FAIRFAX, Va. – In an Atlantic 10 showdown of two of the best teams in the league, the George Mason women's lacrosse team powered its way to a pivotal win.

The Patriots controlled the pace early and held off a formidable Richmond for a 16-11 victory on Sunday afternoon at George Mason Stadium. Senior captain Brooke Lorber dished out a career-high six assists and scored a goal for seven-point day and fellow senior captain Alexa McGovern added five goals.

Mason (10-4, 6-0) recorded its sixth straight victory – its longest winning streak in nine years – and notched its third straight season of 10 or more wins. But, more importantly, the Patriots locked up a third straight berth in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, which will be held next month in Philadelphia.

The win keeps Mason in a first-place tie with eight-time defending champ Massachusetts (11-3, 6-0). The Patriots now own the tiebreaker against Richmond (9-5, 4-2) and put themselves in a good position to grab one of the top two seeds, and the first-round bye that comes with it, in the conference tournament.

"To make a statement to our first strong opponent (in the A-10) we've faced (this season) is amazing," Lorber said. "Our whole attack scored and that is a huge statement to show UMass and upcoming teams."

Mason scored the first six goals of the game and held a 10-4 lead at halftime. The Spiders, who ended the Patriots' season last year in the A-10 Tournament, fought back, though. Richmond scored five straight goals in the second half and cut the lead to 12-10 with 11:35 left.

But after head coach Jessy Morgan used her third and final timeout, Mason regrouped and added a cushion. Chachi Kelehan scored to end a 12-minute drought and give the Patriots a three-goal lead. They added three more goals in the next four minutes to pull away and seal the victory.

"(Coach Morgan) got us back on track," Lorber said of the timeout. "Stick with the game plan, we still got it. Everyone get their heads right. It is hard in those moments, feeling they're coming so close (to tie the game), but to stop them there shows how hard we worked to definitely stop a team when they have momentum."

Kelehan had a hat trick and Jordan Sdanowich and Melissa Lobaccaro each scored twice. Freshman goalkeeper Melissa Semkiw made 12 saves for the fourth straight game.

The Patriots wrap up a three-game homestand in their final home game of the season at 4 p.m. on Friday against Saint Joseph's. The Patriots will honor their seniors before the game on Senior Day.