Patriots Capture First Win of Season, Beat UMES 64-38

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.

Slow Start Plagues Patriots, Lose 62-58 to Oakland

When Mason forward Janaa Pickard hit a jumper 17 seconds into the Patriot's first game of the regular season against Oakland it appeared to set the tone that GMU was going to be a different team on the road this season. Grabbing only four wins away from the Patriot Center last year, Mason had an opportunity to improve on that record right off the bat. But the mood quickly turned sour when it took another five minutes for Mason to score again in a half that found them unable to get anything going as they found themselves stymied by the Golden Grizzlies. While Mason only shot 25% from the floor in that first half, Oakland saw everything go in as they shot 52% from the field including five three-pointers. It was a first half to forget for Mason as they trailed 37-20 at the break.

The offense picked up quite a bit in the second half of play, as the Patriots found their way into a groove. Amber Easter picked up her first double-double of the season, scoring 12 points and snagging 10 rebounds. Pickard finished strong as well, finishing with 10 points. The rebounding improved mightily as well as the Patriots grabbed one more rebound than the Golden Grizzlies, 38-37. Oakland was led by Annemarie Hamlet who finished with 19 points and 4 assists. It may have just been those opening game jitters that kept GMU cold to start, but a 38-25 scoring margin in the second half will hopefully propel Mason heading into their second game.

Preview: GMU vs. Oakland

Another Women's Basketball season is upon us, as the year kicks off with the Lady Patriots visiting the Oakland Golden Grizzlies on November 9th, tip-off scheduled for 5 pm. The 2012-13 campaign brings back some old faces as three starters return: Sr. Guard/Forward Amber Easter (12 ppg, 7 rpg), Redshirt Jr. Forward Janaa Pickard (8.5 ppg 5.6 rpg), and Sr. Guard Rahneeka Saunders (7.5 ppg 5.4 rpg). Sorely missed from last year's graduating class will be the inside presence of Evelyn Lewis and the flashy scoring of Taleia Moton, as GMU will need some of the younger players such as 6'2 Sophomore Talisha Watts and her fellow Sophomore Rachel McNair to help fill the shoes down low.The Patriots finished 15-16 overall last season, losing in the CAA Quarterfinals to JMU. There was plenty of exciting moments last year that Coach Jeri Porter hopes continue to this year's Patriots.

A win on the road to kick off the season would be huge for a team that finished 4-10 on the road last year, one of those four being against these very same Golden Grizzlies (59-48). Look for Pickard to have a strong game as she was able to collect four blocks in last year's victory. Pickard really flourished last season into quite an offensive force, able to hit elbow jumpers on a consistent basis as well as draw fouls. There should be no doubt that she will most likely improve even more on last year's numbers to round out the "Big Three".  Saunders will look to average in double-figures this season with more opportunities now with Moton gone, she will need to have a big scoring game right off the bat to complement the scoring production of Easter.

Some other key names to mention: the sharp-shooting Junior Guard Christine Weithman and the 6'0 Redshirt Senior Forward Joyous Tharrington. Weithman shot close to 40% from long-range last year (2nd on the team) and shoots well from the free-throw stripe. Weithman mainly came off the bench last season but if she can continue to hit bombs on a consistent basis there should be plenty of minutes available for her at shooting guard. Tharrington was another player who really pulled together a strong season, finishing just behind Moton with field goal percentage (.448), also grabbing plenty of boards and making 27 of 33 free-throws last year (.818).

 A major key is limiting turnovers, without Moton handling the ball this year the pressure will be on Saunders to keep those turnover numbers low. They also can't let Oakland have any second chances, losing Lewis down low with her rebounding ability will be tough, but Mason has some players who can really clean up the glass. If they can accomplish these things, GMU can start off the year on the right foot.  

Keep Up to Date with the Patriots on Twitter, See you in the Fall!

Patriots Fall to JMU, Lose Third Straight to the Dukes 54-64 in CAA Quarterfinals

The Patriots came as close as 4 points aginst the JMU Dukes on Friday in the quarterfinals of the CAA tournament, but just could not come up with the right stuff to finish. JMU would win the game 64-54 to advance to the semifinals of the CAA tournament against Drexel.

Mason would be defensively shutdown by JMU's defenders Tarik Hislop and Nikki Newman who forced a combined 9 steals on the night. The Patriot's would go into halftime with a 4 point lead though, but would be unable to handle the strategy the Dukes would throw at them in the second half.


In the second half, JMU would switch back and forth between a one-on-one defense and a zone. This defensive strategy by the Dukes helped hold the Patriots to 33.3% shooting in the second half, which would lead to Mason losing the rebounding battle 18 to 24 in the half. The JMU defense would contain Taleia Moton to 4 of 13 shooting from the field in the second half, as well as holding Amber Easter to 1 of 4 shooting in  the half. The defensive statistics as well as points off of turnovers, 5 to 14 in favor of JMU, is what helped fuel JMU to the victory. Overall JMU would be more aggressive down low and driving in the lane, which lead to the high differential of free-throw attempts 15 to 37 in favor of JMU. Overall the aggressiveness of JMU's forward Nikki Newman on the boards and forcing fouls down low really put the nail in the coffin for the Patriots.

Mason finishes the season with 15 wins and 16 losses overall, but once again improving on the previous year's record. Watching the Patriots this year should give Mason fans a lot of hope for next season, as the trio of  Amber Easter, Janaa Pickard, and Rahneeka Saunders return and will be the big time play-makers in the CAA as they average 12, 8.5, and 7.5 points per game. The achievements of seniors Taleia Moton, Evelyn Lewis, and Amber Epps cannot be stressed enough in helping this George Mason program achieve its first tournament win in six years.

The positive legacy that these seniors leave behind will leave a lasting impact for years to come on this program. Best of luck to them in the the future. Thank you for your hard work.

George Mason vs. James Madison, CAA Quarterfinals Preview

The Patriots, coming off their first CAA tournament win since 2006, have a giant roadblock standing in their way   of advancing to the semifinal round: the JMU Dukes. Though the Patriots fell twice to Madison during the regular season they definitely have shown that this is a Patriot squad capable of pulling off the upset

Let's first look at some of the numbers between the two teams.
Scoring average: JMU 63.2 ppg GMU 63.3 ppg
Field Goal Percentage: JMU 36.6% GMU 39.6%

Clearly these are two high-powered offenses capable of putting up plenty of points at will. The first time these two teams played, Madison won by four points, 49-45. The second time they faced off George Mason fell again, 66-54, but the final score was not indicative of how close this game really was. Mason edges out JMU on both Field Goal Percentage and Scoring Average.

Next up are the numbers for Assists, Blocks, and Steals.
Assists: JMU 12 GMU 12.7
Blocks: JMU 4.6 GMU 4.4
Steals: JMU 7.4 GMU 7

Again the numbers are very evenly matched across the board. Though the large difference in regular season records, George Mason and James Madison are two very evenly matched teams.

Key Players: JMU's Tarik Hislop. The 5'7 Junior guard is averaging a team-high 14.7 points per game and was named to All-CAA Second Team.

GMU's Taleia Moton. Moton has singlehandedly won ball games for her team this year with her ability to take over the offense. Look for Moton to try and ensure her Mason career does not end tonight.

