UMBC Stops Mason's Winning Streak at 6 Games, Patriots lose 65-53

Sometimes even good teams have off nights, as George Mason experienced Thursday, as they lost to UMBC 65-53. The Patriots were simply outscored in almost every category: Points in the paint (16-22), points off turnovers (12-18), bench points (9-15), and even rebounding (39-36) a stat they haven't lost in the entire season. But the most egregious statistic from Thursday is the 20 turnovers by Mason, including 7 by the usually extremely dependable guard Rahneeka Saunders. Saunders, along with her counterpart Taleia Moton struggled to find their rhythm on the offensive end, combining to go 4 for 18 from the floor with 13 points. The Retrievers came into the game knowing that the Patriots backcourt combo is one of the most lethal in the area, and were able to shut them down.

UMBC answered with their own strong offensive performance, led by forward Erin Brown (21 points) and guard Michelle Kurowski (19 points, 8 rebounds), the Retrievers fought past the 22 lead changes to gut it out,   with Brown shooting strong from beyond the arc, hitting 5 of 8 three-pointers, including one with 4:51 left to play in the game to give UMBC a 51-49 lead which they never relinquished.

While Mason was unable to get the victory they got to witness strong play from their forward Janaa Pickard. This was the second game in a row where Pickard broke her previous career-high as she put up 17 points, along with grabbing 8 boards. The 6'1 Redshirt Sophomore is starting to prove herself to be a great weapon down low. This game also saw the offensive production return of guard Amber Easter, who had been battling previous injuries, who was able to play 32 minutes and score 14 points and grab 8 rebounds as well. Easter, who started off the season hot before getting hurt, will be another weapon for Mason to rely on as they get into the heavy CAA schedule.

The rise of Pickard, the return of Easter, combined with the usually stellar play of Saunders and Moton gives the 6-2 Patriots some confidence heading into Sunday's showdown with No. 6 Maryland. They will need all the help they can get if they want to pull off a victory against one of the best in the nation. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 pm Sunday.