Keith's Keys to the Game: Mason vs. Ohio

Mason is on the road Thursday to battle against the Bearcats of Ohio University. The Bearcats(6-7), come into tonight's game having alternated wins and losses in their past 4 games (2-2). Mason on the other hand, comes in having snapped a two game losing streak against GW last week, improving to 7-3 overall.

What to Watch For:  1) Home Atmosphere: Ohio comes in with a below average  record on the year so far, but the Bearcats have been strong at home in Athens. Five of their six wins this season have come at home, and by an average margin of victory of 14.8 points per game. It will be important for Mason to come out hot on the road, and not to be rattled in a hostile arena and on along road trip. In the past Mason has struggled on the road, but so far in 3 contests,  the Patriots have come away victorious in 2 of them.

2) Getting to the Free Throw Line: Mason this year has struggled to get to the  foul stripe, and are not getting the easy opportunities/cashing in on easy chances for points. On the season Mason is only getting to the line and making 11.7 FT's per game, and only as a team  hitting FT's at 66%.  Ohio on the other hand averages 14.6  made free throw attempts per game, and is hitting 71% as a team from the stripe. In Mason's last game against GW, in which they got to the line 27 times, they allowed the Colonials to claw back from a 16 point deficit because of their inability to shoot free throws in the second half. The Patriots went 7 of 17 from the FT line in the second half,and it almost cost them the game down the stretch. I see this being very important in this game, as well as a key in whether Mason is able to ice games away in the future or if it will be plagued by dismal free throw shooting all season long. Players like Rahneeka Saunders (54% FT) and Evelyn Lewis (22 % FT) who routinely get to the line because of the way they drive the ball down low, need to step their game up in big road games such as this one.

3) Rebounds--Offensive: In the Ohio Bearcats 7 losses this season, almost all of them have been in some way related to their lack of rebounding, and the rebounding deficit in most cases reflected the margin of defeat. It will be important for Mason to dominate the boards much like they did against GW, where they had +17 rebounding margin and four players with 7 or more rebounds. This intensity on the glass will lead to the easy second chance points Mason was able to get against the Colonials, and should be something they should try to exploit against a Ohio , team that seems to let down in the second half. Ohio is being outscored by a total of forty-four  points(-44) in the second half on the season thus far, while Mason is +27 in the same category. Mason will have to be on the look out for Ohio's Tenishia Benson, who averages over 7 rebounds and 13 PPG as a guard, and will be looking to improve their rebounding output to ensure a victory got the Bearcats.

Tune in to the GoMason Digital Network on WGMURadio.com to listen to the latest action on Mason women's basketball. Tip-off is slated for 7 pm at the Convocation Center in Athens,Ohio. Mason won last years first ever meeting between the two schools 69-53 at the Patriot Center.