5:00 PM Tip-Off, CAA Quarterfinals at the Showcase Arena

The Patriots Silence the Huskies 70-60, Advance to the CAA Quarterfinals for the First Time Since 2006

The George Mason women's basketball team did something they hadn't done since 2006, win a CAA tournament game.  On Thursday the #7 seeded Patriots traveled to the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro Maryland and faced off against the very hot #10 seeded Northeastern Huskies. It was a back and forth match-up that had 15 lead changes between the two teams, but once the Patriots got the lead they would hold on to it 70-60.

Evelyn Lewis played tough since the tip

The key for Mason (15-15, 8-10) finally quenching their post-season winless drought was their focus and understanding of who they were playing and how they had to beat them. Coach Porter talked post game on how they knew Northeastern's  record (8-22, 6-12) was deceiving, saying "We thought, minus Delaware, they were the hottest team in the league coming into the tournament". Coach Porter also acknowledged that she felt both  Northeastern's starting forwards deserved All-Conference Team honors, saying "Not sure why Jewel Tunstull or Christine Hurber weren't on any of them, they are amazingly good". Both players showed why Coach Porter made sure to scout them pre-game. Both Tunstull and Huber both exceeded their season averages in scoring, tallying 15 and 25 points respectively to lead Northeastern. But the Mason defense did a good job to make it tough on the rest of the shooters including All-CAA Third team selection Deanna Kerkhof who only had 5 points on 2 of 8 shooting, 10 points below here conference scoring average.

Even with Mason's efficient defense, the Patriot's were still down 4 points with around 7 minutes remaining in the game. This is the point in which Coach Porter pointed out that this Patriot team has really changed from the beginning of the season, "We have matured I think into a team that knows how to put 40 minutes together and that's not something we've been able to say all season long". 

Mason was focused from the beginning, playing unselfish

Down the stretch in this game I personally  saw a totally different team then I've seen all year. The passing went all around the perimeter, inside and out, until the person with the best shot or path to the hoop was open and took it. This win truly was a win for the team, even though Taelia Moton had 20 points and Amber Easter had a double-double with 22 points-13 rebounds. From the point that Mason tied the game at 57-57 on a Janaa Pickard jumper with 6:43 remaining, the Patriots would hold Northeastern to just 1 of 9 shooting till the final buzzer. On the other hand in the same time frame, the Patriots would go 7 of 9 from the field with 4 different players recording a field goal or made free-throw. And you may ask where did this killer instinct come from all of a sudden? It can best be described by Amber Easter who said "We knew that this was a game we needed to win, and wanted to see tomorrow".

The Patriots also set a Colonial Athletic Association tournament record in a stat nobody would ever believe, consecutive free-throws made. Mason went an incredible 18 of 18 from the line for 100% efficency. This shows the focus of the Patriots when players like Evelyn Lewis and Janaa Pickard, who shoot 50% and 68% for the free-throw line, are able to go a combined 8 of 8 from the stripe. That is 18 free points the Patriots converted, and it helped keep them in the game when they would get down early. Senior leader Taleia Moton nailed it on the head when she commented "We practice that(free-throws) everyday, and we knew stepping up to that line we needed to focus....Sometimes in a close game it comes down to that one or two free-throws".

Nikki Newman names Defense POY in CAA

Now Mason gets to look forward to facing the JMU Dukes for the 2nd time in 10 days. In the last match-up, the Patriots lost 54-66 in a game that was closer then the score appears.  In our wrap up post of the team's last meeting, we highlighted that Evelyn Lewis had her way early in that game but then seemed to trail off towards the second half. In Friday's match-up, Mason will need Lewis to be as aggressive as she has ever been if the Patriots want to pull the upset over the #2 seeded James Madison Dukes. The Patriots have a big chance to win this game, but they will have to move the ball similar to what they did in the last 5-6 minutes against Northeastern, and box-out against the CAA Defensive Player of the Year Nikki Newman as well as fight through the screens in order to maintain tight one-on-one defense.

Tip-off is 5pm on Friday Feburary 9th at the Show Place Arena between #7 George Mason (15-15) and #2 JMU (23-6).

Taleia Moton and Three Other Patriots Take Home Honors at CAA Awards Ceremony

Senior guard Taleia Moton continues to cement her lasting legacy at George Mason University by being selected All-Colonial Athletic Association First Team. This is Moton's first time being selected, but it is also the first time George Mason University has had a player receive that acknowledgement since it was awarded to Jen Derevjanik in 2004.

Taleia Moton is most deserving of the honor of being  on the All-CAA First Team solely based on her stats. At the culmination of the regular season she was averaging 20.7 points per game, ranking her 12th in the nation, with a field goal percentage of 44.9%. But Taleia has done more then just score hoops. She hauls down 4 rebounds a game, leads the team with 66 steals(21 more then 2nd ranked Rahneeka Saunders), and is second on the team in assists with 69 or 2.4 per game.

But the awards that Coach Porter and her staff really should be most proud of is having three players being recognized as Honorable Mentions for the CAA All-Academic Team. Janaa Pickard, Joyous Tharrington, and Cierra Strickland all received this recognition for their work outside and inside of the gym. What makes this more impressive is that these three players are not ones that don't ever see court time or are injured and all they do is study. To even be considered for an All-Academic Team, in most cases, you must play in 50% of your team's games as well as be beyond your first year enrolled at the institution. Sophomore Janaa Pickard is a starting foward who averages 28 minutes a game along with 8 points per contest.  Junior Joyous Tharrington is a emerging player who averages 15 minutes of court time, and contributes 3.8 ppg. Finally sophomore Cierra Strickland averages just over 9 minutes a game and 1.7 ppg. Coach Porter and her coaching staff should be proud to see that while improving their overall record every season, they are not compromising the education of their student-athletes. Also keep in mind that Taleia Moton has already achieved her Bachelor's degree in Communication's and is already pursuing a second degree.

The CAA Awards Banquet was a great showing for Coach Porter and the state of the Mason women's basketball program. Last year the team only had 2 players recieving recognition, and this year it was doubled. The voting is done by coaches, and it shows that coaches are more and more starting to realize the this Mason team  and program is something to be respected.

Just a note, Player of the Year in the conference went to University of Delaware junior Elena Delle Donne. She who won it for the second time and leads the NCAA in scoring with 28.3 ppg. Delle Donne has pushed the Blue Hen's to #7 national ranking and a 27-1 record overall.

#7 Seeded Patriots Look to Improve on the Past, Forge Ahead in the CAA Tournament

George Mason (14-15, 8-10) comes into Friday's 5pm opening round match-up against the #10 seed Northeastern Huskies (8-21, 6-12) looking to avenge last year's performance, a first round knock out as a #8 seed against Georgia State, and move forward to break the Patriot's CAA tournament winless drought.


Mason has not been in the CAA Championship Game since 2006, and hasn't been a top 4 seed since the 2004 season. The Patriots have not won a CAA tournament game in almost 6 years, so you may ask, why is their hope for this season? The answer is Coach Porter and her rejuvenation of the program.

When Coach Jeri Porter left Radford University and took over the George Mason program in 2008, she inherited a struggling team who has just finished the previous season 11th in the 12 team conference. In her first two years at Mason Coach Porter doubled the win totals overall, but the Patriots' were still finishing #11 and #12 in the conference. Then came the breakout 2010-2011 season.  The Patriots won 7 conference games and improved their win total from the previous season by +3 victories which helped them achieve their highest standing in the CAA tournament since 2005, a #8 seed.

