WHO: Women's Basketball vs. Massachusetts
WHERE: EagleBank Arena - Fairfax, Va.
FINAL SCORE: Mason 64, UMass 59
RECORDS: Mason (9-13, 4-5 A-10); UMass (6-14, 0-8 A-10)
KEY PLAYERS: Taylor Brown 16 points, 5 assists; Kristi Mokube 13 points, 15 rebounds

BOX SCORE (HTML)

FAIRFAX, Va. – Kristi Mokube enjoyed a career day on the glass, but it was her clutch shooting at the line that sealed a victory for the George Mason women's basketball team.

Mokube made two free throws with 3.9 seconds left to insure a 64-59 victory over pesky Massachusetts on Saturday afternoon at EagleBank Arena. Mokube posted her third double-double of the season with 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, Taylor Brown scored a team-high 16 points and Kara Wright chipped in 14 points as the Patriots snapped a two-game losing streak.

“I was really proud of our resiliency today after less than a 48-hour turnaround,” head coach Nyla Milleson said. “We shot the ball better with good ball movement. We must continue to focus on taking care of the basketball and rebounding.”

Mason (9-13, 4-5 Atlantic 10) never trailed and led by as many as 14 early in the third quarter. But the Patriots saw their lead slowly dwindle as the Minutewomen pulled within four points twice in the fourth quarter thanks in large part to a game-high 21 points from Bria Stallworth.

However, each time UMass (6-14, 0-8) threatened Brown responded with a basket to maintain distance. Wright sunk a pair of free throws with 3:23 to go for an eight-point lead, but the Minutewomen wouldn't go away.

UMass closed the gap to 62-59 with seven seconds left. But Rashida Timbilla missed the second free throw and Brown grabbed the rebound. After Wright missed a couple of free throws, the Minutewomen turned the ball over. Mokube drew a foul and sank both free throws for a huge five-point lead, finishing a perfect 7-for-7 at the free-throw line.

Eight players scored for Mason, which bounced back from a poor shooting night on Thursday in a 61-50 loss to Saint Louis. The Patriots shot 43.9 percent from the field and held UMass to just 30 percent.

Mason pulled away late in the second quarter and into the third quarter with a 15-2 run after a tight game through most of the first half. After the Minutewomen cut the lead to 26-25, Kara Wright drove in for a leaning jumper, Reana Mohamed converted a layup and Tiffany Padgett sunk a jump shot with six seconds left for a seven-point halftime lead.

For the second straight game, the Patriots came out of the break strong. They surged out to a 14-point lead thanks to a 9-2 spurt. Brown bookended the run with a jumper and free throw as Wright scored four points and Tayler Dodson sank a jumper to push the Patriots out to a 41-27 lead with 7:03 left in the third quarter.

Padgett added nine rebounds and Brown and Wright combined for eight of the team's 11 assists. Brown, who had five assists, was honored before tip-off with a ceremonial game ball for recently eclipsing 1,500 career points. Brown was joined at halfcourt by athletic director Brad Edwards and Milleson.

Mason hits the road for a 7 p.m. tilt on Wednesday at Davidson in North Carolina. It will be the first time the Patriots have ventured out of the D.C. area – they played at George Washington on Jan. 22 – in more than two weeks.