Christine Weithman supplied the offense for George Mason, raining down 3-pointers. But it was the offensive storm by Norfolk State that proved to be too much as the Patriots lost 60-57 at Echols Hall. The Patriots (7-4, 0-1) have dropped two straight games on their current road trip, while Norfolk State (6-7) snaps a five game skid.
The Patriots are now 2-3 on the road, a place that has plagued Mason since Coach Porter took the helm. With only seven road games to go, the Patriots must win at least two more to better their win total from last year. Mason was 3-11 away from the Patriot Center in 2010-11 season.
With the start of the first half, things were not falling the Patriots way. Already three minutes into the game George Mason had totaled two turnovers and no points. The Patriots have been hurt by turnovers over the last three games, averaging a little over 18 turnovers per contest. In tonights game their was a combined 34 turnovers, 16 by George mason. This is not a statistic that will help guide you atop the CAA standings, let alone win games.
Even with the slow start Norfolk couldn’t take advantage. Seven minutes in Mason had gone on a 10-1 run, but Norfolk quickly answered with an 8-1 run of their own. Late in the first half we were witnessing a nail bitter as Joyous Tharrington was at the line with the score tied at 24. After hitting both, Norfolk State provided some more stress for the nerves as Batavia Owens hit a layup with 36 seconds to play.
After being tied at 26 to end the first half, we saw a different style in the second. George Mason kept control of the ball only committing two turnovers for the half. A strong defensive rebound by Weithman, led the Patriots on a break that concluded with Weithman 3-pointer to put the score at 43-44. The sophomore guard finished the game with a game high 14 points, shooting over 50% from the arc.
With 20 seconds to go in the game, the score 56-55 sophomore Whitney Long stepped to line. After connecting on both shots, Norfolk led the game by three. Weithman continued to provide the offense, as she was fouled with 12 ticks to go. She hit both dropping the deficit to just one. A foul by Mason to stop the clock gave sophomore guard Rae Corbo a chance to put her team back up by three. A perimeter jumper by Pickard fell off, and that would seal the win for the Spartans.
The Patriots will look to salvage the final game of this road trip when they take on CAA rival William Mary. Tip off is slated for 7pm in Williamsburg, VA.
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