Feb. 15, 2009

Box Score

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Sophomore Brittany Poindexter led the team with 20 points and tallied her first career double-double with 11 rebounds, but the George Mason women's basketball team was unable to hold off William & Mary as the Tribe earned a 74-63 Colonial Athletic Association victory on Sunday afternoon at Kaplan Arena.

With just seven players dressed for the game, the Patriots (3-21, 1-12 CAA) fought hard throughout the game but fell down the stretch. Poindexter was one of two Patriots in double figures, as senior Brittney Wilkins earned her second career double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Taysha Pye led the Tribe (12-12, 5-8) with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

The Tribe scored first but the Patriots found a quick response, scoring seven points and forcing a W&M timeout to regroup. Mason held its lead until the 15:10 mark, when a layup by Pye tied the score at 10. The two teams kept it close for much of the first half, with Mason holding a lead for nearly five minutes until another Pye layup put W&M ahead, 20-19, with eight minutes to go. The Tribe led by as many as five before Mason embarked on a 7-0 run to regain the lead with 4:50 showing on the clock.

However, it was a short-lived advantage for the Patriots, as the Tribe embarked on a 13-4 run to lead by as many as 10 points, ultimately heading to the locker room with a 41-32 halftime lead.

Mason shot well in the first half, connecting on 11-of-25 attempt from the field (44 percent) including a 4-for-6 performance from behind the arc, but the 13 Mason turnovers led to 17 points for the Tribe, who were outrebounded by a 22-18 margin.

After staying close in the early going, the Patriots scored seven points in a row to trim the deficit to 46-44. Mason tied it at 48, and took the lead for the first time in the second half when Broadus hit a layup at the 12:26 mark, and as part of the 10-0 run, Mason took its largest lead of the game at 54-48. W&M answered right back though, regaining the lead with 12 straight points. The gap was too wide in the end, as the Tribe held on for the victory.

The Patriots will be back in action on Thursday, closing out a three-game road trip at Towson at 7 p.m.