FAIRFAX, Va. - The last time the George Mason women's basketball team was off to this good of a start, head coach Nyla Milleson was beginning her coaching career as a junior varsity high school girls basketball coach in Kansas.
And no one on Mason's current roster was alive yet.
The Patriots cruised to a 58-38 victory over UMBC on Monday night at EagleBank Arena for their fourth straight win. In doing so, they improved to 10-2 for their best start since the 1987-88 season. Mason also moved to 8-0 at EagleBank Arena this season for their best start at home in program history. Dating back to last year, the Patriots have won nine straight at home for their longest home winning streak in 24 years.
Graduate transfer Natalie Butler scored her 1,000th career point and notched her 11th straight double-double (most in the nation) with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore Sarah Kaminski and freshman Nicole Cardano-Hillary each scored 14 points. Cardano-Hillary, who was named the A-10 Rookie of the Week on Monday, had a career-high six steals.
Mason trailed for just 22 seconds and led comfortably for most of the game, pushing the lead to 22 late in the fourth quarter. Butler, who was named the A-10 Co-Player of the Week on Monday to earn the weekly honor for the fourth straight week, achieved the 1,000-point milestone late in the third quarter.
The 6-foot-5 center from Fairfax Station, Va., grabbed an offensive rebound and went back up for a fadeaway jumper to hit 1,000 points exactly with 1:14 left in the period. Butler scored 445 points as a freshman at Georgetown and netted 345 points the last two years at Connecticut. She currently leads the team with 17.9 points a game.
The Patriots forced 15 turnovers by UMBC (1-10) and nabbed 15 steals - their most in four years. Mason also won the rebounding battle (47-29) for the 10th time this season (all wins). In addition to Butler's 13 rebounds, Jacy Bolton had eight boards (and five assists) and Tayler Dodson and Sarah Kaminski each had six rebounds.
The Patriots now take their longest layoff of the season for finals week. They'll return to action on Dec. 21 when they play at Houston.
