ATLANTA, Ga. - Despite eight different players scoring for
George Mason, the women's basketball team dropped a 67-51 decision at Georgia
State on Sunday in Colonial Athletic Association play. In a tale of two halves,
Mason dropped to 8-18 overall and 3-12 in the CAA, while GSU improved to 13-13 overall
and 5-10 in the league.
Amber Easter finished with a team-best 14 points, while
Janaa Pickard secured a game-high 13 rebounds as the Patriots narrowly won the rebounding
battle, 35-32. Five players scored in double-figures for the Panthers led by Kayla
Nolan's 18 points. The Panthers' bench outscored Mason's 25-7.
Mason opened the first half shooting 85.7 percent from the
field (6-7) to take a 14-9 advantage with 13:53 on the clock before Georgia
State knotted it for the fourth time in the contest at 14-all with 11:50 on the
clock. It was a back-and-forth affair thereafter as the teams worked through
five tied scores and three lead changes before the Panthers closed the half on
a 8-2 run capped by a three-pointer from Long with less than a second on the
clock for a halftime advantage of 38-32.
Mason shot 50.0 percent from the field in the first 20
minutes led by seven points from Pickard and went 10-of-11 from the charity
stripe. GSU hit 45.5 percent of its shots paced by Paulk's 11 points as the
Panthers went 5-of-6 at the free throw line. Mason also led the rebounding
battle, 20-9 after the first 20 minutes.
After the Panthers opened the second half with a 10-2 run,
Mason answered with an 8-2 run fueled by a pair of treys from Easter to cut the
score to 50-42 with 10:55 left in the game. Easter hit her third consecutive
bucket at 8:25 to set the score at 54-44 before GSU's Long drained a trey for a
57-44 ballgame with 7:31 to play.
Kyana Jacobs cut the score to a 10-point difference for the
second time with a jumper at 3:31 for a 61-51 contest. Jacobs' jumper marked
Mason's last field goal as the Panthers closed the game with a 6-0 run for the
final 67-51 score.
In the second half, GSU out-rebounded Mason 23-15, and
limited the Patriots to a 26.9 percent shooting efficiency while shooting 34.6
percent themselves. The Panthers went 9-for-11 from the free throw line, while
Mason was 3-for-4 in the second half.
Mason wraps up its 2012-13 home slate on Thursday night,
February 28, welcoming UNCW for a 7 p.m. contest on Senior Day. Mason will
recognize the five seniors on the team before opening tip.
