George Mason MASON 13-4, 2-1 A-10

George Washington GW 7-8, 2-1 A-10

George Mason MASON

13-4, 2-1 A-10

Final

Jan. 07, 2018

George Washington GW

7-8, 2-1 A-10

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	3	4	F
George Mason MASON	14	10	14	14	52
George Washington GW	15	6	21	20	62

Box Score

Rafael Suanes/George Mason Univ.

Patriots Fall Short on the Road to George Washington

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | 1/7/2018 8:35:00 PM

WASHINGTON – The George Mason women's basketball team received two stellar performances from the Atlantic 10 Conference's top two scorers.

Unfortunately for the Patriots, they needed more to knock off Revolutionary Rivalry George Washington.

Freshman Nicole Cardaño-Hillary and graduate student Natalie Butler combined for 42 points but it wasn't enough in a 62-52 loss to the Colonials on Sunday night at the Smith Center.

Cardaño-Hillary scored a career-high 26 points and Butler posted her 16th straight double-double with 16 points and 18 rebounds. But only three other Patriots scored, mustering just 10 points. The 52 points were a season-low for the Patriots.

The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Mason (13-4, 2-1 A-10). The Colonials (7-8, 2-1) have won their last 11 meetings against the Patriots.

After neither team led by more than five points through the first three quarters, George Washington pulled away in the final period. Mason took its last lead, 33-32, with 3:24 left in the third quarter. After an offensive rebound by sophomore Jacy Bolton, Cardaño-Hillary drove the lane and found Natalie Butler for a layup for a 33-32 lead.

But GW would immediately regain the lead on a 3-pointer by Lexus Levy. The Colonials wouldn't relinquish it after that. They pushed the advantage to nine points early in the fourth quarter.

Cardaño-Hillary, a point guard from Madrid, Spain, closed the gap to 47-41 with her fourth trey with 7:27 to go. Then the Patriots went scoreless for the next five minutes. GW pushed the lead to double figures during the drought and held off a late charge by Mason.

Cardaño-Hillary scored 16 points after halftime and finished shooting 9-of-23 from the field. Butler had another strong game, with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting. The 6-foot-5 center from Fairfax Station, Va., leads the country in double-doubles and is just the 11th player in Division I history with at least 16 consecutive games with a double-double.

Mason shot just 31.6 percent from the field. Aside from Cardaño-Hillary and Butler, the rest of the team was 2 of 25 from the field. The Patriots also committed 18 turnovers.

The Patriots now have a bye week before hitting the road again to play Rhode Island at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 14 in Kingston, R.I.

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