Dec. 30, 2008
Box Score
FAIRFAX, Va. - If the last 60 minutes of play for the George Mason women's basketball team is any indication, the Patriots have much to look forward to in 2009 as Mason started strong and held off Appalachian State, 65-57, for its second-straight victory before 810 fans at Patriot Center on Tuesday evening.
Mason (2-8) saw five players score in double figures, led by a career-high 18 points from sophomore Eugenia Broadus. Senior Whitney Ward led Mason off the glass with eight rebounds to go with her 12 points along with a career-best four assists. Brittany Mixon led the Mountaineers (1-10) with 14 points and 10 rebounds for her sixth career double-double.
The last time five Patriots reached double figures in a game was on Nov. 28, 2006, an 80-77 win at Howard. The five players were Lateisha Wade (22), Moni Akintunde (19), Casey Quigley (14), C'Vette Henson (11), and Jessica Smith (10).
The Patriots, continuing the momentum from their win last Sunday at Howard, began the game with an impressive 11-2 run spanning more than four minutes and capped by an Brittany Eley trey. Appalachian State responded with a 8-1 run of their own to move within two at 12-10, but an 8-0 Mason scoring streak opened up the Patriots' first double-digit advantage.
Mason's lead was never in doubt for the remainder of the first half, as the teams went back-and-forth for the duration of the period before six unanswered Patriot points left the halftime margin at 33-21.
It was Mason's second halftime lead of the season and largest since Jan. 9, 2007, when the Patriots led Brown, 38-19, at the break. The teams were nearly even from the field in the first half but Mason turned the ball over just nine times to ASU's 18 turnovers. 17 of the Patriots' points in the period came from Mountaineer turnovers.
Into the second half, the Patriots continued to control the tempo of the game. The Mountaineers did piece together a run midway through the second half, cutting the deficit to single digits with seven points in a row to leave the score 46-39 with under ten minutes to play. Mason answered right back, though, scoring seven consecutive points of their own.
The Mountaineers would not go down without a fight, though, again moving within seven at 56-49 with just under three minutes remaining. Mason's lead was cut even further when, with 1:59 showing on the clock, Brittney Spencer hit a 3-pointer to leave the score 58-53. The Patriots persisted, though, hitting free throws down the stretch to seal their first two-game win streak in over a year.
Mason will look to make it three in a row on Sunday when it opens Colonial Athletic Association play against rival James Madison in a 2 p.m. tilt at Patriot Center.
