RICHMOND, Va. – The George Mason women's basketball team put up a valiant effort in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Championship before eventually falling to George Washington, 62-56, on Wednesday inside the Siegel Center.

The Patriots led with 6:13 left in the game (51-50), but the Colonials rattled off six straight points to take the lead for good. The 11th-seeded Colonials will now advance to the second round to face No. 6 Richmond on Thursday.

Four Patriots scored eight-or-more points with freshman Taylor Jameson finishing in double figures. The rookie from Wichita, Kan., went 4-of-7 from the floor for 10 points and added three rebounds and two assists.  

Senior Marika Korpinen and redshirt freshman Rachel Balzer each sunk three three-pointers to finish with nine points. Korpinen moved into sole possession of 19th in program history in three-point field goals made with 85.

Junior Devyn Wilson added nine points and three rebounds while sophomore Jazmyn Doster recorded a team-high seven rebounds, eight points and two blocks.

The Patriots put together one their best shooting performances of the season, finishing with a mark of 41.7 percent from the field (20-48) and 44.4 percent from deep (8-18).

GW shot 41.5 percent from the field (22-53) and made seven three-pointers (.389). In a tightly contested matchup, the Colonials were +6 in steals (10-4) and forced 15 turnovers, proving to be the difference in the game. GW scored 16 points off Mason's miscues.

The hot-shooting Patriots were 5-of-9 from behind-the-arc in the opening frame (.556). Mason took a four-point lead after three straight three-point field goals by Balzer, Korpinen and Livija Kaktaite (11-7). Another two treys from Korpinen and Jameson gave Mason the 17-14 advantage. The Colonials scored the final five points of the quarter to even the score at 19 all.

GW used a 11-2 run to end the first half and take its first lead of the game since the opening basket (37-32). At the half, the Patriots shot 40.0 percent from the field (10-25), 60.0 percent from deep (6-10) and 100.0 percent from the charity stripe (6-6).

The Colonials pushed their lead to seven with 7:27 on the clock in the third quarter (41-34). Mason fought back, outscoring GW 9-2 over a four-minute stretch to even the score (43-43). A Colonial three-pointer would give them the lead with one quarter remaining (48-45). Six different Patriots registered a point in the third period.

A pair of layups by Wilson and Jordan Wakefield put Mason back in front with 8:24 on the clock (49-48). After a GW basket, freshman Vanessa Laumbach knocked down a jump shot with 6:13 remaining for the one-point Mason advantage (51-50). The Colonials then went on a short 6-0 run to reclaim the lead (56-51). Once again, Mason fought back and brought the game within two with 2:23 to go (56-54). But, the fourth quarter rally came up just short as GW held on for the 62-56 victory.