to NCAA transfer rules, will sit out through the fall semester and has three years of eligibility remaining.

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 83-50 (.624) when competing at the PC.