Nothing feels better than grabbing that first win of the season, and the Patriots were able to celebrate their mark at home in front of the Patriot Center faithful on Tuesday night. The great finish in their loss the previous game carried some momentum into the start of this one as George Mason jumped out to a big 37-21 lead at the half. The Patriots resembled almost an entirely different team this game as they found scoring options in the paint, shot well from the floor at the start, and forced plenty of turnovers leading to open looks. The Lady Hawks were able to chip into the Patriot lead somewhat, hitting 3 three-pointers in the first half, two from Jessica Long and the other from TeAmber Burke.
One of the great surprises in two games here for the Patriots is the production from the Pensacola State College transfer Kyana Jacobs. Jacobs had 11 points and 5 rebounds, and now is averaging close to 8 points per game on the season. Two other key contributors for George Mason this game were Janaa Pickard (10 points, 6 rebounds) and Rahneeka Saunders (13 points, 4 steals). The Patriots played brilliantly defensively this game, forcing 21 UMES turnovers and snagging 13 steals.
The second half for the Patriots did not start off on the right foot, as UMES built a steady comeback forcing Mason to call a timeout around 3 minutes in. But a steady salvo of points, combined with a 17-0 run later in the half, helped close out the Lady Hawks for good. This brings the Patriots record overall to 1-1, as they also celebrated Head Coach Jeri Porter's 200th career victory.
George Mason finished their home-stand against Morgan State on Friday at 7 pm.
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