Jan. 3, 2010

Box Score

TOWSON, Md. - Freshman Amber Easter scored in double figures for the fifth straight game with a team-high 14 points, but the George Mason women's basketball team fell behind early in the second half and could not overcome Towson, falling 60-46 to the Tigers in both teams' Colonial Athletic Association opener on Sunday afternoon.

Mason dropped to 7-5 (0-1 CAA) as it could not record its first road victory of the season, while the Tigers improved to 7-5 (1-0). Joining Easter in double figures was sophomore Brittany Poindexter who added 12. Haliena Snowden led a trio of Tigers in double figures with 18 points. Junior Brittany Eley led Mason with 11 rebounds, while Snowden's game-high 14 boards completed a double-double. On the game, Towson out-rebounded the Patriots by a 51-to-30 margin but committed four more turnovers.

In a first half which was marked by turnovers and inconsistent play by both teams, the Patriots held a 34.8-to-25.8 percent field goal shooting advantage. Mason turned over the ball 14 times compared to 12 for the Tigers, and TU out-rebounded Mason, 23-14.

There were a total of eight tie scores and seven lead changes during the first half, in which neither team led by more than three points. Poindexter had a fast-break layup on a baseball pass by Braxton at the 2:25 mark to put the Patriots ahead 18-16, but five unanswered points by the Tigers set the halftime margin at 21-18.

Towson came out of the locker room and opened the second half on a 9-2 run to take its first double-digit lead at 30-20. The gap would stay in double figures for the remainder of the game as the Patriots were unable to mount a comeback.

Mason will be back in action on Thursday in its first CAA home game, squaring off against Delaware at 7 p.m. at Patriot Center.