Jan. 22, 2009

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va. - Playing before a hostile road crowd at the Convocation Center on Thursday evening, the George Mason women's basketball team stayed with James Madison until the closing seconds, but the Dukes were able to hold off the Patriots, 70-65, in Colonial Athletic Association action.

Mason (2-15, 0-6), which out-shot the Dukes (12-5, 5-1) by a 43.1-to-40.8 percent margin, were led by 19 points from sophomore Brittany Poindexter, while freshman Becky Cox tied a career high with 12 points. Three Dukes reached double figures, led by 18 points and a career-high 11 assists for Dawn Evans. Jalissa Taylor also had a double-double for JMU with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Although Mason led in several statistical categories, it was the rebounding margin which ultimately told the story of the game. JMU pulled down 48 rebounds, including 26 off the offensive glass, while Mason grabbed 32 boards in the game.

JMU scored the game's first two baskets but Mason quickly tied the score at four. That score held until the 14:53 mark when Williams hit a jumper, but Mason's first lead came a few seconds later as Cox drained a 3-pointer. The Dukes responded and would lead for the duration of the first half, though by no means did they pull away from the Patriots. Mason moved within one basket on a number of occasions, including a one-point margin on two separate instances.

The Patriots scored four of the final five points in the opening stanza to set the halftime score at 37-33, after piecing together their finest first-half shooting performance of the season. Mason connected on 13 of its 26 attempts (50 percent), besting the Dukes' mark of 41 percent (16-39).

The close contest continued into the second half, as the Dukes were unable to extend their lead into double figures. Meanwhile, the Patriots continued to whittle away at the deficit, reducing it to one at the 8:12 mark as Poindexter hit a jumper. Broadus connected on two free throws with 6:24 left in the game to tie the score at 57.

JMU took the lead with four points in a row, and held that margin until a Broadus jumper made it a 63-61 game with 2:17 left. Williams responded with a basket, but Poindexter's layup with just under a minute remaining again pushed the gap to two. Again, the Dukes found a response, this time in the guise of Evans, whose jumper left the score 67-63 with 35 seconds showing on the clock.

Mason would not relent. Robinson hit a shot with 22 seconds left, but three free throws in the closing seconds expanded the margin beyond reach and the Dukes held on for the win.

The Patriots will be back in action on Sunday when they face off against Delaware, with tip scheduled from the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark for 2 p.m.