AKRON--George Mason women's basketball suffered its worst loss of the season, falling 88-70 at Akron in the Patriots third road game in just six days.
“It's been a long week,” head coach Nyla Milleson said. “Brutal travel and getting ready for finals, our schedule hasn't allowed us much time to practice.”
Mason kept pace with the Zips in the first half. The Patriots led by as much as five in the opening half and trailed just 34-29 at the break. However, the Zips' offense, which features two of the nation's top-10 scorers in Hanna Luburgh (7th, 24.7) and Rachel Tecca (1st,27.6), proved too much for a depleted Patriot squad that dressed only nine on the day. As a team, Akron shot over 58-percent in the second half and 50-percent for the game becoming the first team all season to shoot over 41-percent against the Patriots.
“One of the things we have to do is get better defensively, particularly in transition” Milleson said.
The Patriots set a new season-high of their own, going 8-for-19 from beyond the arc for a 42.6-percent clip. Senior Kyana Jacobs contributed a career-high eight rebounds and five assists while sophomore Reana Mohamed put up career-numbers in just her fifth game as a starter with 10 points, going 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Freshman Brittany Jackson narrowly missed notching her first double-digit performance, scoring a career-hight 9 points as part of a 24-point game for the Patriot bench.
“I thought there were a couple of really bright spots,” Milleson said. “Reana Mohamed played her best game, by far. I thought she really showed a lot of confidence and leadership.”
Taylor Brown led the way offensivly with 15 points and six assists, Janaa Pickard followed with 13 while Cierra Strickland contributed 10 points in the losing effort.
Mason will take two weeks off for fall semester finals before traveling to Alabama to take on the University of Alabama—Birmingham, Dec. 21.
