FAIRFAX, Va. – A fourth quarter rally by Kansas City proved to be the deciding factor as the George Mason women's basketball team fell to the Kangaroos 64-58 on Tuesday night in EagleBank Arena. With Mason leading by five after three quarters of play, Kansas City scored 27 points in the final period to snap the Patriots' three-game winning streak.
The Patriots move to 4-2 overall while the Roos improve to 4-3 on the season.
Senior
Jacy Bolton posted her 11th career double-double with a season-high 16 rebounds and 14 points. Senior
Sarah Kaminski added a season-high 15 points with four three-pointers while junior
Camarie Gatling tallied 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
Junior Nicole Cardaño-Hillary, the reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, was held to just three points on 1-of-16 shooting.
Coming off its historic win over Penn State Sunday, Mason struggled to get it going offensively, shooting 32.4 percent from the floor (23-71). The Patriots shot a season-high 28 three-pointers, only converting on six of the attempts (.214).
A slow start by Mason allowed Kansas City to score the first four points of the game. The Patriots responded with seven unanswered points to lead with 4:47 remaining (7-4). Both teams shot 25.0 percent from the floor to find the score 11-8 in favor of Mason after one period of play. The Patriots' defense held Kansas City scoreless from behind the arc (0-7 FG).
The Roos opened the second quarter shooting 3-of-4 from deep to jump back in front with 7:28 to go (18-15). Mason finished the half on a 13-4 spurt, including five straight points by Kaminski (27-22). At the break, Mason held a 27-20 advantage on the glass, thanks to 11 boards from Bolton, and had improved its shooting percentage by 25.0 percent in the second quarter.
Entering Tuesday's contest, Mason had outscored its opponents 137-83 in the second half over the last three games. This time, Kansas City found its spark in the second half, shooting 60.9 percent from the field and 75.0 percent from the three-point line.
Mason held its biggest lead of the game with 3:47 remaining in the third period after a fast break layup by Gatling (37-27). The Roos then used a 7-0 spurt to inch away at the Patriots' advantage. After three quarters, Mason led by five points (42-37).
The Roos' defense held Mason without a field goal for over five minutes in the fourth quarter. This allowed Kansas City to take its first lead since the 7:28 minute-mark in the second period (47-44). Two made free throws by Bolton cut their lead to two, 49-47, but that would be the closest the Patriots came to regaining the lead. Kansas City outscored Mason 27-16 in the fourth quarter to secure the victory, 64-58. Mason was 0-of-5 from deep and 5-of-18 (.278) from the floor in the final stanza.
Up next, the Patriots will participate in the Coastal Carolina Thanksgiving Classic from Nov. 29-Dec. 1 in Conway, S.C. Mason will play Bradley at 4 p.m. Friday before taking on host Coastal Carolina at 2 p.m. Sunday.
