FAIRFAX, Va. – Playing in the last home game of her career, Taylor Brown tried her best to will the George Mason women's basketball team to victory at EagleBank Arena.
But a career-high six 3-pointers and 20 points from Brown wasn't enough as the Patriots suffered a 73-66 loss to Revolutionary Rival George Washington on Senior Day on Saturday. Mason's second-half comeback attempt fell short as the team suffered its third straight loss to close the regular season.
Despite the loss, the Patriots received a first-round bye for next week's Atlantic 10 Tournament. Mason is the No. 9 seed and will open the tournament against No. 8 seed Dayton at 11 a.m. on Thursday at Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Va. The Flyers won the teams' only meeting this season, defeating the Patriots 81-58 on Feb. 8 in Dayton.
“It is called March Madness for a reason,” head coach Nyla Milleson said in looking ahead to the A-10 Tournament. “Let's go create some of our own madness.”
On Saturday, the Patriots (11-18, 6-10 A-10) fell into a first-half hole they couldn't climb out of. After one quarter, the game was tied 19-19. But the Patriots scored just five points in the second quarter and trailed 40-21 at halftime.
GW (23-6, 13-3) kept Mason at bay most of the second half, with lead dwindling to eight before the Colonials rattled off 11 straight points and took a 57-38 lead with 1:55 left in the third quarter.
But Brown decided she wasn't going to go down in her final home game at EagleBank Arena without a fight. The redshirt senior drained four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, including three straight, to fuel a 13-4 run. After a long range trey from the top of the key at least five feet beyond the arc, she sunk another 3-pointer on the left wing to cut the lead to 65-59 with 2:41 left.
After a George Washington timeout, Mason looked to get a big stop and get the ball back. But the Colonials grabbed two offensive rebounds, Caira Washington grabbing the second for an offensive putback that pushed the lead to eight and killed more than a minute off the clock.
An attempt for a seventh 3-pointer for Brown bounced off the rim. On the ensuing possession, GW scored again for an insurmountable 10-point lead with 53 seconds left.
“We're not a team that gives up,” Brown said. “We don't back down from anyone.”
Fellow senior Kristi Mokube added 10 points and nine rebounds, just one board shy of her 10th career double-double. Kara Wright chipped in 10 points and seven assists. She also made two 3-pointers, as did senior Reana Mohamed, who tied her career high with two treys. The Patriots shot 50 percent from beyond the arc, sinking 12 3-pointers, easily surpassing their previous season-best of eight in one game.
Washington led the Colonials with 18 points and 10 boards. Hannah Schaible also had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. GW shot 50 percent from the field, including 57.1 percent in the first half, to pick up its fifth straight victory over Mason.
