#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!

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.

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.

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.

Lucky Number Seven! Patriots Polish off William & Mary 82-70, End Six Game Losing Streak

Taleia Moton dropped 28 points on 53% shooting

The six game losing streak is finally over, and it comes in a critical conference game against in-state rival William and Mary. Both teams came in battling to get their second win in-conference, and continue to try to improve their standing before the upcoming CAA tournament seeding in March. Mason had a complete performance on the offensive end with 5 players scoring in double digits, including 4 starters, and outscoring the W&M Tribe by a 18 point margin in the second half to complete the come from behind victory.

 In terms of hustling hard and leaving it all on the court, this was no doubt Mason's best game of the season. After falling behind early by a 22-8 margin just 8 minutes into the game, Mason was able to keep their composure and patiently chip away at the lead and take it back close to midway through the second half. 

Taleia Moton had a huge scoring output, as she is known to do especially at home, dropping 28 points on 53% shooting from the field. Moton is the barometer for how well this team performs, and it was no more evident tonight when the Patriots trailed at halftime by 6 with Taleia only contributing 5 points. But she got hot at the right time, dropping 23 points in the last 20 minutes, to help the Patriots evaporate the deficit and build their own lead to the final margin of 12 points during the dwindling minutes of the game.

What helped Mason achieve this victory, other then Moton's efficient and high scoring night, was the ability of Amber Easter to score as well as the performance of the bench players. Amber Easter has been hot and cold since her early season injury, and in the last three games only had a total of 20 combined points. Tonight was different though, Easter was able to hit 7 of 10 from the field for 18 points to go along with 7 rebounds(4 offensive) and 2 steals. This was Easter's second highest scoring output of the season, her season high coming in the season opener against American with 20 points over two months ago. Last night's game was by far one of Easter's most complete performances of the season, and helped secure the victory for the home team and hopefully something we will see more of from a very multi-dimensional player.

The bench only had 12 points, but in a game where only 4 substitutes played 31 minutes, it was a solid night. The hot and cold spark plug Christine Weithman was the main contributor off the bench with 10 points in 16 minutes on the court, and hit 2 of 3 from behind the three point arc. All year she has shown flashes of greatness, especially from behind the arc, and her continuing contribution will be something the Patriots will rely on to start a new winning streak. Also freshman forward Rachel McNair contributed 5 rebounds(3 offensive) and 2 points in only 10 minutes on the court. Rebounding is huge for the Patriots, especially off the bench. For McNair to snare 3 offensive boards in limited court time is what lead to second chance points, and allowed Mason to rest starters while still getting solid production.

On the defensive side of the ball Mason played pretty solidly except for the early 16-0 run in the early minutes of the first half, in which W&M shot 51.6% from the field. The Patriot defense was able to contain W&M's star player Janine Aldridge to below her conference scoring average of  19.2 points per game, holding her to 18 points and limiting easy scoring opportunities. In the second half the Patriots shut down all of W&M's scorers, and held them to shooting a dismal 27.8% as a team. Mason lost the turnover battle but was able to make general defensive scheme adjustments in the second half that shut down both the outside and inside shooting, which held W&M to just 10 of 36 shooting in the last 20 minutes of play.

The Patriots are now tied with Towson for 8th in the CAA with a 2-4 conference record, and improve to  8-9 on the season overall. Mason will next host rival VCU (11-6) in the Patriot Center at 2 pm on Sunday, the 2nd game of a  3 night home-stand. 

Plummeting Patriots: Mason loses 6th Straight Game 61-53 to UNCW

In a game that featured two teams fighting for recognition, separated by just one game, it had all the makings of a well-matched playing field. But another second half falter by George Mason cut off the Patriot’s chances as they fell to UNCW 61-53 at Trask Coliseum. The Patriots (7-9,1-4) continue to slide into the conference cellar as they have now lost six straight games. The Seahawks (9-7, 2-3) however got a much needed win, to help better position themselves as we get closer to the conference championships.

The first half was a proponent of the matchup, even. Both teams would shoot an identical 35.7 percent from the floor by the end of the first half. George Mason came out of the gate fast, as they took an early 10-2 lead on an Amber Easter 3-pointer to force the first timeout of the game. A team huddle was all the Seahawks would need as they went on a spurt of their own reeling off nine straight to cut the lead to one. The Patriot’s would respond once more boosting their lead to five points on a pair of free throws.

Over four minutes elapsed without a bucket by George Mason, a gap that would allow UNCW to climb right back into the game. An Alisha Andrews layup with eight minutes on the clock gave the Seahawks their first lead of the game. Andrews would finish the game with 15 points, just one of four UNCW players in double figures.

Cierra Strickland would get things started up again for Mason, when she delivered an old fashion 3-point play to take the lead by four points with little time left on the clock. But much like they did all game UNCW provided the answer streaking for five straight to end the half leading 26-25.

The second half was marked by two tie scores and two lead changes, as play seemed to go back and forth early on. But Mason still couldn’t seem to shake their second half rust, as they let the game get out of their control. Taleia Moton turned the ball over, leading to a UNCW layup to put them on top for good. Moton, who has been Mason's saving grace for much of the season, would finish the game with five turnovers and nine points on just 29 percent shooting from the floor.

With just under three minutes to play in the second half, UNCW took their largest lead of the game by ten points on a Trice Abria 3-pointer. Abria would finish the game with 16 points, as she combined with Jessica Freeman to score over half of their 61 points. Mason who had held the Seahawks to 1-6 shooting from the arc in the first half, allowed UNCW to knockdown four 3-pointers while shooting 67 percent in the second half.