Coach Porter and the Patriots have once again improved on last year's record, by being +1 in conference victories and earning a #7 seed in the 2012 CAA tournament.  This Mason squad came into the season only returning 2 starters, Amber Easter and Taleia Moton, but still improved on their previous season's record.  Coach Porter has really helped to tailor this offense to the strengths of its guards and their speed, which has allowed Moton and Easter to pushed their scoring averages up +8 and +2 respectively from last season. This has lead to Moton being the #12 ranked scorer in the nation, and giving her the ability to take over a game for the Patriots during crunch time.

This Patriot team is  unique from the past in that they have a a variety of ways they can beat an opponent. Their is no doubt Mason has lost games they should have  won, especially in conference, but in losses against top teams they have shown their true abilities. Mason has a variety of ways they can score on an opponent, either pressing the ball or playing half court. Rahneeka Saunders is one of the most underrated ball handlers in the CAA who quickly and unselfishly gives the ball up to the person with the best opportunity to score. Senior star Taleia Moton has the unique skills at being 5'6 to either blow by you with her speed on the dribble, or to step back and drain a jumper.  Then you have the wild card player, forward Janaa Pickard, who came into this year having missed all last season with an injury. The 6'1 sophomore forward is averaging 8.6 ppg as a starter, but her unique ability comes from shooting from mid-range and long distance. On the season she is hitting 39% from the 3-point line, and has show the ability to battle down low or take a defender outside for a 15-foot jumper.

Finally Coach Porter has a complied group of role and bench players capable of giving quality production during tough tournament games. Guard Christine Weithman at times this season has shown the ability to be a real threat off the bench, averaging 4 ppg and hitting 38.5% from beyond the 3-point arc. Weithman is a streak shooter, but something that makes this Mason team unique and dangerous if she gets hot.   With the added contribution of guard Joyous Tharrington and forward Cierra Strickland, and you have a very deep and skilled bench for the Patriots to use in the CAA tournament.

If you add all the above factors with a Mason defense that is only allowing oppnents to shoot 37.8%, which ranks them 3rd in the conference and the highest they've placed in that category since before 2004, then you have a Patriot squad capable of breaking the tournament wins drought.

Dukes Show Their Bite, Spoil Senior Night: Mason Falls to JMU 66-54

Senior Amber Epps was honored

Mason came into their game Wednesday night against JMU knowing that if they won, they had a firm chance to secure a #6 seed in the CAA tournament and avoid having to play the Dukes possibly twice in 10 days. On senior night when Taleia Moton, Evelyn Lewis, and Amber Epps were all honored for all they have done for George Mason women's basketball, fortunes did not fall the Patriots way. As the final whistle sounded their would be no celebrating for Mason, as the Patriots would fall to the Dukes 66-54.

This was a game of scoring runs, in which JMU would build a lead as large as 12, and then Mason would clamp down to try to crawl closer. Mason however would never lead in this game, unless you count the first bucket they scored with 32 seconds in the game to make it 2-0.

The first half was a precursor to the second half for the Patriots. In the first-half Mason shot 40% from the field, compared to JMU's 33%, but yet the Patriots still trailed by 1 after the first 20 minutes. Mason had a huge opportunity in the first-half to take hold of the game, but failed to do it. JMU operated their offense, pushing the ball up and attempting 6 more attempts then the Patriots in the half. Even tho the Dukes weren't shooting efficiently, they still were able to score because of tough defense and scoring 7 points off of Mason's 8 turnovers in the first half. Keep in mind Mason only had 9 total turnovers in the whole game, so this sloppy play really kept JMU in the game early when they were having trouble hitting a shot.

Senior Taleia Moton was held in check with just 15 pts

Early in the game it seemed as though Mason was trying to set a tone by going strong in the paint with Evelyn Lewis, who was easily more physical than any post player on JMU's roster. In the first 7 minutes of the game Lewis went 3 for 3, all down low with layups and hooks within 3 feet of the basket. Overall Lewis would go 5 of 10 from the field for 10 points, but it seemed Mason seemed to abandon her towards the end of the first half and continuing into the second half when JMU would hit a few quick shots to push the lead to double digits. Mason would settle for tough 17-20 ft jump shots instead of hammering the ball down low where Lewis had complete control of the post. I seemed more to be more practical to take your chances with your size advantage down low even with the point differential, especially when Taleia Moton was having a bit of a off-night in which she missed drives and lay-ups that normally go in with her eyes closed.

Senior Evelyn Lewis 10 pts, 5 rbs 

The second half was a complete different story for the JMU offense, as they really put the pressure on the Mason defense by putting up 42 points and shooting 48% in the half. JMU's Kirby Burkholder began the half by hitting back-to-back 3's to contribute to her 13 points and 13 rebounds on the night. Overall the the Dukes scoring was complimented by their rebounding, with both Burkholder and  Nikki Newman(15 pts, 12 rbs) both grabbing double digit boards and points. Nikki Newman was truly a huge mismatch for the Patriots with her 6'2 frame and ability to drive hard or step back and shoot the jumper. But it wasn't just about one or two players carrying the Dukes to victory. JMU had 4 of the 5 starters scoring at least 13 points on the night, showing the balance of shot attempts across the court and thus putting pressure on the defense to secure all points of attack.

Amber Easter came off the bench to lead Mason with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Coach Porter did the classy thing and started seldom used senior Amber Epps in place of Easter for the first 3 minutes of the game.  Easter has definitely grown as a play-maker/do-it-all for the Patriots, but even she only shot 35% on 6 of 17 from the field. Overall the Patriots would keep themselves in it with some of the best free-throw shooting they've had all season, 15 of 16 for 93% in the second half, but they would get no closer then within 4 points with 4:07 remaining in the game.

With the loss against JMU, the Patriots have clinched the #7 seed for the CAA tournament and are set to meet the Northeastern Huskies (8-21, 6-12) on Thursday March 8th in the opening round match-up. Mason has met Northeastern twice this season, beating them big at home 75-62 but losing narrowly on the road in Boston 54-58.  Northeastern may only have won 6 of 18 games in conference, but in the last two and a half weeks they have won 5 of their last 6 in beating two of the CAA's top 4 teams ( James Madison, Hofstra). This is definatly a extremely tough matchup for Mason, as Northearstern seems to be getting hot at the right time, and the Patriots have recently gone cold losing their last 4 of 6.

Stay tuned for our tournament preview!

The Silencing of the Rams: Mason Gets Sweep of VCU, Looks Forward to Senior Night Against JMU

The Patriots (14-14, 8-9) traveled to the Verizon Wireless Arena in Richmond just one day after the Mason men's basketball team was defeated on national television by the VCU men's basketball team. The women came into the game seeking to settle the score between the in-state rivals, as well as improve their overall record back to an even .500. The Patriots did this in convincing fashion by securing the lead with 11:13 left in the first half and never giving it up until they had sealed the victory 69-59.

Lewis had a solid night w/ 8 and 10

As stated in our preview for this match-up, in order for the Patriot's to secure a victory they would have to limit the threat of VCU's all-star forward Courtney Hurt. And while Mason did not by any means take her out of the game or shut her down, the defensive presence by Evelyn Lewis and Janaa Pickard held Hurt to below her averages in both scoring and rebounding. Courtney Hurt came in shooting 45.9% from the field, and the Mason defense was able to limit her to only hitting 8 of 19 from the field (42%).

