WASHINGTON – The George Mason women's basketball team penned a new chapter in the Revolutionary Rivalry on Saturday.
The Patriots rallied from an 11-point first-half deficit to knock off rival George Washington in a 64-60 victory at the Charles E. Smith Center for their first win in the series since Dec. 22, 2011.
Mason snapped a 13-game losing skid in the series, defeating the Colonials for the first time since joining the Atlantic 10 in 2013-14. The Patriots (10-8, 2-3 A-10) also won at the Smith Center for the first time since 2002, ending a streak of seven straight losses on the road.
Junior
Jacy Bolton recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Junior
Sarah Kaminski scored all 14 of her points in the first half in addition to seven rebounds and sophomore Nicole Cardano-Hillary stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, a career-high tying seven rebounds and six assists.
"Huge win for our team," Mason head coach
Nyla Milleson said. "Really, really solid second half. Did some good things in the first half. We're a team that needs to put the ball in the hole but we didn't take advantage of some opportunities the first half. But great team effort. Our bench had a lot of energy. Those who came in gave us great minutes.
Jacy Bolton continues to just be a beast on both ends of the floor. Nikki shared the ball well, didn't turn the ball over the second half. You can go right down the line every single kid gave us something to help us win this game."
A sluggish second quarter and a long scoring drought between the opening two periods but the Patriots in an 11-point hole early in the second period. The Colonials (6-12, 3-2) held off a late Mason charge, taking a 33-26 lead into halftime.
Bolton's 3-pointer at the top of the key with 2:24 left in the third quarter gave the Patriots the lead for good. Her trey was part of back-to-back 3-pointers with Cardano-Hillary and contributed to a 12-2 run over the last three minutes of the third period as Mason took a 44-39 lead into the final stanza. The Patriots held George Washington, the defending A-10 tournament champ, to just six points in the third period.
An exciting fourth quarter unfolded as the game stayed close throughout. The Colonials pulled within one with more than four minutes remaining but failed to take the lead on three straight possessions. Bolton then drove in for a layup and drew a foul for a 3-point play that sparked an 8-1 run.
Bolton's two free throws with 38 seconds left lifted the Patriots to their largest lead, 60-52. Mason held on for their second straight road win and fifth of the season. The Patriots have now won 17 road games over the last three years.
Mason nearly doubled up George Washington on the boards, 49-27. They also grabbed 16 offensive rebounds, compared to just four by the Colonials. The Patriots thrived inside, outscoring GW 28-12.
The Patriots now head into their bye week before returning home to play Rhode Island at 2 p.m. on Jan. 27 at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Va.
