March 1, 2007
Philadelphia, Pa. - With six seconds remaining in regulation against Drexl, Mason junior guard Lateisha Wade (Willingboro, N.J.) netted her second free throw attempt to tie the score at 62, which sent the game into overtime Thursday evening in Philadelphia. But the Patriots (8-20, 2-16 CAA) came up short in the extra session and fell to the Dragons (9-20, 4-14) by a score of 70-67.
Junior guard Casey Quigley (Springfield, Va.) took a desperation shot from long range as time expired, but the ball bounced off the rim to end the contest after one overtime.
Mason was down by nine (47-38) at the 13:21 mark in the second half, but the Patriots responded with a 20-1 run to put the score at 48-57 for their largest lead of the game. In that run, Wade scored six of her game-high 19 points, while junior forward Moni Akintunde (Laurel, Md.) added four for Mason. The Patriots held Drexel scoreless for eight minutes, but the Dragons snapped the scoring drought with one of Narissa Suber's seven 3-pointers of the night with just over six minutes remaining in regulation.
Mason led almost the rest of the half, including an eight-point advantage after sophomore center Jessica Smith (Dartmouth, Mass.) netted a lay-up at the 4:11 mark. Drexel pulled ahead with just over a minute remaining as Andrea Peterson made a trifecta, but Wade's free throw sent the game into overtime.
The first half saw 11 lead changes between the Dragons and the Patriots, while the score was tied five times.
Senior forward Tracy Ann Holness (Brooklyn, N.Y.) collected her second double-double of the season as she grabbed a game-best 12 boards, nine of which were on the defensive end and added a team second-best 15 points for her 16th double figure point total showing of the season. Akintunde came off the bench to add a team third-best 14 points after shooting 5-of-7 on the night.
Suber scored a team-high 18 points for Drexel, while Gabriela Marginean tallied a double-double with 14 points and a team-best 11 boards.
Mason shot 39 percent on the night (23-of-59), while Drexel made 25 of its 66 attempts from the field. The Patriots had a slight advantage on the boards, 44-40, but Drexel netted 11 treys and Mason ended the game with five from long range.
This marks Mason's first overtime game of the 2006-07 season and the fifth time this season in which the Patriots have lost a game by three or less points.
The Patriots will return to action on March 8 in the first round of the CAA Championship. Mason, the 12th seed, will face No. 5 William & Mary at 2:30 p.m.
