Colorado Springs, Colo. – The George Mason University women's basketball team earned its first road victory of the season over Air Force on Friday afternoon.

The Patriots fought off a late surge by the Falcons to claim a 78-71 victory. Mason improves to 2-0 for the first time since 2005-06.

Sophomore Nicole Cardaño-Hillary continued her strong start to the season, adding 25 points on 7-of-16 shooting in the victory. The 2018 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year shot 10 of 14 from the free-throw line and dished out six assists.

In the post, redshirt senior Casey Davis and sophomore Camarie Gatling stepped up for the Patriots. Davis recorded 11 points and eight rebounds while Gatling added 10 points and seven rebounds.

After both teams exchanged large scoring runs to start the first quarter, the contest settled into a scoring battle. Air Force's offense relied heavily on three-point field goals, shooting 52 percent from behind the arc. Mason countered with its own success from long range, making 6 of 14 3-pointers.

It was not until a 7-0 scoring run by the Patriots in the fourth quarter that allowed Mason to open its lead to 12 for a score of 70-58. The Falcons responded with a 7-0 scoring run of its own but it was too late for the Falcons. Clutch free throw shooting by Cardano-Hillary and senior Jewel Triggs sealed the victory for the Patriots.

Mason dominated the boards, outrebounding the Falcons 41-32. The Green & Gold tabbed 26 defensive rebounds compared to Air Force's 19.

Junior Sarah Kaminski and sophomore Marika Korpinen each added eight points in the win. Triggs went 3 of 4 from the free-throw line, all coming late in the fourth quarter. Mason shot 48.1 percent from the field compared to Air Force's 40 percent.

Mason continues its road stretch for a midweek matchup against American at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.