Feb. 1, 2007
Box Score
Wilmington, N.C.--George Mason University's women's basketball squad (8-12, 2-8 CAA) was edged by UNC Wilmington (7-13, 3-6) by a score of 59-58 in a Colonial Athletic Association match-up Thursday evening at Trask Coliseum.
Mason was ahead by two points with three seconds remaining, but UNCW's Denise Lawrence made the first attempt at the line, missed the second and grabbed her own rebound. Lawrence then threw it up and the ball circled the rim for a second, but it went through as time expired to give the Seahawks the win.
The Patriots took their first lead of the contest at the 15 minute mark after senior forward Tracy Ann Holness (Brooklyn, N.Y.) drained a trifecta to give Mason a 3-point advantage (7-4). Holness then gave the Patriots their largest lead of the first stanza 11 minutes later (25-20) after she netted a lay-up, which was also the last field goal for Mason in the opening half. The score was knotted at 25 at the break, which was the sixth tie in the first 20 minutes of play.
Junior guard Casey Quigley (Springfield, Va.) tied the game at 42 about seven minutes into the second half. Seconds later, Quigley was served with a technical foul, which gave UNCW the lead again after Casey Sawhook made both of her attempts at the charity stripe. The game was tied again after Holness sank one from beyond the arc with the clock reading 2:51 to put the score at 53 a piece. Holness, who tied for a game-high 19 points, then made another trey at 1:11 to knot the game at 56. Sophomore forward Colleen Shumaker (Haymarket, Va.) made the last field goal for Mason to give the Patriots a 58-56 lead with 21 seconds remaining, but the Patriots could not hold on in the closing seconds.
Mason shot 35 percent from the field (19-of-55), while the Seahawks shot 43 percent. UNCW attempted 30 free throws, while Mason only had 19 chances, but the Patriots did outshoot the Seahawks at the line, 74 to 57 percent.
The Patriots will return to action when they host Virginia Commonwealth on Feb. 4 at 2 p.m.