The second thing we  stated Mason needed to focus on was limiting the effectiveness of the role players on VCU, thus putting more pressure on Courtney Hurt to force shots and put the team on her back. Mason did this to a certain extent, allowing only one VCU player not having the name "Hurt" on the back their jersey to score in double-digits. Andrea Barbour of VCU had 18 points on 50%  shooting from the field, but the other three Ram starters only combined for 6 of 19 (31.5%)  from the field and 14 total points. Mason effectively played team defense for the full 40 minutes, forcing the Rams into 17 turnovers with tough on-ball pressure coming from Rahneeka Saunders and Taleia Moton who both had 3 steals apiece.

Strickland had 8 points in 18 mins

Overall Mason was able to get their second win against VCU this season because of a strong TEAM game. Taleia Moton and Amber Easter combined for 35 points on 13 of 26 (50%) shooting from the field. Evelyn Lewis had a very solid offense night to go along with her great defensive performance, scoring 8 points (4 of 7) and hauling in 8 rebounds. And to top it all off, the most surprising figure of the night had to be in the column of Sophomore guard Cierra Strickland. Strickland, who came into the game only averaging 1.7 points in extremely limited action, scored 8 points in just 18 minutes of court time. Solid bench production like this is what separates an average Mason team, from being a a good or great basketball team.

Mason looks to continue their success as they conclude the regular season at home in the Patriot Center celebrating Senior Night. The Patriot will be playing an incredibly crucial game for the final CAA standings against JMU. A win could give the Patriots a #6 seed in the CAA tournament which would give them the advantage of playing the latest game of the first round, thus the most time to prepare for the opening round match-up. A win over JMU and achieving a #6 seed would match the Patriots up with the #11 seed, who based on Wednesday night's results, will most likely be Georgia State whom Mason just defeated in overtime a few weeks ago. From that point on a win would move them into a match-up with the #3 seed, whom based on Wednesday's results could be either Drexel or Hofstra. Mason has played both teams only once, and has beaten Drexel in Philly (56-51) while losing to Hofstra (70-82) in Fairfax.

A win over JMU will not be easy, as the Patriot have already fallen to the Dukes on the road 45-49 in a nail-biter. A victory tomorrow over a top 4 CAA opponent is important not only for team confidence, but it can potentially give the Patriot's an easier road to the conference championship game.

Looking for another reason you may or may not want to win tomorrow?  If Mason were to lose tomorrow, get the #7 seed and still advance past the first round of the CAA tournament, they would face the #2 seed JMU Dukes guaranteed in the second round. Playing the same team twice in a matter of a 10 days can be a good or bad thing, but playing a good team like the Dukes to advance in a one-and-done tournament would most likely be a road the Patriots want to avoid.

Once Again the Patriot face-off Wednesday night at 7pm in the Patriot Center. You can tune into WGMU Radio for live coverage of the game.

Mason Gets Pecked by the Blue Hens 53-71, Look to Herd the Rams of VCU

The #8 Delaware Blue Hen's (25-1) were not only one of the hottest teams coming into the match-up against George Mason (13-14) on Thursday, but were one of the hottest teams in the entire nation. Delaware made sure that Mason would not be the team to derail them from their current 15 game winning streak, beating the Patriots 71-53 in Newark. Currently the Blue Hen's are defeating their opponents by an average of 16.2 ppg through the last 5 contests.

Donne Leads NCAA in Scoring

This second meeting between the Blue Hen's and the Patriots was reminiscent of the first match-up, in that no one could stop Delaware's dynamic scorer Elena Delle Donne. Delaware's Della Donne, the multi-sport ex-Connecticut Huskie recruit, reached her NCAA leading scoring average when she dropped 28 points along with 11 rebounds on the Patriots Thursday night. Taleia Moton did her best to keep the Patriots on pace with the offensive output of Delaware, as she contributed 18 points in the game, but only shot 35% from the field on the night.

The rest of the four Mason starters went 9 of 33 from the field for a dismal 27.7% shooting percentage for the game. Coming into the game Mason knew that Delle Donne was going to get her points, but it would be important to make her work for them and to neutralize her teammate's contributions. Unfortunately the Patriots weren't able to do this, allowing Delaware to shoot 49% for the game, with Danielle Parker compiling a double-double(14 pts, 12 rbs) and Lauren Carra scoring 11 points along with 7 rebounds.

For games that Mason have won this season, the production of Janaa Pickard and Amber Easter have been key to accompanying Taleia Moton's steady performances over the season. Since the game that the Patriots played the Hofstra Pride on February 12th, in which Pickard had 17 and 10 while Easter had 19 and 11, neither of these players have had a double-digit scoring output since. Against Delaware, the duo of Pickard and Easter combined only for 13 points on 5 of 21 shooting from the field. This recipe of poor shooting from the starters, and the lack of defense overall, is what ultimately lead to the blow-out victory for Delaware.

Tharrington had 10 pts vs UD

The bright spot of the night was the performance of the Patriot's transfer-junior forward Joyous Tharrington, who had one of her best performances of the season. All year long in limited time she has shown the skill to score, but has never been given a full-time opportunity. On Thursday though, Tharrington played 26 minutes while scoring 10 points on 5 of 9 shooting and hauling in 6 rebounds. It was encouraging to see her get meaningful minutes in a important game, while shooting the ball efficiently. This is something that Coach Porter can build upon going into the CAA tournament and onto next season, knowing that Tharrington in able and ready to step her game up to playing big time minute productively.

 Hurt ranks 1st in Rebounds in NCAA

Up next for the Patriots is their final road game of the season at rival VCU.  The Patriots again must go up against not only one of the best players in the CAA, but one of the best in the entire NCAA. VCU's forward Courtney Hurt is currently ranked 9th in scoring (21.9 ppg) and 1st in rebounding (13.1 rpg)  in the NCAA.

In Mason's first match-up at home this season against the Rams, Evelyn Lewis and the rest of the forwards were able to effectivly contain Courtney Hurt to only 5 total rebounds and only 17 points (7 of 17) in 39 minutes of court time. In the similar case of Delle Donne, Courtney Hurt is going to score her points. But Mason in the first match-up, clearly made it difficult for her to score limiting her to only 41% shooting and close to a season low in rebounds. This led to a Mason win against the Rams by 13 points.

But this was almost 5 weeks ago and this time the Patriots are on the road where they have only won 3 games all season. The Patriots will need to apply the same principles they did the first time around with tough pressure form Evelyn Lewis down low and a balanced scoring attack of Pickard, Easter, and Moton.

Tip-off is set for 2pm today, Sunday the 26th in Richmond.

Moton set the single season scoring record vs UD

We also want to recognize that Taleia Moton broke the single-season scoring record during Thursday game against Delaware. The previous scoring mark for George Mason women's basketball was 549 points set by Keri Chaconas in the 95-96' season. With Moton's 18 points against Delaware, she has now set the new single-season mark at 565 and will look to add to it Sunday against VCU. Taleia is currently the nation's 12th ranked scorer with 21 ppg. Congrats Taleia!

