George Mason University Athletics

Women's Basketball Slips at Old Dominion, 70-66

Box Score

George Mason Athletics Women's Basketball 1/6/2011 10:10:00 PM

NORFOLK, Va. – George Mason took Old Dominion, the defending Colonial Athletic Association regular season champion, to the wire, but the Lady Monarchs escaped with a 70-66 win Thursday night in the Ted Constant Convocation Center. Playing their first road conference game of the seaon, the Patriots trailed by only five points with less than a minute to play, but the Lady Monarchs held strong at the free throw line to come away with the win. ODU improved to 8-5 overall and 2-0 in CAA play, while Mason dipped to 7-6, 1-1.

Holding a narrow five point lead, 66-61, with 48 seconds on the clock, ODU finished 6-of-8 at the free throw line to seal the conference victory. As both teams put forth an even performance from the field, three-point range and free throw line, ODU outscored Mason 44-28 in the paint for the difference in the ballgame.

Three Patriots pitched in double figures led by Brittany Poindexter with 20 points. Taleia Moton and Ashleigh Braxton rounded out the double-figure scoring for Mason with 17 and 13 points, respectively. Evelyn Lewis pulled down a team-high nine boards as ODU matched Mason's 37 rebounds on the night.

The Lady Monarchs shot 49.0 percent from the floor led by Tia Lewis with a double-double (24 points, 10 rebounds). Jasmine Parker chipped in 12, while Alena Voronina added 11. ODU regrouped after committing 13 turnovers in the first half, owning only six in the second, but picked up 26 points off Mason's 23 errors for the game.

ODU and Mason opened the second half trading baskets as ODU's largest lead through the second media timeout was four points at 18:57. Mason equaled ODU's effort and kept the contest a one possession ballgame, 47-44, at 11:57. The Lady Monarchs took an eight-point lead, 54-46, off a Parker trey at 9:05. Despite the score, Mason kept its mark on ODU as it cut its deficit and trailed by only four points with 4:04 to play. Shadasia Green and Lewis hit back-to-back buckets for ODU, which took a 64-56 advantage as the clock hit 2:10. Braxton hit a three-pointer with 48.7 seconds to trim the score to 66-61, but ODU closed out the four-point win, 70-66, with solid play over the final minute.

ODU pressured the Patriots right out the gate in the first half, but Mason broke away with a 6-0 lead before the Lady Monarchs cut their deficit in half with a trio of free throws from Lewis and Voronina. Fouled from three-point range, Braxton hit three free throws to follow as Mason put together an 8-0 run for a 14-3 lead, forcing the Lady Monarchs to burn a timeout at 15:54. ODU took advantage of two timely Patriot turnovers over the next two minutes to slice the score to 16-12 at 13:27 and tied the contest at 17-all when Kquanise Byrd hit a fast break layup at 11:50. In the midst of a 20-1 run, ODU took a 26-17 advantage with 9:22 to play in the first. Back-to-back triples from Braxton and Rahneeka Saunders followed by a successful trip to the charity stripe from Poindexter put Mason in front, 33-32 with 1:03 on the clock. JoNiquia Guilford hit a jumper with 23 seconds as ODU took a slim 34-33 lead into the locker room.

Both teams intensified their defense and pressured the ball which created a plethora of turnovers within the first half as both teams reached double figures by the break. Mason converted 13 ODU turnovers into 18 points, while the Lady Monarchs converted 12 Patriot mistakes into 19 points. Poindexter erupted for the Patriots, draining 14 points, while ODU was led by Lewis with eight. With a 23-16 rebounding edge, Mason was led on the boards by Evelyn Lewis with seven.

Mason closes out this two-game road swing at VCU on Sunday, January 9. Tip at VCU is slated for 2 p.m.

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