Jan. 24, 2008

Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. - In a defensive battle in which it was down by as many as 10 points, the George Mason women's basketball team put together an 18-1 scoring run to overtake the College of William and Mary, and the Patriots held on for a 47-42 conference victory Thursday evening at Patriot Center. Mason improved to 8-9, 2-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association, while the Tribe fell to 8-10 (2-4 CAA).

Mason was led on offense by senior Lateisha Wade, who scored 12 points, including an 8-for-9 showing at the free throw line, while classmate Moni Akintunde pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds. W&M saw two players score in double digits, with Kyra Kaylor and Kelly Heath chipping in 15 and 12 points, respectively.

The Tribe struck first with a 3-pointer from Courtney Portell, but Mason responded with baskets by junior Whitney Ward and freshman Brittany Eley to take its first lead of the game at 4-3 less than two minutes into the game. Ward's second basket at the 17:41 mark put the Patriots ahead 6-3 as W&M called timeout. However, a steal by sophomore Rashauna Hobbs allowed her to score a fast break layup, expanding the lead to 5.

Devin James halted the 8-0 Mason run with a pair of free throws on two separate trips, but Wade regained the five-point lead with a layup at the 13:28 mark. Kaylor's three cut the gap to 10-8 with 12:12 left in the first half. That score held for over two minutes, before Wade put Mason ahead 12-8 on a pair from the charity stripe with 9:28 showing on the clock. The next field goal would not come for another three minutes, when Heath's basket again put the Tribe within two at the 6:18 mark. A James basket tied the game for the first time, leveling the ledger at 12 with 5:10 left in the half.

W&M retook the lead with 3:30 to go in the period and opened a four-point advantage, but its 8-0 run was ended by a Hobbs trey at the 2:40 mark, leaving the score 16-15 in the Tribe's favor. Another basket put the Tribe up three, but two free throws by senior Casey Quigley cut the advantage to one. That lead would hold up as the team's headed to the locker rooms, as the 35 total points was the fewest in a first half this season for the Patriots, while the Tribe's 18 points was the fewest Mason has allowed in the opening half this year.

William and Mary again scored first, as Tiffany Benson's free throw put the Tribe ahead 19-17. Hobbs, though, quickly ended the Tribe lead with a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession. W&M answered back with an 11-0 run to take its largest lead at 30-20. Freshman Eugenia Broadus ended the run when she connected from the free throw line to cut the gap to 30-21, and Eley followed it up with a long jumper to leave the score 30-23 with 10:01 to go. A three-point play by Kaylor reestablished a 10-point W&M lead, but a pair of field goals from Akintunde pulled the Patriots within six.

Following a Tribe free throw, Ward converted a three-point play to cut the gap to four with 8:16 left in the contest. Ward's next basket, less than 60 seconds later made it a one-possession deficit, and Eley knotted the contest at 34 with a bucket of her own. Four points by Wade gave Mason a four-point lead at 38-34. Quigley's three-pointer at the 4:30 mark put the Patriots ahead by seven, their largest lead to that point, as the Mason scoring spree grew to 18-1.

Kaylor ended the run with a wide-open layup and a free throw to set the margin at 41-37. A Katherine DeHenzel free throw further tightened the game and another basket by Kaylor inside of two minutes put the score within one. With 1:13 to go, Wade headed to the free throw line and knocked down both attempts to put the Patriots up 43-40. After a W&M possession in which the Tribe missed four shots but corralled three offensive rebounds, Mason took possession with 24 seconds left in the game. Senior C'Vette Henson converted from the line twice with 19.2 seconds remaining to put the Patriots ahead by five. While Portell scored on the next possession, Kaylor's foul put Wade at the line in a double bonus situation. Wade converted both of those attempts and the Tribe had no response as time expired.

The Patriots are back in action on Sunday when they travel to UNC Wilmington for a 2 p.m. tip at Trask Coliseum.