Two Overtimes, Two Different Results for George Mason

For the first time since the 1994-95 season, the George Mason Patriots participated in back to back overtime games. Mason split the two contests, first losing to Towson on Thursday 70-68, then beating Georgia State by the same score on Sunday: 70-68. The victory brought Mason to 7-8 in the CAA and 13-13 overall with three very tough games ahead: at Deleware, at VCU, and finally at home hosting JMU.

Thursday's game found Mason on the wrong end of a hot Tigers team, with Towson looking for their fourth straight victory. The Patriots started off slow, with two turnovers and a missed layup, before finding their groove with a Rahneeka Saunders jumper. Mason struggled with their turnovers throughout the game, finishing with 18. Christine Weithman gave the Patriots their first lead, 19-16, of the ball game with a three-ball with 8:54 left in the first half. Weithman finished with 9 points, hitting 3 of 3 from downtown. 


Mason went on a 6-0 run to end the first half to give themselves a 34-30 lead at the break. Towson shot 36% from the floor in the first half (12-33), while Mason shot 47% (11-23). The Patriots kept things rolling in the second half, pushing their lead to 42-32 with an Amber Easter jumper. Suddenly something clicked in the Tigers, as they went on a 19-6 run over the next seven minutes to take back the lead 51-48 with 5:36 left in regulation. Towson was paced by the play of Krystal Parnell who finished with 18 points and 6 assists. Also vital for the Tigers offense was guard Tanisha McTiller, who had 16 points and 4 rebounds. 

The teams finished 59-59 to end regulation, and traded baskets throughout the first few minutes of the overtime period. Trailing by two, Evelyn Lewis hit a turn-around lay-up to knot the score up at 68 with 1:31 left.Mason's poor handling of the basketball ending up looming large, as a Mason turnover with 13 seconds left gave Towson the ball and the final possession. Sheree Ledbetter put back a missed Parnall jumper with two seconds left to give the Tigers their 70-68 victory. Evelyn Lewis and and Taleia Moton had 15 points apiece to lead the Patriots. Amber Easter added 9 points and 6 rebounds.

George Mason found themselves in a very similar game on Sunday against Georgia State at home. Another signature slow start for the Patriots was ended by a 10-0 run to give Mason the 16-6 advantage with 6:22 left in the first half. Taleia Moton and company pushed the lead up to 28-18 at the end of one half to play. Moton finished with a game-high 31 points. Georgia State's leading scorer was Cody Paulk, who had 18 points and 7 rebounds. 

The Panthers took advantage of Mason turnovers to start the second half, cutting the score to 30-28 with with 18:13 left in regulation. Georgia State slowly worked up a lead, overtaking the Patriots 47-42 with 8:47 after two buckets from Paulk. Two free-throws from Moton tied things at 57-57 at the end of regulation. Taleia proved yet again her dominance, hitting the clutch free throws to give Mason the win with .1 seconds left. This was the 6th game this season in which Moton scored 30+ points. 

Mason heads to Deleware on Thursday for a 7 pm tipoff. 

Keith's Keys to the Game: GMU vs. Hofstra

Mason faces one of their last big games of the season, as they host Hofstra (16-7, 8-4) at home in the Patriot Center. Hofstra is currently tied for 3rd place in the CAA standings, and only 1 game behind of 2nd place James Madison. George Mason (12-11, 6-6) is currently in 5th place within the CAA, but with a win could move up to a tie for 4th. It is key for the Patriots to finish strong the last few weeks of the season because the top 4 teams in conference get a bye in the in the Quarterfinal round of the CAA tournament, as the bracket shows on the conference website. Mason will look to pounce on the Hofstra Pride, as they come in losing their last two games including a 16 point blow-out at VCU.


What to Watch For:


1) Shante Evans, Jr-Forward, Hofstra:

Shante Evans is #32 in Nation in scoring

Shante Evans has been an absolute beast outside of conference, but most importantly, even better in conference. Evans comes in averaging 18.2 points per game on the season, ranking her #32 in the nation in scoring.  Within conference games alone, she is averaging more then 19 ppg. As a junior forward, she ranks 4th in the CAA in points per game, as well as 3rd in rebounding  with 10.1 per game. Evans doesn't just shoot the ball alot, but she does it efficiently. Evans ranks 7th in the CAA shooting 49.7 % from the field, mostly down low on the blocks. Around the conference most forwards struggle with free throw shooting, but Evans ranks 15th in the CAA hitting 73.5 from the charity stripe. Evelyn Lewis will have to play superb defense  on the 6-foot tall Evans, or she will burn the Patriots all day down low either with two's down low or at the line.

 2) Limit Easy Scoring Opportunities:

#2 Candace Bond Leads CAA in steals  w/ 3,2 per game

Currently Hofstra comes into this match-up leading the CAA in scoring, even above #12 Delaware, with the Pride averaging 75.8 points per game. Hofstra is led by 3 players who are averaging more then 10 points per gam, including Shante Evans(18.2), Katelyn Loper(13.9), and Nicole Capurso(11.7). But more then balanced scoring attack of Hofstra is the tenacious defense that has lead to their 10.5 steals per game average,  which ranks them 2nd in the CAA. This is not to say that the Hofstra defense is by any means dominant, as they are giving up 71 points per game, but they are a team that looks to convert on another teams miscues. Candace Bond of Hofstra leads the CAA in steals at 3.2 per game, and with her great length at being 5'10 she is a formidable defender even when she does not get the steal. Hofstra has 3 players in the top 15 of the conference who average more then 1.5 steals per game, and Mason will need to be sure they secure the ball and not make lazy passes cross court or down low.

3) Rebound the Ball:

Rebounding is a part of Mason's game that they have struggled with during different parts of the season so far, but it will a major factor the Patriots will have to focus and hold their own against Hofstra. Hofstra leads the rebounding categories head-to-head against Mason, both offensive and defensive, coming into this game. But the specific rebound catagory Mason should focus the most attention on is the defensive end, where the Pride rank 2nd in conference hauling in 28 defensive rebounds per game compared to the Patriots' 24.9. This not might seem like a big deficit on paper, but these five extra rebounds could be five less scoring opportunities that you give to the highest scoring offense in the league in Hofstra. Amber Easter and Evelyn Lewis both rank in the top 15 in overall rebounding in the CAA with just over 6 per game, and they will have to show up and be a factor on that side of the ball in this match-up for Mason to win this game. It will be important for those two players to battle hard to box-out and try to neutralize Hoftra's double-double threat that is Shante Evans.

Tip-off is set for 2pm at the Patriot Center in Fairfax. This will be Mason's first and only match-up against Hofstra this season, making the game and the potential tie-breaker implications all the more important. You can listen to the action live her on WGMUradio.com.

Mason Muzzles the Huskies, Beat Northeastern 75-62

      Patriots fans can rejoice, as George Mason returns back to the land above .500, improving their overall record to 12-11. The 6th place Patriots also improved their conference record to 6-6, while Northeastern falls down to 2-10. Taleia Moton led the way with 16 points, but it was the star of Amber Easter who shone brightest with her fifth double-double of the season: 14 points and 10 rebounds. Two fellow Patriots scored in double digits, as Rahneeka Saunders scored 14 points and Janaa Pickard added 11. Christine Huber led the scoring for the Huskies with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

       Saunders began the game the right way for Mason, connecting on a jumper just 11 seconds after the tip-off. The Huskies immediately answered the call, going on a 13-8 run after a layup from Huber. A pair of jumpers by Saunders brought the lead back to the Patriots, as they led 16-15 with just under ten minutes left in the first half. In a game full of runs, the Huskies embarked on a 9-0 run led by Huber and her counterpart Dani Iervolino. Iervolino finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists while also hitting five three-pointers. Two jumpers from Christine Weithman gave the Patriots the close 35-32 lead at the end of one half of play.

