BOX SCORE
FAIRFAX, Va. – A dominating second half by the George Mason women's basketball team propelled the Patriots to a 73-55 win over American on Thursday night. The Patriots improve to 3-1 on the young season while American drops to 2-2 overall.
The Patriots shot a season-best 50.0 percent (27-54 FG) from the floor, and a blistering 57.1 percent (8-14 FG) from behind the arc. A strong defensive effort held American to 43.5 percent from the floor and only 31.6 percent from deep.
"What a great second half," said head coach
Nyla Milleson. "Every game we've played this year, we have learned something and taken it to the next game. Our maturity, leadership and experience really showed tonight."
Junior
Nicole Cardaño-Hillary led the Patriots with 23 points, one shy of her season-high. She recorded 17 of her 23 points in a strong second half effort.
Senior
Sarah Kaminski moved into sole possession of third in program history in career three-point field goals made with three three-pointers against the Eagles. She now sits at 147 career treys.
Seniors
Alexsis Grate and
Jacy Bolton each went 4-of-7 from the floor, contributing 10 points apiece in the victory.
The Patriots jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, thanks to four points by junior
Camarie Gatling and a three pointer by junior
Marika Korpinen. Mason later scored six straight points to lead 17-12 after the first period. Each team committed five turnovers and shot nearly the same from the floor (Mason .375, American .364).
American used an 11-2 run in the second quarter to take its first lead of the game, 27-24, with 2:49 to go in the half. But, Mason responded with six straight points to end the half with the lead, 30-29. Grate posted eight of her 10 points in the first half on 4-of-5 shooting. The Patriots had reached their season average of 13 turnovers in just the first 20 minutes of play.
Mason carried the momentum out of the break, going on a 15-3 run to lead 45-32 with 2:40 remaining in the third period. The Patriots went 7-of-12 from the floor during the stretch, with Cardaño-Hillary and Bolton each adding four points. Mason maintained a 13-point lead after three quarters of play (49-36). For the second straight game, Mason used a strong third quarter to take command of the game. This time, the Patriots outscored their opponent 19-7.
It was all Mason in the final quarter of play as the Patriots went nearly perfect from the floor, shooting 90.0 percent (9-10 FG) from the field and 100.0 percent (2-2 FG) from behind the arc. The Patriots took its largest lead of the game, 69-47, after freshman
Tamia Lawhorne sunk a jumper in the lane with 2:16 remaining. Mason cruised to victory, 73-55, scoring a quarter-high 24 points in the fourth period.
The Patriots will hit the road for a Sunday contest against Penn State. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center.
