Dec. 4, 2007
Box Score
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Senior Lateisha Wade drained a three-pointer with one second showing on the clock, but the George Mason women's basketball team fell just short at Bucknell on Tuesday evening, battling the Bison all the way in a 67-64 double-overtime defeat at Sojka Pavilion. It was Mason's first double-overtime game in nearly ten years, dating back to the 70-69 loss at California on December 19, 1997.
Mason (3-4) held off the Bison (3-5) through three periods, but was outscored 8-5 in the second overtime to tally the loss. Wade, who finished one point shy of her career high with 25 points, was joined in double figures by sophomore Rashauna Hobbs, who tied her career high with 12 points, 10 of which coming in the first half. Senior Moni Akintunde, whose 15 rebounds tied a career high and was highest among all players, also added in five points, two steals and a block. Bucknell's offense was paced by Amanda Brown, who chipped in 23 points, 14 in the first half.
Both teams' offenses had struggles in the early part of the game, as the first scoring of the game came at the 17:39 mark on a Bucknell free throw. Mason answered back with their first field goal of the game, a Chynelle Rogers jumper in the paint, and maintained control of the contest for most of the first half.
The Bison tied the score at 8 on a basket by Lauren Schober and took a brief lead at 17-16 with 9:24 remaining in the period. That lead would last just 13 seconds, though, as Mason embarked on a 9-0 scoring run to take its largest lead of the stanza at 25-16. That advantage gradually shrunk to three points as the final horn of the opening period sounded.
Coming out of the break, the tenuous Mason lead ended as the Bison converted four baskets against a pair of field goals by Wade. However, a free throw by freshman Brittany Poindexter along with a pair of free throws by Wade returned the lead to the Patriots at 36-34 with 14:41 to go. That lead would hold up for over ten minutes, until Champion sank a pair of free throws to give Bucknell a 51-50 lead with 4:13 remaining in the game. While it was short-lived again, as Hobbs drained a pair from the charity stripe to take the 52-51 advantage, Bucknell answered back with two free throws of their own to retake the lead.
Wade knotted the game up at 53 with under a minute to go, sinking the back-end of pair of free throws with 38.9 seconds showing on the clock, but Foster scored with 15.5 seconds remaining to give the Bison a 55-53 lead.
Again, it was Wade who pulled the Patriots back into the game, connecting two more free throw tries to tie the score at 55. Playing for the last shot, the Bison turned the ball over with one second remaining on a traveling violation, but the Patriots were unable to put a shot into play as time expired.
In the bonus period, the chess match continued with the Bison striking first with a basket by Wright. Two more Wade free throws tied it up, and Bucknell responded with a Champion field goal to take a 59-57 lead. Junior Whitney Ward sank her first basket of the day with 89 seconds left in the overtime to tie the game at 59. After a defensive rebound by Moni Akintunde set up the final possession for the Patriots, Wade was unable to end the game in the first extra period as her jumper fell just short.
In the second overtime, Mason took an early lead on two more free throws from Ward and Akintunde, but the Bison scored six in a row to take the lead for good.
Mason will take the next two weeks off for winter final exams, and returns to action at home on December 19 with a 7 p.m. tilt with American at the Patriot Center.