      In the second half it was all George Mason, as the Patriots slowly and methodically built up their lead. Four unanswered baskets from Pickard gave Mason their first double-digit lead with under ten minutes left.The Huskies cut the deficit as close as nine points, until Taleia Moton put the finishing blows on the victory. The Patriots led in almost every major offensive category: Points in the paint (30-22), points off turnovers (17-8), 2nd chance points (19-10), and fast break points (10-0). Also impressive was the production of the bench, as they outscored Northeastern 15-0.

      Mason will welcome Hofstra this Sunday for the WBCA Pink Zone Breast Cancer Awareness game. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 pm.

The Dog Days of Winter: Mason Falls against JMU, Host the Northeastern Huskies Thursday

Just when Mason (11-11, 5-6) seemed to be turning their road woes around, they lose a critical game in nail-biting fashion 49-45 against the Dukes of James Madison (17-5, 8-3) in Harrisonburg.

The road loss against JMU is not only heart breaking because the win could have put them into a tie for 5th or possibly 4th in the CAA, but because Mason had almost every opportunity to win the game in the second half and still came out with a "L". The Patriots by no means shot well on the night, only 31% as a team from the field, but compared to JMU' terrible shooting (22%) it should've been enough to win them the game. JMU's low shooting percentage is no doubt in part due to the tough defense that the Patriots put on the Dukes, but this aggressive defense is also one of the factors that helped JMU win the game.

In the game JMU would never have a lead larger than 7 points, and that lead came with 10:41 left in the second half. The 7 point lead with 10:41 left  was also the last time JMU would score a field goal the rest of the game, yet Mason was still unable to overtake the Dukes to win the contest. Over that 10 minute span with the score at 41-34, and even with inability to hit a jumper, JMU forced the ball to the hoop and was able to convert free-throws in order to seal the ballgame away. Anyone who watched this game and saw the statistic for overall free-throws attempted, could plainly see why JMU was victorious in this game down the stretch. Time and time again on this blog we have stressed the need for Mason to force and convert more free-throws, because they truly are "free points".

Lauren Whitehurst had 12 rebounds vs. GMU

In the 4 point loss at JMU, Mason was only able to get FOUR total free-throw attempts compared to the Dukes' TWENTY-NINE attempts. This is not just a lopsided stat, it is almost unfathomable.  Their are a few ways you can justify the horrible ratio above, either that the referees were overwhelmingly biased to JMU, or that in reality the Dukes just played harder on the offensive end to force the ball inside and out to create shot opportunities. I'm going with the latter. The fact is the JMU forwards of Toia Giggett, Lauren Whitehurst, and Crystal Ross attempted 16 of the total 29 free-throws on the night, which shows their was a game plan to pound the ball inside to either score or to force the ref into calling a foul.

Another stat that goes along with the lopsided free-throw attempts, is the fact that Mason got destroyed on the offensive boards by a margin of 16 to 28 in favor of JMU. These 28 offensive boards would lead to the 19 second chance points that the Dukes compiled in the game. Now bring together the uneven free-throw attempts, the lack of offensive rebounding, and the fact that Mason turned the ball over 6 times (18 total in the game) in the critical 10 minute span to end the game; mix it all together and it is a recipe for defeat.

#32 Deanna Kerkhof--14ppg

On Thursday night the Patriots will look to go to .500 in conference play as they take on the bottom dweller Northeastern Huskies (4-18, 2-9) in Fairfax. Mason last faced Northeastern on January 12th in Boston and were narrowly defeated 58-54. In that game Deanna Kerkhof dropped 25 points for the Huskies, her second highest output through 22 games this season, while Mason would be lead by Taleia Moton's 21 points. Deanna is a tall (5'11) and dynamic guard who, even though is only averaging around 14 ppg, is able to score in bunches and can drop 20+ any night of the week. It will be the job of the Mason coaching staff to pin-point her on the court this time around. Another player to watch out for is play maker Jamie Conroy who is averaging just around 9 points and 5 assists per game. Jamie's ability to see the open court so well translates over to the defensive end, where she leads the Huskies in total steals on the season. Look for Jamie to be on the court for most of the night trying to cause mayhem for the Mason guards, as shes ranks second on the team in average minutes  played with 34 per game.

Saunders is 2nd on the team w/1.5 Stls per game 

For Mason to be victorious and avoid the sweep by Northeastern, the Patriots will have to force the Huskies into more turnovers then they did in the first match-up. The Huskies on the season are averaging an abundant 19 turnovers per game, but the Patriots were only able to force 9 in the first match-up. Turnovers often lead to easy scoring opportunities, and when Mason forced 9, they were able to convert those mistakes into 18 points against Northeastern. So if Mason can intensify the defense, led by play makers Rahneeka Saunders and Taleia Moton, then the Patriots should find themselves with an exponentially greater amount of easy scoring opportunities than they did in the first meeting.

Mason return to the Patriot Center where they have played  dominantly this season going 8-3 at home and 4-1 against CAA opponents. Since Northeastern's victory against Mason on January 12th, the Huskies have lost 6 of the last 7 games. 


Tip-off is set for 7pm, and you can listen live at WGMUradio.com for all the action.

Dragon Slayers! Mason Takes Down Drexel 56-51 in Philly

In a game that on most nights the Patriots (11-10, 5-5) would have lost, they hung together and pulled off a key road win at Drexel (10-10, 6-4). This win was key because it not only helped them climb up another wrung on the CAA standings ladder, but it also broke a streak of 7 straight losses on the road.

In many ways you could say that Mason played one of their most complete games of the season, even though they only shot 33% from the field on the night. Mason started the game by going down 6-0 in the first 4 minutes of the game. Eventually Mason would go down by 14 points, Drexel's largest lead of the game, with just 3:25 left in the 1st half. The Patriots were able to fight back and bring the lead down to just 8 points at halftime, even with only shooting 28% from the field.

The second half wasnt much better shooting percentage wise for Mason, as they only shot 39%, but they were able to score in bunches and finally take their first lead of the game with 7 minutues left. Mason made their run at the 16 minute mark while trailing 9 points, 30-39, as Taleia Moton scored 6 straight points to help put together a 10-0 run that brought them to within 1 point of Drexel. From this point on, the lead would shift back and forth twice, and then finally Mason would take the lead at the 7:58 mark and never look back. The Patriots were ultimately able to achieve and pull out the 56-51 victory on the road by holding the Drexel Dragons to shooting  just 1 of 13(7%) from the three point line, and only 32% from the field in the second half.

Kamile Nacickaite had 14 pts

This was a game of two halves, and a Mason team that made defensive adjustments at halftime in order to win the ballgame. Drexel was hot in the first half from the 3pt line, going 5 for 11 (45%), with Kamile Nacickaite knocking down 3 treys and Hollie Mershon hitting 2 from beyond the arc. But in the second half Mason adjusted their defensive scheme that lead to Drexel only hitting 1 out of 13 attempts from 3 point land,  and to the Dragons only shooting 25% from the field in the second half.

