FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason women's basketball team capped off non-conference play with a dominating 69-46 win over Delaware State on Monday night inside EagleBank Arena.
Delaware State trimmed Mason's lead to 10 with under seven minutes remaining (50-40) before the Patriots went on a 19-6 run to end the game and seal the victory (69-46).
In a credit to the depth and versatility to the Patriots, nine players scored, with three finishing in double figures, in a total team effort.
Redshirt freshman
Rachel Balzer exploded for a career-high 16 points, draining a personal-best four three-pointers (.666). It marked Mason's sixth different leading scorer in seven games.
In her 100th career game in the Green & Gold, senior
Marika Korpinen posted her second career double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. She added a team-high five assists.
Junior
Devyn Wilson recorded her second double-digit scoring performance of the season with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting (.800).
Post Nation dominated the paint, outscoring its opponent 26-16 thanks big performances by Wilson (11), sophomore
Jazmyn Doster (7) and freshman
Vanessa Laumbach (7).
Mason was also +20 on the glass (51-31) with graduate student
Daijah Jefferson grabbing 11 boards.
The Patriots shot 38.2 percent from the field (21-55) and made six three-pointers (.316). Delaware State finished 18-of-64 from the floor (.280) and made just four 3-point field goals (.190).
Mason's defense once again shined in the first quarter of play, holding the Hornets scoreless for the first six-and-a-half minutes of the game. On the offensive end of the floor, Mason found its rhythm with under four minutes remaining. A pair of Balzer three-pointers gave Mason a 14-4 advantage with 2:06 on the clock. The Patriots shot 40.0 percent from the floor (6-15) to lead 17-9 at the end of the first quarter.
After a quick 4-0 run by the Hornets, Mason responded with six straight points to lead by 13 (26-13). During that span, the Patriots forced three Hornet turnovers for a scoring drought of five minutes. Freshman
Taylor Jameson then went 1-of-2 from the charity stripe and sunk her fifth three-pointer of the season (30-13). In total, the Patriots finished the first half on a 14-2 run to take a 19-point lead at the break (34-15).
Mason shot 35.5 percent from the floor in the first half (11-31) and made three 3-pointers (.250). The Patriots were +8 on the glass (27-15) and +8 in points in the paint (12-4). Balzer was up to eight points, with two treys, while Jefferson grabbed eight first-half rebounds.
Six straight points in the paint gave Mason its largest lead of the day with 6:30 left in the third quarter (42-18). But, the Hornets responded with an 8-0 run over nearly three minutes, forcing five Mason turnovers (42-26). Doster came alive for the Patriots in the third frame, posting five points, four rebounds and a block. With one quarter to go, Mason was up 48-31.
Delaware State trimmed Mason's lead to 10 with under seven minutes remaining (50-40). That's when Balzer took the game into her own hands, draining back-to-back 3-pointers (59-42). Mason stayed in control for the remainder of the game, cruising to the 69-46 victory.
Mason will take a 10-day break from action before tipping off Atlantic 10 play on the road at Fordham (Jan. 1) and Davidson (Jan. 3).
