Patriots Stay Perfect on the Road: Win 54-50 at Stony Brook

It looked pretty grim, and a story line that many fans of Mason Women's basketball have become accustomed to over the past few years. With just 9 minuets left in the game, on the road, the Patriots found themselves facing  15 point deficit. But this year is starting to look like something different for these patriots.

It was the DC native, Rahneeka Saunders, known more for her hustle and defense then for her jumper, who hit the shot that would put the Patriots up for good and ultimately give them the win on the road. Saunders would finish the game with 12 points, 3 over her average, and 4 rebounds(3 offensive). The ability for Saunders to step up shows that this Patriot team could do big things year, especially when one of their stars stumbles a little. Amber Easter, coming off a 16 point game against Longwood, would finish 2 of 8 for only 6 points in 32 minutes of court time.

But this is where the Patriots showed their strength. Behind the steady production of Taleia Moton who finished with 18 points and 4 assists, the forwards down low were able to impose their will. Evelyn Lewis was 4 for 6 from the field with 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 block while right beside her the redshirt sophomore Janaa Pickard scored 9 points, hauled in 9 rebounds with 1 block.

It's important to note that Coach Porter used her subs sparingly tonight(33 mins for 5 players), with only Rachel McNair recording a single point to total out the bench scoring for the night. It was most likely due to the Patriots low scoring first half(36%), and because of the 29-19 deficit they saw at halftime.

It will be important in the future for the Patriots to be more aggressive in the first half and not get behind like they did tonight, allowing Stony Brook to shoot 5-10 from 3-point range for the first 20 minutes. The bench will have to be a factor if the Patriots plan on winning more games then they did last year in the CAA. And if the Patriots continue to shoot 50% from the line like they did tonight it will eventually come back and hurt them.

Remember that the Patriots return home on Sunday at 2pm against UNC-Asheville Bulldogs!