Mason as a team did not shoot well as team in the game, with only Taleia Moton being the only player to shoot  over 38% with at least 3 Fg attempts. But the difference in the game was that along with Moton's 28 points, 3 players off the bench were able to contribute points and rebounds. Talisha Watts, Joyous Tharrington, and Christine Weithman each recorded at least 2 points on a efficient 3 for 5 from the field combined. What was even bigger was the effect the bench had on rebounding, the the biggest impact coming from  Jouyous Tharrington who recorded 5 boards in just 13 minutes of court time. Together the bench accounted for 10 of the total 37 rebounds that Mason hauled in, and this is something Mason fans have been hoping to see from those role players.

Anyone who has watched Mason, whether on the road or at home, had to be shocked when they saw that the Patriots went 20 of 23 (87%) from the free throw line. We have stressed on this blog numerous times that Mason has lost many close games because of their sub-par free throw shooting, but they proved me wrong against Drexel. In Mason's last game against ODU, a loss by 3, the Patriots shot just 9 of 17 from the line in a heart breaker. In that game Taleia Moton and Amber Easter combined for only 6 of 13 from the line, while against Drexel those two players alone went 14 of 16 from the line. This shows: 1) The play-makers for Mason are starting to realize they need to step-up in the crunch time of the season, and 2) driving aggressive to the hoop leads to more free point at the line which allows a team to dig themselves out of large deficits and win close games. We have been preaching these two things all season, and it helped them win a big game.

With the win Mason now finds themselves in 5th place, and only 1 game out of the cluster of three teams tied for fourth place in the CAA standings. Mason will travel to Harrisonburg to battle against 3rd place James Madison (16-5, 7-3) and try to pick up a huge conference win on the last game of the current 3 game road tri[. Tip is set for 2 pm on Sunday.

Ben's Keys to the Game: GMU vs. DREXEL

      The Patriots come into this matchup with a 10-10 overall record (4-5 in the CAA), while Drexel is 10-9 (6-3). With only nine games remaining on the schedule, George Mason needs to make a big push if they want to jump up in the conference standings, starting with tonight's game against Drexel.

1) Get back to their winning ways
          Remember when the season was still young, the Patriots were 7-3, and everyone was happy? Those times seem so long ago, but in reality it was the months of November and December that treated Mason quite well. Maybe someone needs to roll out the big screen and show these women how well they were playing back then, though something has seemed to click lately, winning three of their last four games.Yes, the road has not treated the Patriots too well (2-7), but come on let's get back on the winning streak, starting with Drexel.

2) Share the rock
        It is an obvious statistic, but assists are one of the more important stats out there. They become especially vital when compared to the amount of turnovers in a game. For example, let's look at the three game win streak over William & Mary, VCU, and Towson. Against W&M: 18 assists 17 turnovers (one would like the assists to be a little higher than just a +1 advantage), VCU: 19 assists 13 turnovers, and against Towson: a whopping 23 assists and 11 turnovers. Now let's compare those three games to a three game stretch during Mason's six game losing streak. We will track the assists/turnovers stretch from their games against Ohio, Norfolk, and at W&M. Ohio: 13 assists 15 turnovers, Norfolk: 12 assists 16 turnovers, and lastly on the road against W&M: 12 assists 19 turnovers. Clearly the stats can speak for themselves: have more assists than turnovers and you will clearly have a better chance to win the game.

3) Duo vs. Duo
        It's nice to have one great player on a team, its even better to have two. Both Mason and Drexel have one-two combos that provide a majority of the offense. For Drexel the spotlight is on Kamile Nacickaite and Hollie Mershon. Nacickaite is averaging 17.5 points per game this season, while her counterpart Mershon is averaging 15.3. Both also shoot fairly well from downtown, and shoot strong from the free throw stripe. For Mason, while the two-headed monster consisted primarily of Moton and Saunders, it seems that Amber Easter has stepped into the second fiddle role to Moton. Easter averages now 11.4 points per game to go along with Taleia's 21.7. The always-energetic Easter provides a great scoring option when Moton is covered or having an off night. The matchup of duo vs. duo will loom large tonight.

Mason matches up pretty evenly with this Drexel squad, as the Patriots look to make a nice jump in the CAA.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 EST, from Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia.

Mid-Week Wrap-up: Mason Continues its Roller Coaster of a Season

GMU won their first 7 games, then lost 8 of 9, and now have won 3 of 4

Coming into last Sunday's game against Old Dominion University, Mason's roller coaster ride of a season seemed to be on the incline once again, riding a 3 game winning streak. A dominating 24 point win over the Towson Tigers(12-8) in Fairfax lead up to the critical conference match-up with the ODU Monarchs. Mason unfortunately could not finish on the road once again, and their streak of dismal performances on the road would continue.

Down in Norfolk, it was a slug fest between the Patriots and the Monarchs to see if Mason (10-10) would take the season sweep of ODU (7-14). The game was back and forth all night, with the largest lead for both sides only being as high as 8 points.  Mason held a 8 point lead with 7 minutes to go in the regulation, but saw it evaporate and would end up losing by 3 points 68-71.

This defeat is a little riddling seeing as Mason lead in many major statistical category including FG% 46.6 to 36.6, Points in Paint 36 to 20,  Bench points 7 to 3,  and Points off of Turnovers 21 to 11. But when you delve closer in the statistics, you can point out a few major things that lead to this defeat and has plagued the Patriots on the road all season long.

ODU's Tia Lewis dominated down low with 13 rebounds vs GMU

The first glaring negative statistic is the rebounding margin, 32-48 in favor of ODU, in which 17 of the 48 were offensive rebounds for the Monarchs compared to Mason's 5 total. To put Mason's rebounding woes in perspective, ODUs impact forward  Tia Lewis has 13 boards to go along with bench player Shakeva Richards collecting 5 board(3 offensive) in just 16 minutes of play. Combined starting forwards Janaa Pickard and Evelyn Lewis only had 13 rebounds for Mason, together they only equal that of Tia Lewis's total.

The Patriots were out hustled on second chance opportunities by a scoring margin of 1 to 17, a figure that is truly unacceptable and is in direct correlation with ODU's domination of the boards. If you make a stop as a team, you cant continue to give the other team additional opportunities to score. It not only demoralizes you, but it demoralized the defensive effort of your teammates as a whole.

And the third nail in the coffin for the Patriot, as in most of their close losses this season,  was abysmal free-throw shooting. Mason shot 52.9% overall from the line and 6 of 11 (54.5%) in the second half, as compared to ODU who shot 72% for the game and 13 of 14 (92.9%) in the second half. In close games, especially in the dwindling minutes as this one came down to, the win  usually will go to the team to who can convert their free-throws  attempts and ODU sunk them. Even star Taleia Moton was having a off night and went 2 of 5 from the line. Moton came into the game ranked third on the team hitting around 80% from the charity stripe. Mason currently ranks 166th in Division I basketball in FT shooting percentage, hitting just 68.7% on the season.

