Road Block: Mason Loses Third Game of Road Set 76-66

Even the resurgence of Junior standout Amber Easter wasn’t enough for the Patriots to win on the road. Easter, a former CAA Rookie of the Year recipient, cashed in with 13 points and 11 rebounds but all in a losing effort as Mason (7-6,1-1) was knocked off 76-66 by CAA rival William and Mary (8-5,1-1). This is the Patriots third loss in as many games, as they end one of their longest road trips of the season. The Tribe whose record was tied with the Patriots prior to tip-off, now moves to a tie for fifth in the overall CAA standing.

The Patriots didn’t waste much time coming out of the gates, as they took an early 4-0 lead. But William and Mary kept it close by going on small runs. There were three first half ties. At the ten minute mark Mason began to pull away, the catalyst a Cierra Strickland 3-pointer. An 11- 6 run would ensue, helping Mason take a ten point lead. The Patriots continued their dominance up until play was halted by a media timeout.

William and Mary came out looking completely different. They came out faster and on point. A Janine Albridge 3-pointer sparked a Tribe frenzy. A 10- 5 run put the score at 33-38 as the halftime buzzer sounded. Mason who was very much in control for the first part of the half was outplayed in last 6 minutes as William and Mary secured three offensive rebounds, all the second chances they would need.

The second half was where we saw a changing of the guard, literally, Coach Porter would go to her bench trading speed for shooting percentage as she swapped guard Ranekaa Saunders for Christine Weithman. The Tribe took advantage as they reeled off an 11-4 run, concluding with a strong pass from Taysha Pye to Emily Correal. The Mason coaching staff had seen enough as they used a 30 second timeout, to help them regain their identify. They went from leading by nine to a tie with less than eight minutes to go. Pye was the best player of the night as she lead all scorers with 21 points to pace William and Mary.

With just two minutes to go Taysha Pye missed a jumper that would have put William and Mary up by 11, surely a healthy lead. But it was strong defense by Mason that forced the miss. Though like the game was for much of the second half the shot was followed up with an offensive rebound, the second chance leading to a trip to the line. The Tribe would grab 16 offensive rebounds. Pye would sink both shots to ultimately ice the game for William and Mary.

Mason who shot a measly 32 percent from the floor in the second half, just couldn’t seem to keep the Tribe at bay. One bright spot in the game was the Patriots free throw shooting as they shot 80 percent for the game, putting their percentage at 71 percent total on this three game road swing.

The Patriots will look for a change in scenery to shake their recent luck, as they head to the Patriot Center for a matchup against number 20 ranked Delaware on January 8th. With 16 contests to play, eight home and eight away George needs seven wins to best their overall record from last year. Tipoff with Delaware is slated for 2pm.