George Mason University Athletics

Women's Basketball Drops Decision at William and Mary, 69-57

Old Dominion Hits Buzzer Shot to Seal 68-67 Win Over Women's Basketball

George Mason Athletics Women's Basketball 2/3/2011 10:03:00 PM

FAIRFAX, Va. – With 14 seconds on the clock, Amber Easter hit two free throws to give the George Mason women's basketball team a 67-66 lead over Old Dominion. On the next possession, the Lady Monarchs ran the clock and put the ball in the hands of Jasmine Parker, the team's leading scorer, who hit a jumper at the buzzer to seal the 68-67 victory for Old Dominion in the Patriot Center Thursday night.

ODU improved to 15-6 overall and 9-1 in Colonial Athletic Association play, while Mason dipped to 10-11, 4-6.

Two Patriots led all scorers with 20 points each in Easter and Taleia Moton. Moton set a career-high, while Easter matched her career-high using 16 points in the second half. Alena Voronina led ODU with 17 points, followed by Tia Lewis and Parker, each with 13. Angelee LaTouche dished out a career-high seven assists as the Patriots recorded 17 on the night. Moton and Rahneeka Saunders each finished with four.

Easter was a perfect 6-for-6 at the charity stripe, while Shavonne Duckett was 4-for-4 to set a career-high in free throws and points with eight on the evening. Mason hit 77 percent at the free throw line, going 17-for-22. For the game, Mason shot 42.9 percent from the floor, including a 48.4 percent effort in the second half.

To open the first half, ODU won the tip, but both teams went cold from the floor to start with the first field goal coming from the Patriots at the 17:15 mark on a Moton jumper. The teams were a combined 4-for-15 from the floor at the first media timeout with Mason holding a 10-9 advantage. The conference foes worked through six ties and seven lead changes by the third media timeout with Old Dominion leading 17-16 with 7:54 remaining.

The Lady Monarchs matched their largest lead of the frame when Parker hit Old Dominion's third three-pointer for a 22-18 lead at the 3:47 marker. The Patriots never gave ODU more than a two possession lead as Easter drained a layup off a LaTouche pass to knot the score at 24-24 with 26 seconds to play. Voronina answered with the final bucket of the half to give Old Dominion a 26-24 halftime lead.

LaTouche missed the second attempt of a pair of free throws at 16:53 in the second half, but Easter grabbed the offensive rebound for the put back to give the Patriots their first lead, 31-30, since the 10:36 mark in the first half. Easter's bucket began a 7-0 Mason run as the Patriots took a 35-30 lead at 15:48 forcing ODU to take a timeout. The Lady Monarchs reclaimed the lead and at 9:49 Jackie Cook hit a jumper to give ODU its largest lead of the contest at 50-41.

Mason kept the Lady Monarchs scoreless for a three minute span and put together a 10-0 run to grab a 51-50 advantage, but the lead was short-lived as ODU responded with an 8-0 run over the next 1:30 to retake a 58-51 lead. Trailing by five, Easter nailed her second trey to cut the score to two points, 65-63, with 1:27 to play before Moton hit the rim on a three-point attempt. ODU lost control of the ball on the next possession and Moton was able to convert with a layup forcing a 66-65 ballgame with 35.2 seconds on the clock. Again, Old Dominion turned the ball over on its next possession and Easter drew a foul by Tia Lewis with 13.1 seconds on the clock. Easter hit both free throws but Parker hit a jumper at the buzzer for the 68-67 win.

Mason continues this homestand welcoming Hofstra to the Patriot Center on Sunday, February 6 at 2 p.m. for the first matchup this season between the conference foes.

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