George Mason University Athletics

Women's Basketball Tops Hofstra, 76-70

George Mason Athletics Women's Basketball 2/6/2011 4:52:00 PM

FAIRFAX, Va. – Behind four players in double figures, including a double-double from Angelee LaTouche, the George Mason women's basketball team defeated visiting Hofstra 76-70 Sunday afternoon in the Patriot Center. On 'Pack the House Day', the Patriots improved to 11-11 overall and 5-6 in Colonial Athletic Association play in front of 2,584 fans, the program's seventh largest crowd. The Pride dropped to 13-9, 5-6.

LaTouche recorded her first double-double of the season behind 10 points and 11 rebounds and was one of four Patriots to reach double figures. Brittany Poindexter led all scorers with a game-high 20 points, followed by Taleia Moton's 19 and Ashleigh Braxton's 12. Mason outrebounded Hofstra, 51-to-40, and recorded 14 assists led by Moton and Poindexter each with four. Braxton tied her career-high with four steals leading Mason to nine for the game. The Patriots hit 81.3 percent at the charity stripe in the second half, going 13-for-16, and shot 68.0 percent overall from the free throw line.

Hofstra was paced in scoring by Shante Evans with 17 points. Candace Bond followed with 15, while Kate Loper rounded out the Pride's double-figure scoring with 13 points.

The Patriots never trailed in the contest and used a 52.9 percent shooting efficiency in the first half to take a 41-37 lead into halftime. Poindexter and LaTouche combined for 21 of Mason's 41 points and helped the Patriots to their largest lead of the half coming with 1:53 remaining, 39-28. Hofstra, however, closed the final 1:53 on a 9-2 run for the halftime score.

Hofstra immediately cut the lead to a single possession using a 4-2 run out of the break, but the Patriots responded with a 10-1 run over the next three minutes to pull away with an 11-point lead, 53-42. Hofstra cut its deficit to single digits on a Bond jumper at 6:39 and Evans hit a field goal at the 3:52 marker to slice the score to 62-58. Moton extended Mason's lead to 66-58 with a pair of free throws at 3:19, but a successful trip to the charity stripe followed by a three-pointer from the Pride left the score at 70-68 with 55 seconds to play. Hofstra committed three fouls in the final 55 seconds as Mason went a perfect 6-for-6 at the charity stripe for the final 76-70 score.

Mason has won three of the past four and returns to the road for a pair of CAA matchups this week beginning with a visit to Georgia State on Thursday, February 10. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. in Atlanta.

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