MIAMI, Fla. – The Patriots used another emphatic fourth-quarter comeback on Monday afternoon to take down the host Panthers on the opening day of the FIU Holiday Hoops Showdown, 72-64.
 
Junior Taylor Jameson led all players with a career-high 26 points, besting her previous high of 21 points, set earlier this season against William & Mary on Nov. 21. Graduate student Riley Childs also had her best outing in a Mason uniform, dropping a season-high 15 points to go along with a season-best eight rebounds (game-high).
 
The Patriots (7-5, 0-0) were down by 14 with 6:00 remaining in the third period before stringing together equally efficient offense and defense to build a lead as large as 11 with 35 seconds to go in the game.
 
Mason led for most of the first quarter, taking advantage of several fast break opportunities and scoring in transition. After the first stanza, the Patriots led 17-14 with scoring from six different players.
 
The Panthers (4-5, 0-1) scored on four-straight three-point baskets to pull ahead 30-19 at the media timeout of the second quarter. Mason and FIU traded points to end the half and the Panthers led 38-28 at the break.
 
It was more of the same to begin the third quarter, as FIU used three more scores from deep to pull ahead by 14 and force a Mason timeout with 5:59 remaining. However, the reset was effective and the Patriots slowly began chipping away at the lead, spearheaded by Childs who had nine points, two rebounds, a block, a steal and a drawn foul in the stanza. Mason made up some ground and headed into the final quarter trailing by six, 53-47.
 
The Patriots scored the opening five points of the fourth to gain valuable momentum. The Panthers responded with two made free throws, but a jump shot by Jameson and a free throw by senior Tamia Lawhorne tied the game at 57 and Mason called a timeout to regroup. 
 
The teams traded points until a turnaround jump shot by senior Sonia Smith gave Mason the lead for good. Nine-straight made free throws by the trio of Jameson, Smith and graduate student J-Naya Ephraim stretched the lead to as many as 11 with 35 seconds left, and stout defense held FIU scoreless for over three minutes to cruise to the nine-point victory.
 
PATRIOT POINTS

• In a comprehensive afternoon, Jameson also contributed five rebounds, three steals and two assists, as well as 6-6 shooting from the charity stripe.
• Smith was the Patriots' third double-digit scoring performer, contributing 11 points to go with a team-high four assists and two rebounds.
• Senior Jazmyn Doster tallied two blocks, her fourth game of the year with multiple blocks. It brings her career total to 70, and moves her to seventh all-time at Mason.
• As a team, the Patriots played clean, with less turnovers (20-15) and less fouls (23-10). Mason also out-rebounded FIU 40-34, their ninth time this season grabbing more boards than their opponent.

 
UP NEXT
The Patriots will return to the court at FIU's Ocean Bank Convocation Center tomorrow, Dec. 20 for a 12 p.m. tip against Stephen F. Austin.