WHO: Women's Basketball vs. Fordham
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
FINAL SCORE: Fordham 53, Mason 49
KEY PLAYERS: Kara Wright – 16 points, 11 rebounds; Alexsis Grate – 11 points, four assists; Tiffany Padgett – eight points 

FAIRFAX, Va. – For the third straight game, the George Mason women's basketball team's scoring struggles loomed large.

Despite a second-half comeback, the Patriots couldn't fend off Fordham in a 53-49 loss on Saturday at EagleBank Arena. Mason scored a season-low 49 points and is averaging just 50.3 points in its last three games. The Patriots (9-8, 2-2 Atlantic 10), who have lost two in a row, shot just 34 percent from the field.

Redshirt senior Kara Wright posted her fourth double-double of the season and her career with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Mason rallied from an eight-point deficit in the third quarter and took a two-point lead late in the fourth period. But the Patriots scored just three points over the last 3:23. Fordham (13-5, 4-0) entered the game allowing just 58.2 points – the third fewest in the A-10.

"Fordham is known for its stingy, switching defense," Mason head coach Nyla Milleson said. "They are very physical, very tough. We couldn't find any rhythm until that fourth quarter. That is what we needed to do the entire game. We kept saying, 'Attack, attack.' First quarter I thought we attacked pretty good and got to the free-throw line and then second quarter we backed off… But our effort was really, really good today. I thought we responded after not a very good outing Wednesday night against Saint Louis.

"We just to have to stay on the grind. We knew this stretch was going to be really tough. But, again, we have to find a little better offensive continuity."

Mason scored just 22 points by halftime – the team's second-lowest first-half output this season – and trailed 32-24 with less than three minutes remaining in the third period. The Patriots hung around and kept the game close.

Freshman Alexsis Grate came off the bench and scored all of her 11 points, which matched a career high, in the second half. She scored nine points during a 16-8 run that propelled the Patriots in front. On back-to-back possessions, she drove to the rim, drew a foul and made the free throw for a 3-point play. Her second consecutive 3-point play tied the game at 44-44 with 4:10 left in the game.

Then, on Mason's next offensive possession, senior Sylvia Maxwell grabbed an offensive rebound and drained a jumper to give Mason the lead for the first time since the first quarter. But the Patriots couldn't extend the advantage, going scoreless for more than three minutes.

Fordham picked up its fourth straight win by closing out the game with a 9-3 run. A jumper by G'mrice Davis, who had 14 points and 14 rebounds, and a driving layup by Kate Kreslina gave the Rams the lead for good with 1:38 to go.Fordham made five of six free throws in the final 26 seconds, including two with four seconds left to ice the game.

In addition to Wright and Grate, who also tied a career high with four assists, senior reserve Tiffany Padgett added eight points. Mason received 26 points from its bench. But the Patriots were outscored in the paint (32-22) and outrebounded (37-34) for the third straight game.

Before the game, Mason athletic director Brad Edwards and Milleson presented Wright with a ceremonial ball after she eclipsed 1,000 points for her career during last week's win against St. Bonaventure.

The Patriots continue their three-game homestand against Revolutionary Rival George Washington at 11 a.m. on Wednesday at EagleBank Arena. The game will tip off early for field trip today for several elementary and middle schools in the area.