Feb. 21, 2010

Box Score

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason women's basketball team put forth a strong effort before 2,657 fans at Patriot Center on Sunday afternoon, but VCU held off the Patriots for a 65-55 Colonial Athletic Association victory on Pack the House Day.

Freshman Amber Easter led the Patriots (8-18, 1-14 CAA) with 16 points while junior Brittany Poindexter added 15, but VCU (18-9, 11-4) saw 23 points from Courtney Hurt and 20 points from Kita Waller pace the Rams' offense, which held a 44.4-to-36.4 percent field goal shooting advantage and a 44-to-31 lead off the glass.

Mason opened with a 5-2 lead after a jumper by Poindexter and a 3-pointer from Braxton, but VCU took advantage after a four-point play by Waller made it 8-5 less than three minutes into the game. The Rams would lead by as many as eight early in the first half, before the Patriots cut it to a two-point game at 20-18 on an Eley jumper.

VCU expanded its lead once again as large as eight before Poindexter scored the final six points of the half on three layups in the final two minutes, making the score 31-29 as the teams headed to the locker room. In a fairly even first half, Waller led all scorers with 10 points while Poindexter's nine points paced Mason.

Out of the break, Mason exploded with five of the first seven points, including an Easter 3-pointer which returned the lead to the Patriots, 34-33. It was short-lived, though, as a 12-3 run by the Rams pushed the gap to 45-37. Mason could get no closer than five points in the game, as VCU held on for its fifth straight victory over the Patriots.

As part of Mason's Homecoming Weekend, the Patriots celebrated Women's Basketball Alumnae Day and welcomed back a number of former players. Among the former Patriots recognized were: Heather Podosek, Valerie Douglas, Tracy Eckenrode, Sarah Lindstrom, Sabrina Reynolds, Laura Sharman, Karen Sherman, Moni Akintunde, Tiffany Burroughs, Casey Quigley, Jill Regan, Jessica Smith and Jen Surlas.

Mason will be back in action at home on Thursday, hosting UNC Wilmington on Senior Night. The Patriots' lone senior, guard Rashauna Hobbs, will be honored prior to the start of the contest which tips at 7 p.m.