Feb. 26, 2009

Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. - Four George Mason women's basketball players hit double figures in scoring and the Patriots had their best first half of the season, but Mason ultimately fell to Hofstra, 71-59, in Colonial Athletic Association action on Thursday evening at Patriot Center.

Mason fell to 4-23, 2-14 in the CAA, as their two-game home winning streak came to an end. The Pride improved to 8-8 in conference play and 16-11 overall.

The Patriots, who shot a blistering 63 percent from the field and scored 40 points in the first half, were lead by 15 points from senior Brittany Wilkins. Sophomore Brittany Poindexter followed with 12, while classmates Eugenia Broadus and Brittany Eley chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively. Joelle Connolly and Sam Brigham led the Pride with 19 points each.

The first half opened and the teams were locked in a back and forth battle, as the lead changed hands eight different times with nine ties in the opening period. Mason scored the opening bucket of the game, a 3-pointer from Wilkins, but would be down by as many as four over the course of the first half. Down 28-24, the Patriots mounted an 8-0 run to take their largest lead of the half at 33-28 with 4:42 to go.

Mason matched the five-point advantage more than two minutes later when Poindexter's free throw put the Patriots ahead 37-32. Hofstra closed the half on an 8-3 run to send the teams to the locker room deadlocked at 40.

Both teams' offenses saw a dramatic dropoff in the second half, and with the score tied at 52, the Pride used an 8-2 run to open up a 60-54 lead, as Mason was held without a field goal for over 10 and a half minutes through the middle of the period.

The Patriots pulled within three at 60-57 on a Broadus three-point play, but Hofstra closed out the contest with an 11-2 scoring stretch to earn the victory in the lone regular season matchup between the two teams.

Mason will be back in action on Sunday, making its final road trip of the regular season as the Patriots travel to Drexel for a 1 p.m. tilt in Philadelphia.