FAIRFAX, Va. - Redshirt junior Taylor Brown hit a three in the first half to become the 18th player in George Mason women's basketball history to reach 1,000-career points, doing so in a school record 50 games as the Patriots (11-8, 3-3 A-10) fell 57-45 to Rhode Island (12-7, 4-3 A-10) at home Saturday afternoon.
The Patriots had three in double digits led by Sandra Ngoie with 11 points followed by Brown and Kristi Mokube with 10 each. But that was not enough to overcome a poor offensive start as Mason shot just 25 percent (8-32) compared to the Rams 35.5 percent in the first half to go into the break trailing 31-22.
The Green and Gold closed the gap to as little as seven with 11:38 on the clock, but the Rams responded with a 10-2 run over the next five minutes of play to give the visitors a 50-35 advantage with 6:19 on the clock. Mokube combined with freshman Qierra Murray and Casey Davis for an 8-2 run in response, bringing the Patriots within single digits with under a minute to play. However, the Rams would knock down four straight free throws to secure the win.
The Patriots return to action this week when they travel south to face VCU Wednesday at 7 p.m. before returning home to take on George Washington Sunday at 2 p.m. in Mason's annual Girl Scout game.
