Jan. 17, 2008

Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. - Freshman Brittany Eley reached double figures for the second straight game with 14 points, but the George Mason women's basketball team could not overcome a late first-half run by James Madison as the Dukes defeated the Patriots, 63-46, in Colonial Athletic Association action Thursday night at Patriot Center. Mason (7-8, 1-3) fell below .500 for the first time since Nov. 16, while the Dukes improved to 10-6, 3-1 in the CAA.

Eley was joined in double figures by senior Moni Akintunde, who chipped in 10 points, while the Dukes saw two players record double-doubles to power the offense. Tamera Young led the Dukes with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Jennifer Brown chipped in 18 points along with 10 boards. Mason held the CAA's most potent offense to 43.4 percent field goal shooting, but was outrebounded by a 46-to-30 margin.

James Madison took the early lead on a basket by Young, but the Patriots fought back when a long jumper by Eley pulled Mason within one at 5-4. The Dukes responded with a 3-pointer by Lawrence, leaving the score 8-4 with 16:55 remaining. Mason tied the contest at eight when Hobbs sank a jumper, but the Dukes answered right back with four points of their own to retake a four-point advantage at 12-8.

The back-and-forth battle continued, with Mason knotting the contest at 17 on a Wade three. The deadlock was short-lived though, as the Patriots responded to a JMU free throw with a Eley lay-in to take the 19-18 lead. A 6-0 run by JMU gave it a six point lead at 24-18, but an Eley trey cut into the deficit. The Dukes did not relent, though, expanding their first-half lead as large as nine.

The Dukes continued to control the game entering the second stanza, as JMU opened up its largest lead of the game at 49-28. Mason continued fighting, scoring six in a row to close within 15 points at the 11:43 mark and again nearly two minutes later, with two Wade free throws setting the score 53-38. Mason, however, could advance no closer than 15 as the clock ran out.

Mason will try for its second conference victory of the season on Sunday afternoon when it travels to Towson for a 2 p.m. game.