Women's Basketball | 1/4/2019 6:26:00 AM
By Hogan LePore | George Mason Athletics
FAIRFAX, Va. – As the George Mason women's basketball team begins their Atlantic 10 conference play, the Patriots seem to be hitting their stride at the right time, winning four of their last five contests, along with ending their non-conference schedule 5-1 at home at EagleBank Arena.
The team's success, in large part, is due to their ability to play off the glass.
The Green & Gold are currently ranked first in the A-10 in rebounds, both offensively and defensively, led by junior
Jacy Bolton. Bolton currently leads the A-10 in rebounds, amassing 106 boards in 13 games thus far.
The Drexel, Mo., native has seen a jump in production on the glass, opposed to her previous two seasons at Mason. Bolton has upped her rebounds per game to 8.2, almost doubling that number from her sophomore season (4.4 rpg).
This exponential growth has a lot to do with an offseason change for Bolton. The junior has moved into the four-spot for the Patriots' starting lineup, becoming more of a forward to help on the glass and in the paint.
In years prior, Bolton was used as a shooting guard, in most instances, because former graduate student and All-American
Natalie Butler commanded such a great presence on the glass. Since the loss of the 6-foot-5 Butler, head coach
Nyla Milleson thinks she has found the answer on the glass with Bolton.
"From a rebounding standpoint, we thought that might be a weakness for us this season, but that has turned into a strength for us," Milleson said. "Jacy really helps to set the tone for this team."
Bolton, in her first season as a team captain, believes she is simply playing basketball and helping her team get victories any way possible.
"I've always been a player that does whatever the coach asks me to," Bolton said. "I will play any position. If you need me to score, set a screen or get on the glass, I will. I'm just going out there to play hard and do what the team needs me to do. I think it has been an easy transition for me just because I believe that's the kind of player I am."
In her most recent outing against the College of Charleston on Monday, Bolton set a career-high in rebounds in a single game with 17 – the most by a Patriot since Butler grabbed 20 in her final game last March and concluded a season in which she set the Division I single-season record for rebounds (563). But that wasn't the only career-high Bolton attained. The now-forward also recorded a personal-best three blocked shots. Her 13 blocked shots this season already matches her season totals from each of the last two years.
She continues to be an offensive threat as well. She is averaging a career-high 10.3 points this season, up from 9.5 last year and 8.3 points a game as a freshman when she earned Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team honors. She has also registered four double-doubles this season and now has six in her career.
She has scored in double figures in 10 of 13 games this season and remains a reliable long-range option. She is on her way to knocking down more than 30 treys for the third straight season with 18 3-pointers through 13 games.
The 6-foot wing believes setting the tone for the Green & Gold moving forward is a task she can shoulder as conference play begins this weekend.
"Having an individual performance like this really proves to myself that I can come out and play like this every night for this team," Bolton stated.
Bolton and the Patriots (8-5) begin A-10 play at 2 p.m. on Sunday as they hit the road to play Davidson in North Carolina. This will be the second consecutive season Mason plays its league opener against the Wildcats. In last season's meeting at EagleBank Arena on New Year's Eve, the Patriots rallied from a 21-point deficit for a 74-61 victory.
