Keys To The Game: ODU vs GMU

1) Dominate Guard Play: There is still uncertainty about the return of second leading scorer Amber Easter for Mason, so it will be important that either Taleia Moton continues to play at an All-American level(23.3ppg) or that players like Rahneeka Saunders and Christine Weithman step their game up and improve their scoring firgures to atleast double figures. If the Mason guards don't help out, I believe ODU's freshman stud Ashley Betz-White(10.3ppg) will have a big game in taking the ball inside-out with the forward Tia Lewis.


2) Inconsistent Forward Play: This will be a game when the paint is where the game will ultimately be won. The last game at UMass showed obvious weakness for Mason when at times the Minutewomen were simply passing to the block and throwing shots off the glass. It will be crucial that Mason's forwards Evelyn Lewis and Jannaa Pickard not only apply stingy defense for a full 40 minutes, but that they also exploit the opportunities they get to score. Many times against UMass the forwards missed chip shots from only a few feet around the basket. If Mason wants to put the pressure on ODU's star forward Tia Lewis, then Mason's own forwards need to be a scoring threat and try to get Lewis into situations where shes having to carry her squad on both sides of the ball.


3) The Bench Must Score: In the last game against UMass, Mason only got 5 points of production from its bench in a game that went down to the wire. ODU is a team that has only lost to Mason 1 time in 49 match-ups  the last game being a nail bite loss 67-68.  In the 4 point win over Stony Brook a few weeks ago, the bench only produced 1 point. And the only loss Mason has suffered this year, a 55-51 defeat against American at home. Taleia Moton and Amber Easter had 19 and 20 points respectively, but the bench only had a single 3 pointer all night. If the bench players like Joyous Tharrington and Cierra Strickland don't turn their minutes into scoring production, this game will no doubt be a tough one to win or secure until the final minutes.