PHILADELPHIA – Led by a balanced attack, the George Mason women's basketball team collected an impressive road victory – and rolled to its best start in the Division I era.

Freshman Nicole Cardaño-Hillary led all scorers with 24 points and graduate student Natalie Butler posted her 15th straight double-double to lead the Patriots to a 69-56 victory over La Salle in their Atlantic 10 road opener on Wednesday night at Tom Gola Arena.

Mason improves to 13-3 for just the second time in program history. The 1974-75 squad finished the season at 13-3 in just the second year of the program. With the win, the Patriots also match their win total from last year with nearly two months remaining.

Butler recorded 17 points and 15 rebounds and senior Tayler Dodson chipped in a season-high 15 points as the Patriots improved to 2-0 in Atlantic 10 play for the second straight season. Butler scored 15 points after halftime to register her 15th double-double, which leads the country. She also became just the 15th player in Division I history with at least 15 consecutive double-doubles. 

The Patriots trailed most of the first quarter but jumped in front for good early in the second period. Cardaño-Hillary sparked a 10-0 run with a layup to tie the game. Redshirt junior Camden Musgrave then forced a steal and scored on the other end off an assist by Cardaño-Hillary. 

Freshman Marika Korpinen grabbed an offensive rebound and dished a pass to a transitioning Dodson. Butler followed with a pair of free throws and freshman Camarie Gatling grabbed an offensive rebound and laid in the putback for a 26-18 lead with 2:37 left in the first half.

La Salle (5-9, 0-2) pulled within two after the break but the Patriots quickly silenced the threat. Mason rattled off an 11-1 run to create separation and build a 12-point lead on sophomore Jacy Bolton's 3-pointer in the corner less than four minutes into the third period. 

The Patriots shot 56.3 percent in the second half as the lead ballooned to as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter. Mason picked up just its third win (out of eight tries) against the Explorers. 

The Patriots outscored La Salle 52-26 in the paint. They also forced 17 turnovers and nabbed 10 steals. Mason held La Salle senior Amy Griffin, the A-10's leading scorer the last two years, to 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting as she committed six turnovers. 

Cardaño-Hillary's 24 points were one shy of a career high. She made 10 of 22 shots, dished out three assists and grabbed three steals without any turnovers. Dodson's 15 points were her most since her freshman year and the most she has ever scored in an Atlantic 10 game. She was 6-of-11 from the field.

The Patriots will make the short trip to Revolutionary Rival George Washington at 6 p.m. on Sunday in Washington, D.C. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.