PHILADELPHIA – An anticipated showdown between two of the Atlantic 10 Conference's top teams quickly turned into a rout.

The George Mason women's lacrosse team raced out to a 10-0 halftime lead and cruised past Saint Joseph's for a 16-7 victory on Sunday. Jacquelyn Spalding tied a school record with nine points (a career-high six goals and three assists) as the Patriots moved into a three-way tie for second place in the A-10 standings with one regular-season game remaining.

Mason (11-4, 6-2 A-10) entered the matchup a game behind St. Joe's (7-9, 6-2) in the conference standings. With the win, the Patriots are tied with St. Joe's and Duquesne for second with identical 6-2 marks in A-10 play as all three head into their regular-season finales this weekend. The teams are battling for seeding for the upcoming A-10 Tournament, which begins May 5 in Pittsburgh. The top two teams receive a first-round bye for the six-team tournament.

On Sunday, the Patriots rolled to their ninth victory in 11 games by staking a 10-goal lead by halftime. Spalding scored five goals and dished out two assists in the first half and Alexa McGovern scored two of her three goals as Mason triggered the 10-goal running clock with 2:37 before halftime.

The Hawks finally scored their first goal less than 10 seconds into the second half but the damage was done. The Patriots stretched the lead to 11 goals and kept St. Joe's at bay to pick up their sixth road victory of the season.

Spalding recorded nine points for the second time in her career and shares the school record with Jill Toomey, who also achieved the feat twice. McGovern and Brooke Lorber each scored three goals, Jordan Sdanowich netted two goals and Lydia Montanino and Chachi Kelehan had a goal apiece. Lorber, Montanino and Hannah Warpinski each dished out two assists and Sdanowich also had an assist.

Freshman goalkeeper Elizabeth Benedetto made seven saves to improve to 8-2 on the year. She played nearly 53 minutes before Mackenzie Duffy made her sixth appearance of the season and finished out the game in the net.

The Patriots wrap up the regular season at 2 p.m. on Saturday against VCU at George Mason Stadium. Mason will honor its five seniors – Erin Anderson, Chloe Chan, Elena Obregon, Gina Purdue and Kelli Beard – as part of Senior Day ceremonies.