FAIRFAX, Va. – Taking care of the ball, sharing the wealth and production from a multitude of sources lifted the George Mason women's basketball team to a much-needed victory.

The Patriots fended off pesky Davidson for a 59-55 victory Wednesday night at EagleBank Arena. The win snapped a three-game losing streak and avenged a road loss to the Wildcats just three weeks ago.

Mason committed a season-low nine turnovers and dished out 15 assists on 22 field goals. Ten players scored for the Patriots (12-13, 5-7 Atlantic 10), who have matched last year's win total with four regular-season games remaining.  

"Good win for our team," head coach Nyla Milleson said. "We were down going into the fourth (quarter) and did a good job down the stretch, doing what we had to do. We got good contributions. Tayler Dodson's 10 rebounds and five assists – that is a great stat line and that is what we need from her. How about Allie McCool coming in giving us eight points? So good contribution from everybody. We had good focus and it feels good to get a win."

Senior Kara Wright led the way with 14 points and six rebounds and freshman Jacy Bolton also added nine points and six rebounds. Junior Tayler Dodson pieced together an impressive stat line by tying a career high with 10 rebounds in addition to five assists and six points.

Freshman Allie McCool also had one of the best games of her career, scoring eight points off the bench on 3-for-4 shooting with her first career block in just 13 minutes. Milleson also changed up the starting lineup for the first time since Nov. 30. Freshman guard Alexsis Grate (seven points, two assists) made her first career start and played a career-high 34 minutes. Senior Tiffany Padgett (six points, two steals, one block) recorded her eighth start of the season but first since Nov. 27.

The game was tight throughout with nine ties, 11 lead changes and the lead never ballooning larger than six. A jumper by Dodson gave the Patriots a 44-40 lead with 4:29 left in the third quarter. But the Wildcats (4-20, 2-10) regained the lead and the momentum with eight straight points and took a three-point lead into the final quarter.

The Patriots answered with a 11-4 run to open the final period and take the lead for good. Bookended by a Bolton 3-pointer and a McCool layup, the Patriots took a four-point lead twice during the spurt. Dodson's trey from the top of the key – her first 3-pointer of the season – provided a big boost and breathing room over the last five minutes.

Davidson pulled within two points twice but couldn't pull even. Trailing 58-55, the Wildcats had a chance to tie with seven seconds left but Chloe Johnson's 3-pointer was blocked by Wright. Bolton drew a foul and hit one of two free throws with five seconds left to seal the victory.

Mason turned up the defense in the fourth quarter, holding Davidson to just 18.2 percent (2-of-11) from the field in the final period. Guard Justine Lyon, who scored 34 points at Massachusetts on Saturday, had 14 points. But she scored just six points after the first quarter and was 2-of-12 from the field in the last three quarters.

The Patriots continue their three-game homestand at 2 p.m. on Sunday against in-state foe Richmond at EagleBank Arena. Mason defeated the Spiders 54-50 less than three weeks ago on the road for their first win in the series since 1999. Sunday's game will be Mason's alumni game and pink game as the Patriots support breast cancer awareness through the Play4Kay initiative.