PHILADELPHIA – Engaged in a 40-minute back-and-forth battle, the George Mason women's basketball team was seconds away from ending the regular season with a huge road win.
But game-tying free throws afforded Saint Joseph's an extra five minutes and the Patriots suffered a 57-53 loss in overtime on Tuesday night at Hagan Arena.
The Hawks made two free throws with 9.6 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 50-50.
Kara Wright's jumper on the ensuing possession bounced off the rim at the buzzer to send the game to overtime. In the extra period, the Patriots scored just three points – all free throws – as the Hawks (15-13, 12-4 Atlantic 10) survived.
Mason (13-16, 6-10) now turns its attention the Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship. The Patriots, the No. 10 seed, will play No. 7 seed Duquesne at 2 p.m. Saturday in Pittsburgh in the first round of the tournament, which shifted to campus sites for the first round this season. Duquesne defeated Mason 76-57 in the teams' only meeting this season on Feb. 5 in Pittsburgh.
On Tuesday, the Patriots shook off a sluggish first half to push the fourth-place team in the A-10 to the limit. Trailing by as many as nine in the first half, Mason opened the second half on a 15-5 run to take the lead.
Tiffany Padgett capped off the run with five straight points – draining a 3-pointer and then muscling her way inside for a layup for a 30-26 lead with 3:15 left in the third quarter.
Saint Joseph's responded, turning to its advantage in the post – three forwards combined for 45 points – to take a three-point lead after three periods and twice lead by five in the fourth quarter. Mason hung tough, with a 7-2 run midway through the final period.
Sarah Kaminski sunk her first 3-pointer of the night,
Allie McCool followed with an offensive putback and Padgett converted a jumper to tie the game with 6:08 left.
Neither team led by more than two the rest of regulation as there were three ties in the last four minutes. Wright sank a jumper to push the Patriots in front with 2:27 left but Saint Joseph's Chelsea Woods answered with a layup on the very next possession. Then Grate drove to the basket and drew a foul, making both free throws for a two-point lead with 54 seconds left.
Mason got the stop it needed but was called for an offensive foul on the other end. That set up Woods, who drove in the lane and drew contact. She made both free throws with 9.6 seconds to go. After a Patriots timeout advanced the ball past halfcourt, Wright had a chance to win it but her contested jumper bounced off the side of the rim.
In overtime, Saint Joseph's scored on its first possession – off an offensive rebound – and stayed in front the rest of the way. Trailing 55-52 with more than two minutes left, Mason had three chances to tie. The Patriots couldn't even the game, missing a jumper and turning the ball over on its next two possessions. Still, with 30 seconds left, Mason got the ball back down just three after two missed free throws by the Hawks. But Wright was fouled and made one of two free throws with 24 seconds left. Woods immediately drew a foul and made both free throws to seal the victory.
Wright finished with 13 points and eight rebounds in 44 minutes. Padgett added 11 points and freshman
Jacy Bolton had nine points and six rebounds in 42 minutes.
Woods scored 20 points off the bench for Saint Joseph's and Adashia Franklyn had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. The Hawks outrebounded Mason 44-36 and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds. Both teams shot 31 percent from the field. The Patriots had a season-low 15 points at halftime after making just 5-of-27 from the field (18.5 percent).
