Dec. 30, 2006

Box Score

Miami, Fla.--Mason's women's basketball team finished third at the Florida International University Fun In the Sun Classic as the Patriots defeated Rice by a score of 68-58 in the consolation game Saturday evening at the Pharmed Arena in Miami, Fla.

Sophomore center Jessica Smith (Dartmouth, Mass.) had a stellar showing in Mason's victory as she pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds, 11 of which were collected in the first 20 minutes of the contest. Smith also added eight points, one assist, two blocks, as well as two steals in 34 minutes of play for the Patriots.

At the 8:12 mark in the first half, senior forward Tracy Ann Holness (Brooklyn, N.Y.) put the Patriots ahead by one (17-16) and followed her 2-point field goal with a made trifecta 30 seconds later to give Mason a four-point lead. Smith scored one in the paint to put the score at 27-20 in favor of the Patriots (4:47) and Holness, who matched her career-high of 10 rebounds, netted Mason's final basket of the first half as she sank a trey at the 3:12 mark and Rice answered with a 5-0 run. The Patriots went into the break with a 30-28 lead over the Owls.

Eleven minutes into the second stanza, junior guard Lateisha Wade (Willingboro, N.J.) made a basket in the paint and was fouled on the play. Before Wade made it to the line, Rice's head coach, Greg Williams, was served with a technical foul. Wade, the game's leading scorer with 19 points, was sent to the charity stripe and sank both freebies. She then converted the 3-point play to give Mason a 50-45 lead.

The Patriots followed with a 9-2 run to tie Mason's largest lead of the game at 12 (59-47) with about five minutes left in the game. Rice pulled within six after Samantha Stovall netted both of her free throws at 3:36, but Mason responded with an 8-2 run to give the Patriots a 12 point advantage (67-55) and finished with a 68-58 victory.

The Patriots shot 32 percent on the night (22-of-68) and made 70 percent of their attempts from the line (19-of-27). Rice shot 19-of-65 from the field and 76 percent from the charity stripe (19-of-25). The Patriots scored 16 second chance points to the Owls' 10 and also netted 21 bench points to Rice's 12. Mason won the battle of the boards, 55-44, and the 55 marks a season-high, with the previous season-best at 37.

Mason will return to action when the Patriots face Fordham in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Jan. 2 at 12 p.m.