Jan. 19, 2007

Game #17
George Mason (7-9. 1-5) vs. Towson (11-5, 2-4)
January 21, 2007; 2 p.m.
Towson Center (5,000)
Towson, Md.

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Series Record... Mason leads the overall series against Towson, 14-1. The Patriots have won the past two meetings, including a 50-45 victory in Fairfax on Feb. 26. The Tigers lone win came on Jan. 2, 2005 as Towson claimed a 72-60 defeat over Mason in Maryland and this was the last time these two teams met on the Tigers' home court.

Where in the CAA?... As a team Mason is ranked fifth in the conference in free throw percentage (.685) and fourth in rebounding defense (36.0).

First Trifecta... Redshirt freshman center Becky Rautzhan sank her first career 3-pointer on Thursday against Old Dominion at the Patriot Center.

Taking from Charity... As a team, Mason shot 78 percent from the free throw line against Old Dominion, which is a season third-best for the Patriots.

Movin' On Up... Senior forward Tracy Ann Holness now sits in the 29th slot in Mason's all-time record book with a career total of 673 points.

Setting a Season High... Senior forward Tracy Ann Holness set a new season-high in points and led all scorers with 19 versus Georgia State on Jan. 14. Holness shot 6-of-13 from the field and had a perfect showing at the charity stripe (5-of-5).

Lucky 13... Junior guard Casey Quigley now stands 13th in Mason's all-time record book with 60 career treys after her 4-of-5 showing from beyond the arc against Georgia State on Jan. 14.

About Towson... Towson heads into Sunday's contest having lost four of its past five games, including a 56-49 loss to Hofstra on Jan. 18. The Tigers own an 11-5 overall mark and are 2-4 in Colonial Athletic Association games. Shanae Baker-Brice leads Towson in points with 14.9 points per game, while Holly Mahan averages a team-best 8.0 rebounds per contest. The Tigers have had two five-game winning streaks, with a 58-45 loss at Wake Forest breaking up the two streaks on Nov. 29.

Last Time Out...

George Mason University's women's basketball team ended its four-game homestand with a 69-49 loss to Old Dominion at the Patriot Center in a Colonial Athletic Association match-up Thursday evening.

After being down 38-17 at halftime, Mason pulled within 13 after junior forward Moni Akintunde made both of her attempts at the charity stripe to put the score at 58-45 with just over four minutes remaining. Despite outscoring the Lady Monarchs, 32-31 in the second stanza, the Patriots would not get any closer to ODU and end up with their third-straight loss.

Mason junior guard Lateisha Wade came off the bench to score a team-high and game second-best 16 points, which included a 7-of-8 showing at the charity stripe. Senior forward Tracy Ann Holness (Brooklyn, N.Y.) shot 6-of-11 from the field for a team second-best 13 points, while Akintunde added 10 points and seven boards for the Patriots.

ODU junior guard T.J. Jordan poured in a game-high 19 points, 17 of which were scored in the first 20 minutes. Senior forward Sherida Triggs scored 14 for the Lady Monarchs, while junior center Tamara Ransburg added 10.

Mason held ODU to just 69 points after the Lady Monarchs came into tonight's game averaging 75.0 points per game in conference contests. At the end of the night, rebounds were even at 37, but ODU had been outrebounding its league opponents by an average of 6.3 rebounds per game. The Patriots also shot 78 percent from the line (14-of-18), while ODU was 12-of-12 (55 percent).

Conference Season-High... Sophomore center Jessica Smith's 18 rebound showing against Rice (Dec. 30), was not only a new career-high and a game-best, but it is the season-high among conference peers. The previous season-best among CAA performers was 16, which was accomplished seven times thus far this season.

"For Three!"... As a team, Mason poured in seven trifectas against Georgia State on Jan. 7, which ties for a season-high of 3-point field goals made in a single game for the Patriots.

Happy Birthday!... Mason head coach Debbie Taneyhill will turn 37 on Jan. 20th.

Making Her Mark... Casey Quigley set new season-highs in points (16), field goals (6), rebounds (5) and 3-point field goals (4) in the Patriots' loss to Georgia State on Jan. 14.

On the Road Again... This is the first time Mason is playing away from the Patriot Center since the Patriots faced William & Mary in Williamsburg on Jan. 7.

All-Tournament Team... Junior guard Lateisha Wade was named to the Florida International Fun in the Sun All-Tournament team at the conclusion of the two-day competition. Wade led all scorers in both games, including a new career-high of 24 points against FIU on Dec. 29. Wade netted 19 the next day after shooting 5-of-13 from the field and 8-of-11 from the charity stripe.

Taking from Charity... Mason shot a season-high 86 percent from the line (12-of-14) in the Patriots' 59-42 win at Fordham on Jan. 2.

Not Since 2004... Mason won four-straight games as the Patriots claimed victories over Howard (80-77), Siena (61-44), Northeastern (67-61) and American (60-53). The last time the Patriots won four consecutive contests was during the 2003-04 season when Mason won five in a row during the month of February.

Lone Freshman... Guard Raushana Hobbs is Mason's lone freshman this season. Hobbs is from Bowie, Md. and graduated from Riverdale Baptist. Hobbs' dad is Carl Hobbs, the head coach of George Washington's men's team.

New Signees... George Mason University's head women's basketball coach Debbie Taneyhill has announced that four student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Patriot basketball squad, beginning with the 2007-08 season. The signees include: Eugenia Broadus (F, 6-1, Washington, D.C./Archbishop Carroll), Brittany Eley (G, 5-11, Waldorf, Md./West Lake), Tayler Wejnert (G, 5-11, Ramsey, N.J./Academy of Holy Angels) and Brittney Wilkins (F/C, 6-3, Cincinnati, Ohio/Montrose Christian/Louisburg JC).

In the Professional Ranks... Former Mason standout Jen Derevjanik became just the second Patriot to play in the WNBA. Derevjanik played the 2006 season with the Phoenix Mercury and was on the Connecticut Sun's roster for both the 2004 & 2005 seasons. Both years the Sun made it to the WNBA Finals.