March 6, 2008
Box Score
FAIRFAX, Va. - Four Patriots scored in double figures for the first time this season, but three 3-pointers from Northeastern's Ashlee Feldman sent the Huskies to a regular-season finale 83-77 overtime victory over the George Mason women's basketball team on Thursday evening at Patriot Center. Mason finishes the 2007-08 regular season campaign with a 9-20 record, 3-14 in the Colonial Athletic Association.
Mason saw four scorers reach double digits, led by senior Moni Akintunde's 21 points. Joining her were fellow senior Lateisha Wade, who had 11 points, as well as sophomore Rashauna Hobbs and freshman Brittany Eley, who chipped in 16 and 12, respectively. NU was paced by a 21-point outing from Lucia Pablos, while three other Huskies reached double digits as well.
Northeastern scored first but the Patriots took the lead on back-to-back 3-pointers from Hobbs and Eley, putting Mason up 6-4. The teams headed into the first scheduled timeout tied at eight, but the Huskies came out of the break on a 17-2 run to widen the margin to 25-10. Mason cut the deficit to single digits at 32-23 after an Akintunde free throw and ultimately went to the locker room down eight, 35-27. In the first half, both teams shot well from the field, with Mason holding a narrow 47.8-to-46.4 percent advantage, though the Patriots were outrebounded by a 20-9 margin.
Mason used a 10-2 run of its own to quickly eviscerate the halftime deficit, as Broadus's layup on a no-look feed from Hobbs knotted the game up at 37 just 3:32 into the second half. Another basket from Broadus put the Patriots ahead by two, but a three-point play from Hodell returned the advantage to the Huskies. The back-and-forth battle continued, as neither team took a lead larger than four until a NU rally put the Huskies ahead, 65-57. However, another 10-2 Mason run would send the game to overtime. Wade drained a basket with 6.7 seconds remaining to tie the game up at 69. A Smallwood turnover put the ball back in the hands of the Patriots with three seconds left, but the half-court shot attempt was no good and the game was extended.
The Patriots scored first in the extra period on a Broadus layup, but the first of three treys by Feldman returned the lead to Northeastern, one the Huskies would not relinquish as the clock expired.
Thursday was the final home game for four Mason seniors, as Akintunde and Wade, along with C'Vette Henson and Casey Quigley, were honored prior to tip-off.
Mason, by virtue of a head-to-head tiebreaker with Hofstra, will travel to Newark, Del., in one week as the 11th seed in the 2008 CAA Women's Basketball Championship. The Patriots will do battle once again with the Huskies, as Northeastern earned the conference's sixth seed with the win. Game time on Thursday, March 13 at the Bob Carpenter Center is set for 2:30 p.m., with the winner to face third-seeded VCU on Friday at 2:30.
