RICHMOND, Va. – The George Mason women's basketball team dropped their second-straight road game to VCU (5-11, 2-2) on Saturday, 55-45.
It was a defensive battle as both teams were held under 35% shooting from the field and under 25% from three-point range.
Sophomore Paula Suárez scored in double-figures for the third-straight game, dropping a career-high 12 points on 4-4 shooting from three-point range. Before today, the point guard had not scored more than one three-pointer in a game. She also dished out a team-high four assists, her sixth time this season with four or more.
The Patriots (9-9, 2-3) got off to a slow start and were not able to erase an early 11-0 deficit at the media timeout.
Sonia Smith returned from injury to drain a three-pointer for Mason's first field goal and
Jazmyn Doster made a second chance lay-up and trailed by eight at the break.
After some back-and-forth in the second, Suárez found her groove, scoring three-straight three-pointers on the Patriots' last three offensive possessions to cut the lead to nine and Mason trailed 30-21 at the half.
The third and fourth quarters were evenly matched, and the senior duo of
Trey Kennedy and
Nalani Kaysia combined for 11 points and eight rebounds, but the first quarter deficit was too much to overcome as VCU cruised to the 10-point victory.
PATRIOT POINTS
- Trey Kennedy had their best game in a Mason uniform, with a season-high nine points and four rebounds in 18 minutes of work.
- Kaysia once again led the Patriots in rebounding with seven, while also contributing seven points with a block and a steal.
- Despite some shooting struggles, the Patriots committed a season-low 10 turnovers while forcing 12 by the Rams on four steals.
UP NEXT
Mason will have a chance to bounce back quickly, returning to Fairfax on Monday, Jan. 16 when it hosts George Washington for a CBS MLK Day special. Tip-off from EagleBank Arena is set for noon.
