Feb. 18, 2009
The George Mason women's basketball team will took to return to winning ways when it ends a three-game road trip on Thursday at Towson, in the Patriots' penultimate contest away from Patriot Center this season. Tip-off at Towson Center is set for 7 p.m.
Towson enters the game Thursday with a 14-9 overall record and 6-7 mark in conference play, good for fifth in the standings. Most recently, the Tigers toppled Northeastern, 62-58, in overtime on Sunday. Shanae Baker-Brice leads the Towson offense with a 16.5-point-per-game scoring average.
The Patriots accomplished something rare in Sunday's game at William & Mary, as sophomore Brittany Poindexter and senior Brittney Wilkins each posted double-doubles. The last time that two Patriots had done that prior to Sunday was Nov. 21, 2005 vs. Howard, when Moni Akintunde (24 pts/12 reb) and Keyhana Wakefield (11 pts/10 reb) accomplished the feat.
Mason leads the all-time series, 14-5, although Towson has earned victories in the last four matchups.
Last time they met, Mason fell behind early and was unable to make up the deficit as the Patriots were defeated, 68-47, by Towson in Colonial Athletic Association action on Jan. 11 at Patriot Center. Mason fell to 2-12, 0-3 in CAA play, while the Tigers (9-4, 1-2) recorded their first conference win of the year. Sophomore Brittany Poindexter led the Patriots with 11 points, while Towson's offense was powered by 20 points from Shanae Baker-Brice. Mason struggled offensively, shooting 30 percent from the field (18-60) while the Tigers posted a 46.3 percent mark in that category (25-54) and held a narrow 41-to-38 rebounding advantage.
Thursday's trip is a homecoming of sorts for nearly half the Mason roster, as Maryland has proven to be a fertile recruiting ground for the Patriots. Six current Mason players hail from the Old Line State, and Mason is one of seven schools in Division I that has six or more players from outside the school's home state. It is Mason's second game in Maryland this season, as the Patriots visited UMBC on Nov. 19.
