Feb. 17, 2008
Box Score
FAIRFAX, Va. - Senior Lateisha Wade connected on all five attempts from beyond the arc en route to a game-high 23-point outing, but the UNC Wilmington Seahawks broke open a tight contest in the second half to earn a 69-55 victory in Colonial Athletic Association action on Sunday afternoon at Patriot Center. Mason falls to 9-15, 3-10 in the CAA, while the Seahawks (15-9, 6-7) earned the season sweep with the win.
Wade was the lone Patriot to score in double figures, while Brittany Blackwell led the Seahawks with 22 points. She was joined in double digits by Sahsha Taylor and Candace Walker, who chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively. Wade also recorded a season-high six assists, while junior Jessica Smith pulled down a team-best six rebounds.
Mason opened the game with an offensive outburst, outscoring the Seahawks by a 6-2 margin in the first 2:16. The first six Patriot points came in the paint, while Wade found her stroke by knocking down a pair of threes on assists from Akintunde. Mason would grow its lead as large as 12 at 20-18 with 11:19 left in the half, but UNCW mounted a furious rally, eventually leveling the score at 23 with a 15-3 run. From there, the two teams were nearly even for the duration of the half, as neither squad's advantage was larger than two points.
UNCW's 9-2 run out of the locker room provided all of the cushion it would need in the second half, as the Patriots advanced no closer than four points. The Seahawk lead grew as large as 15, when Shade Smith's pair of free throws at the 1:43 mark put UNCW ahead by a 67-50 margin.
Sunday's game was WBCA "Think Pink" Day at Patriot Center, as the Patriots marked the global, unified effort for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's nation of coaches to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. Mason fans received commemorative pink hats prior to the game.
Mason will look to halt its two-game losing streak on Thursday when it travels to Boston to face Northeastern at 7 p.m. The Huskies, who are the lone CAA opponent Mason has yet to face this season, will square off with the Patriots twice in a two-week span.