GMU is ranked 166th in the NCAA in FT%, hitting 68.7%

Not only is the lack of successful free throw attempts disappointing, but it is also the low total amount of attempts that Mason's receives. In the amount of free-throws attempted in the game, Mason shot  9 less, 17 to 26,  and on the season the Patriots are  trailing even worse. The total free-throw attempted on the season for Mason compared to all opponents, 319 to 378, brings a -59  margin. This shows a lack of aggressiveness in taking the ball to the hoop down low, and forcing the other team or referee to give you a call. It is important in the remaining games for Mason that they really try to improve this number and increase the opportunities at "free and easy points" at the free throw line.

Next up for the Patriots is a tough Drexel (10-9) sqaud who has performed exceedingly well in-conference this season, currently tied for 3rd place with a 6-3 CAA record. Mason will have to step its game up on the road, where on the season they have dropped their last 7 of 9  outside of the Patriot Center.

Mason is currently tied for 5th place in the league standings with ODU, but could possible move up to a 4th place tie with VCU with a big win on Thursday against Drexel.

Patriots Hold Off Rowdy Rams, Capture Victory 71-58

           The George Mason Patriots looked to overturn their bad fortunes on Sunday, as they took on the 11-6 (4-2) VCU Rams. Mason had run into a string of bad luck, losing 6 of their last 7 games. They would be facing one of their toughest tests however, guarding the powerful senior forward Courtney Hurt. Hurt came into Sunday's game averaging 23.2 points per game, 6th in all of women's college basketball.

            Mason got out ahead with an impressive 7-4 run, which included a 3-pointer from Janaa Pickard. The Rams responded with a 12-7 run of their own, sparked by a three ball from Hurt. Both teams were able to distribute the ball well in the early going, with the Rams having 8 different players score in the first half. Mason was led by the three-pronged attack of Taleia Moton, Amber Easter, and Janaa Pickard. Moton was able to slash and dash her way to the hoop, even drawing a hack and converting an and-one opportunity.

            The conclusion of the first half found Mason leading the Rams 35-26. The Patriots shot an impressive 50% from the field and from downtown. Moton led the way for George Mason with 12 points and 2 rebounds. Pickard added 10 and Easter had 7 of her own. For the Rams it was a clearly balanced scoring effort, with Hurt and Barbour combining for 13 first half points. VCU struggled with their ball handling, as they compiled 8 turnovers and only 7 assists. Mason on the other hand only had 5 turnovers and 11 assists, scoring 13 of their 35 points off of VCU's turnovers.

            Mason came out of the break hot, with 6 straights buckets to push the lead up to 41-26. VCU instantly answered with a outside shooting clinic run by Andrea Barbour, as she hit back-to-back bombs to cut the lead to 9. In fact, the only shots the Rams made in the first 7 minutes of the 2nd half were from beyond the arc, connecting on 5 long balls. George Mason wouldn't let the Rams hot shooting cut in on the lead too much, as Moton had 9 of the Patriots first 18 2nd half points to put them up 53-43 with 12 minutes left in the game.

            Every time it seemed the Rams were ready to stage a comeback the Patriots answered, whether it was a breakway layup for Moton or a turnaround layup from Evelyn Lewis. George Mason did not play like 8-9 (2-4) basketball team. They played with fire and heart, fighting for every rebound and playing stifling defense. Taleia Moton, as she has done all season long, completely took over in the 2nd half. The guard, now 11th in the NCAA in scoring, was there whenever Mason needed her, whether to hit a clutch jumper or break the full court press from the Rams.

            Mason came away with the victory, 71-58, in front of the large hometown crowd at the Patriot Center. Moton proved to be too much for the Rams to handle, as she finished with 29 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals. Courtney Hurt tried to keep VCU in the game with her 17 points and 5 board, but mostly struggled from the field. Mason is now 9-9 for the season and 3-4 in the Conference.

Keith's Keys to the Game: GMU vs. VCU

With Mason's victory over William & Mary last Thursday, the Patriots have finally broken their 6 game losing streak and look to continue the winning ways against bitter rival VCU. Mason (8-9) finds themselves at the bottom half of the conference standings, currently tied 8th with Towson and 4 games out of  first place in the CAA. VCU (11-6) on the other hand has won 3 of their last 4 conference games, and find themselves tied for 3rd place, and just two games back of CAA leader and nationally ranked #16 Delaware.

This matchup will most likely be a shootout, as VCU comes in averaging just over 67 points per contest, and two players who average more then 17 points per game. Mason comes in with the high scoring, high energy Taleia Moton who recently dropped 28 points on W&M, and who ranks 12th nationally with 20.5 ppg. In the 6 losses the VCU Rams have suffered this season, only in 1 game did they reach their average in scoring. The key for Mason will be to keep the Rams below 60-67 points on the day, thus hopefully ensuring that the Patriot defense is creating turnover opportunities  in-order for the offense to easily score.


Players to Watch:

Hurt- 23.4 ppg/12.7 rpg

Courtney Hurt: The senior star from VCU puts the "POWER" into the term "power-forward". Courtney Hurt is by far one of the best players in the CAA, as well as the NCAA, and someone that the Mason coaching staff will have to game plan against. Currently she is ranked 5th in the nation in scoring with 23.4 ppg, while also ranking 1st in the nation in rebounding with 12.7 boards per contest. Courtney will absolutely put the "Hurt" on the Mason defense if Evelyn Lewis does not take care to defend smarly and not get into foul trouble, as well as boxing out to fight for rebounds and position. Courtney has lead VCU in rebounding in 15 of 17 games so far this season. VCU will look to score inside with success, and then move outside when their guards start to get open because of double teams down low. It will be important for the Patriots to do their best to limit Courtney in the amount of easy scoring opportunities she gets, as well as executing efficient help defense and shifting.

Barbour- 17.5 ppg/6.3 rpg

Andrea Barbour: The redshirt senior from VCU is a very dynamic guard who uses her height(5'10) to over-power smaller guards and defenders. On the season Barbour is averaging just over 17 points and 6.3 rebound per game, making her 2nd on the team in scoring and rebounding. Mason will be at somewhat of a disadvantage, with primary guards Taleia Moton and Rahneeka Saunders both being 5'6 and 4 inches shorter then Barbour. The Mason defense may have to rely on skilled forward/guard Amber Easter to use her lanky 6'0 frame to disrupt the potent scoring ability of Barbour by creating a size mismatch. Amber Easter is a player who is most closely equal to the athletic ability and size of Barbour. In 3 of the last 4 games for VCU, Barbour has scored 18, 23, and 24 points against CAA competition.

5 rebounds(4 off) against W&M

Rachel McNair: For Mason, the impact player could be the person you least expect it to be. Freshman forward Rachel McNair had a solid contribution in the Patriots victory over W&M, corralling 5 rebounds in just 10 minutes on the court. With her 6'0-6'1 frame and now proven ability to fight for rebounds, McNair could be a major player in attempting to negate the impact that Courtney Hurt will have on the game down low in the paint. McNair not only represents a possible solution to shutting down VCU's star player, but Rachel represents the potential production from the bench that Mason has been looking for all season. If McNair can come off the bench and contribute solid time for hopefully +10 minutes, this will enable the starters to take a breather and regroup without worrying about a let down on the court.


Tip-off is slated for Sunday at 2 pm in the Patriot Center. VCU leads the all-time series 27-26, and the Rams most recently defeated the Patriots last season 64-46 in Richmond. Click Here to listen to the game live!