WHO: Women's Basketball at Davidson
WHERE: Belk Arena, Davidson, N.C.
FINAL SCORE: Davidson 58, Mason 54
KEY PLAYERS:
Kara Wright – 14 points, eight rebounds; Sarah Kaminski – 10 points, seven rebounds; Tiffany Padgett – Nine points, eight rebounds
DAVIDSON, N.C. – The George Mason women's basketball team fell into a hole – and couldn't quite climb out.
The Patriots erased a 10-point, second-half deficit but Davidson scored the go-ahead basket with 26 seconds left to hand Mason a 58-54 loss on Wednesday night at Belk Arena.
Senior
Kara Wright made two free throws to tie the game at 54-54 with 53 seconds remaining. After a Davidson timeout, though, Chloe Johnson drove in for a layup to put the Wildcats back in front.
Mason (10-10, 3-4 Atlantic 10) committed a turnover on the ensuing possession. Davidson (3-15, 1-5) made one free throw with 13 seconds to go but missed the second foul shot, allowing the Patriots a chance to tie. But a jumper missed, the Wildcats grabbed the rebound and sealed the victory with a free throw with two seconds left.
Wright led the Patriots with 14 points and eight rebounds as she was 10-for-14 from the free-throw line. Freshman
Sarah Kaminski scored eight of her 10 points in the third quarter and hauled in seven rebounds. Senior
Tiffany Padgett added nine points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Mason shot just 32.7 percent from the field for the game and scored only six points in the second quarter. Davidson grabbed 11 steals and scored 18 points off 18 Patriot turnovers. The Wildcats outscored Mason in the paint 34-18, generating a lot of their offense on drives to the basket.
Mason, which led by five after the opening period, scored just six points in the second quarter on 2-of-11 shooting. The Patriots trailed 48-39 at the start of the fourth quarter but chipped away, holding Davidson scoreless for more than four minutes.
Behind 54-49 with 2:43 left, Padgett grabbed an offensive rebound and sunk a turnaround jumper to make it a one possession game for the first time since the second quarter. In the midst of two consecutive defensive stops, Wright made three of four free throws to tie the game and set up the frantic final minute.
The Patriots continue the two-game road swing at Richmond at 5 p.m. Sunday in Richmond, Va., in a game that will be televised nationally on American Sports Network.
