WHO: Women's Basketball vs Air Force
WHERE: RAC Gym, Fairfax, Va.
FINAL SCORE: Mason 69, Air Force 52
KEY PLAYERS: Taylor Brown – 14 points, 3 assists; Chinyere Bell – 11 rebounds, 3 assists
| |
1st
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2nd
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3rd
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4th
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TOTAL
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|
Air Force (0-10)
|
4
|
22
|
15
|
11
|
52
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|
George Mason (5-6)
|
18
|
16
|
19
|
16
|
69
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Fairfax, Va. – George Mason University's women's basketball team continued its momentum after the 12-day exam breakby defeating Air Force 69-52 – the largest margin of victory this season – on Saturday in its historic first game at RAC.
GAME NOTES
-Redshirt senior and redshirt junior guards Taylor Brown and Kara Wright led Mason in scoring with 14 points each, the latter also contributing 8 rebounds and 3 assists for the wint; redshirt junior forward Tiffany Padgett was the third Patriot to score double digits, finishing with 12 points.
-Freshman forward Chinyere Bell was stellar in rebounding once again, grabbing game-high 11 while also tallying 3 assists.
-Sophomore Cortney Porter continued to be Air Force's main attacking threat and contributed game-high 19 points and 3 assists while junior Sarah Fotsch also finished in double digits with 13.
-After two scoreless minutes, Air Force opened the scoring with a long-range 2-point field goal, but Padgett responded with a jumper and a layup to give Mason its first lead at 4-2.
-Thanks to a jumper by Reanna Mohamed on the Patriots' first possession after the media timeout, Mason's lead grew to six at 10-4 going into the second half of the opening quarter. Soon after, Brown sent the lead into double digits at 14-4 with her first field goal of the game.
-Coach Nyla Milleson's team kept the Falcons scoreless for the remainder of the period, which allowed the Patriots to increase their lead to 14, 18-4.
-Air Force, however, began the second quarter on a 9-2 run and forced Mason's first timeout in the contest at 20-13.
-Although the Falcons' run allowed them to get within two at 24-22 halfway through the second quarter, the Patriots found their mark toward the end of the period and made a run themselves to go into halftime with a 34-26 lead.
-Early in the third quarter, three steals on consecutive Air Force possessions allowed Mason to increase its lead to double digits once again at 40-28, forcing a timeout by the Falcons.
-Later, a layup by Padgett snapped a 9-0 run by the Falcons to give Mason a 44-37 lead going into the media timeout.
-Mason went into the bonus late in the third quarter and scored five points from their three trips to the charity stripe to go into the final quarter with a 53-41 lead.
-Freshman guard Jewel Triggs hit the Patriots' first 3-pointer of the game to cap the team's 10-0 run midway through the fourth quarter that gave Mason its largest lead at 67-45.
-The Falcons went on a late 7-2 run, but it could not deny the Patriots their second-straight win, which came with a final scoreline of 69-52.
STAT BREAKDOWN
-Mason shot 44.6% (29-65) from the floor while Air Force was limited to 34.9% (22-63).
-Mason's defensive efforts forced the Falcons to commit 23 turnovers – compared to their 17 – which helped the Patriots outscore their opponent 21-7 in points off turnovers.
-The Patriots edged the Falcons in rebounding, 44-40, but nothing separated the teams in terms of assists – 11-11.
POST-GAME QUOTE
“This was a good win for our team after a long trip for finals. We are still striving for consistency to put longer stretches together. We look forward to being able to put our entire focus on the court for the next month.” – Mason's head coach Nyla Milleson
NEXT ON THE COURT
The Patriots will attempt to carry their momentum on the road when they open a three-game road trip at Auburn on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
