Nov. 12, 2010
Box Score
AMHERST, Mass. - Taleia Moton and Brittany Eley combined for 33 points in a 60-55 road victory for George Mason over Massachusetts Friday evening at the Mullins Center. The Patriots trailed by seven with under eight minutes to play and tied the score at 46-apiece before regaining final control of the contest. The matchup marked the season opener for both teams.
Moton, appearing in her first game as a Patriot after red-shirting last season, led all scorers with 19 points and Eley posted 14. In addition to her game-high 19 points, Moton recorded a team-high four steals and was 7-of-9 at the charity stripe. Eley went 3-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc for nine of her 14 points.
Both teams secured 37 rebounds with Mason holding a 22-17 edge at the half. Angelee LaTouche and Evelyn Lewis each posted double digit boards with 11 and 10, respectively. LaTouche tallied seven offensive boards, while Lewis posted eight defensive rebounds. The Patriots successfully converted 19 Minutewomen turnovers into 26 points, and also picked up 22 points off the bench, 18 coming in the second half.
UMass was led by two players in double digit scoring, Cerie Mosgrove with 17 points and Shakia Robinson with 12. Emilie Teuscher added nine points coming off three treys.
The opening half saw the Patriots pressure the Minutewomen, forcing nine turnovers and converting the mistakes into 13 points for a 24-20 halftime lead. Mason used a 9-2 run over 3:35 to take a 22-13 lead and held UMass scoreless for over three minutes of play. Amber Easter sparked the run with a jumper as Lewis put up two points in the paint before Brittany Poindexter converted an old-fashioned three-point play for a 22-11 Mason lead. The Minutewomen responded, however, with a 9-2 run over the final five minutes, including a 7-0 run from the 5:20 marker, to cut the score to a four-point ballgame at half.
Continuing a 7-0 run from the first half, UMass came out firing to start the second half immediately draining five points in the first 27 seconds to take the lead, 25-24. The Patriots knotted the score at 31-all on an Easter bucket, but the fourth trey of the second half from UMass pushed the Minutewomen back in front, 34-31. Mason tightened their defense and took the lead, 35-34, after two free throws from Moton. The teams tossed the lead back-and-forth before a 7-0 UMass run put the Minutewomen up by five, 44-37 with 7:33 remaining.
Mason tied the score at 44-44 with an Eley trey and Moton jumper. The Patriots tied the score one more time at 46-46, before five unanswered points gave the visiting Patriots a 51-46 advantage with 2:47 remaining in the game. Teuscher snapped the run with a trey, but Mason continued its strong offense and led by nine, 60-51, with 15 seconds to play. Mosgrove finalized the 60-55 score with a three-pointer and free throw.
Mason forced 10 Minutewomen turnovers in the second half, which were converted into 14 Patriot points. The Patriots committed only six errors in the final 20 minutes.
George Mason continues this three-game opening road swing with a 7 p.m. matchup at Fairfield Monday, November 15.
