WHO: Women's Basketball vs Georgetown
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
FINAL SCORE: Georgetown 63, Mason 57
KEY PLAYERS: Taylor Brown – 26 points (season-high), 4 assists; Kristi Mokube – 13 points
| |
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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George Mason (3-6)
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15
|
15
|
9
|
18
|
57
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Georgetown (5-1)
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13
|
8
|
16
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26
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63
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Fairfax, Va. – The second season-high scoring performance by Taylor Brown within the last week, this time with 26 points, was not enough for George Mason University's women's basketball team to overcome Georgetown at EagleBank Arena on Wednesday, falling to the Hoyas 63-57 despite leading by nine points at halftime.
GAME NOTES
-Brown, a redshirt senior guard, contributed for nine additional points with 4 assists on the night, including for one of Mason's three 3-pointers in the game; two of her other assists resulted in four out of redshirt senior Kristi Mokube's 13 points, the only double-digit tally by a Patriot.
-Georgetown's freshman guard Dionna White made a statement for a third consecutive Big East Rookie of the Week honor with 22 points, 4 assists and 2 steals, while sophomore Dorothy Adomako and junior Faith Woodard contributed 12 points each, the former adding game-high 9 rebounds and the latter grabbing 8 herself.
-The Hoyas had an impressive start to the game and went on a 5-0 run in the first 1:03 of the contest. Mason, on the other hand, was held scoreless for nearly three minutes but scored six quick points through redshirt junior guard Kara Wright to come within one in mid-quarter, 7-6.
-Shortly after the media timeout, freshman forward Chinyere Bell gave Mason its first lead of the game at 10-9 with a layup. Senior Katie McCormick put the Hoyas up by two again at 12-10 with a long jumper, but the last two minutes were the time of former Hoya Brown, who scored 5 points to give the Patriots a 15-13 lead at the end of the quarter.
-The visitors tied the game at 17 with a 3-pointer by junior Tyshell King, but four converted free throws gave the Patriots a four-point lead, 21-17. After going into the bonus halfway through the second quarter, Mason used a few additional trips to the charity stripe and crucial plays from Mokube to grab their largest halftime lead of the season, 30-21.
-Although the Patriots' lead grew to 12 at 35-23 with a fast-break jumper by Brown, Georgetown responded with an 8-0 run and forced a timeout by Mason's head coach Nyla Milleson. The Hoyas' dominance in the beginning of the second half continued and they managed to tie the game at 35 before the media timeout in the third quarter.
-Brown finally ended a six-minute scoring drought by both teams to give the Patriots a 37-35 lead with 1:11 to play in the third quarter. She then extended the lead to four by converting her fifth and sixth free throws of the night but the last two points of the quarter went to Georgetown through a bucket by Woodard.
-Woodard had another crucial basket in the beginning of the fourth quarter, when she gave the Hoyas a 41-39 lead. As the game entered the final five minutes of regulation, White completed a three-point play to put the Hoyas ahead by three, 46-43. The lead grew to five shortly after at 50-45 thanks to another layup by White.
-A three-point play by Brown helped the Patriots creep within two at 52-50, but White responded with a three-point play herself to regain Georgetown's five-point lead with 1:41 to play. After a video replay denied the Hoyas a six-point lead due to a shot-clock violation, they achieved it soon after through White from the free-throw line, 57-51.
-Despite two late 3-pointers by Brown, Georgetown secured their fifth win of the season from the free-throw line for the final scoreline of 63-57.
STAT BREAKDOWN
-Mason shot 30.6% on the night (20-66) while Georgetown was more effective due to the impressive second half, in which the Hoyas shot 56.7%; despite going 2-18 on 3-pointer attempts, the Big East member shot 36.2% overall.
-The high tempo for the majority of the game caused both teams to finish with many turnovers, Mason with 20 and Georgetown with 18; the Hoyas scored 11 points off their opponents' giveaways, while the Patriots recorded one fewer.
-The Patriots were edged in two more statistical components, 48-47 in rebounds and 9-8 in steals.
POST-GAME QUOTE
“We played such a good first half but once again our third quarter did us in. We gave up a 12-point lead with turnovers and missed opportunities at the rim that led to easy baskets for Georgetown. We still had our chances coming down the stretch but we were unable to convert.” – Mason's head coach Nyla Milleson
NEXT ON THE COURT
Mason continues its three-game home stand against Delaware on Monday, Dec. 7. The former Colonial Athletic Association rivalry will tip off at 7 p.m.