Over the next two minutes Mason’s sloppy play along with good free throw shooting by UNCW would put the lid on the contest. The Patriot’s would turn the ball over 5 times in the last two minutes. The Seahawks would close the door going 5-9 from the line.

This is the Patriots second longest losing streak under head coach Jeri Porter, George Mason lost 10 straight games back in the 09-10 season. Over this six game losing streak Mason has failed to show up in the second half, as they have been outscored by a margin of 217-170. Amongst these recent struggles bright spots seem almost non-existant. But if Mason chooses to build on anything its thier rebounding. In the game Mason outrebounded UNCW by a margin of 35-32, thanks to the work of Evelyn Lewis and Rahnekaa Saunders who combined for 17. This is the first time Mason has owned the boards in over three contests.

Mason will put their road woes behind them as they return the Patriot Center on January 19^th to take on William and Mary. This will mark the first of a much-needed three game home stand for the Patriots. Tip-off is slated for 7pm

Keith's Keys to the Game: Mason vs. GW

Coming into what is being called the "Battle of the Orange Line", because of the general proximity of the two schools, both teams are in the midst of two game losing streaks. Both have played a familiar opponent in ODU,  by which it took the George Washington Colonials overtime to defeat the Monarchs by 6,  and Mason was able to take care of them in regulation by a 16 victory. GW finds themselves at .500 with a 5-5 record, and Mason is currently at 6-3 but trying to rebound off a blowout loss against #5 Maryland.

Keys to the Game:

1) DEFENSE: Both GW and Mason average 61 and 63 points per game respectively, so scoring should not be an issue for either squad. In all 3 of Mason's losses this season, there had been a complete breakdown of interior defense that has lead to easy baskets in the paint for their opponents. Mason has also had an issue in guarding the perimeter at times, and will have to be sure to defend the 3-point arc where GW averages 4.5 outside knockdowns per game. GW also comes into the game averaging 10 or more steals per game, where as Mason only gets close to around 6. It will be important for Mason to keep possession, and not be sloppy with the basketball and give the Colonials easy baskets. Look for Taleia Moton and Rahneeka Saunders to do more of the ball handling, and try to limit the amount of turnovers.

2) INTERIOR PLAY: Mason has struggled through out the entire season to get any scoring from their starting forwards Evelyn Lewis and Janaa Pickard. But Pickard has in the last few games started to get in a rhythm, and is averaging just around 9 ppg. Evelyn Lewis on the other hand has somewhat digressed in her starting role, only offering up just over 3 points per game in close to 25 minutes of court time. This has put a lot of pressure on the guards, especially on Taleia Moton, to burden a majority of the scoring load. This load has certainly slowed down Moton, who recently seems to be forcing shots, and no doubt has had a negative affect on her recent performance.  Her scoring averages, 9 points against UMBC( 1 of 9) and 16 points ( 6 of 17) against UMD, plainly show that if she struggles so does Mason. Mason needs to have a good offensive output by both Lewis and Pickard to force the GW defense to respect the interior shot, and open up the outside play to players like Amber Easter and Saunders to drive or shot.

3) REBOUNDS: Even though Mason is only being out rebounded on the stat sheet by an average of 1 total rebound per game by GW, this has been a ongoing problem that has helped lead to the recent negative results. On no team should a 5'6 guard, in Mason's case the hard working Rahneeka Saunders, be out-rebounding the 6'3, 6'1, and 6'0 starting forwards on the team. Saunders averages just around 6 rebounds a game. In watching the most recent Maryland game, Mason was dominated 33- 59 on the boards, and where the Terps on several occasions were able to get not one but sometimes 3 consecutive shots up before it finally rolled in with no Patriot snagging a rebound.  And in the the loss the UMBC where Mason was out rebounded by 3, the game was a 4 point contest up until the final two minutes. And then under 2 minutes, UMBC would miss a shot but put back a offensive rebound and to go up 6, and Mason would never get close again. This show how important it is for the forwards, especially  6'3 Evelyn Lewis, to use her size and snag more offensive boards for easy put backs. Rebounds will be a extremely key stat for this game.

Tip for the "Battle of the Orange Line" is at 3 p.m. against GW. Tune in to WgmuRadio.com for online listen, or join us at home at the Patriot Center for all the action.

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.

Mason Women Cruise to First Win

Matchup: GMU vs Oakland

Final: 59-48 W

Top GMU performer: Amber Easter, 11 points (4-17), 8 rebounds, 2 assists

     
        The Oakland Golden Grizzlies, led by their star Bethany Watterworth, came into Sunday's game heavily favored over the Patriots. It seemed, after Sunday's 59-48 victory, that no one had told George Mason that. The Patriots, led by Amber Easter and Taleia Moton who combined for 22 of Mason's 59 points, seemed to dominate Oakland from the start. George Mason dominated the boards, collecting 50 total rebounds, 20 of which were offensive boards. Everyone contributed to the battle on the boards, with Easter leading the way with 8 total rebounds.

         The Golden Grizzlies offense runs through Watterworth, who was held to only 17 points. Mason was able to frustrate her, sending defender after defender at her with their fast-paced defensive style. Mason kept a great tempo throughout the entire game, with Coach Porter urging them to push the ball during every possession. With such an up-tempo offensive plan one would expect Mason to turn the ball over frequently, but the Patriots had a positive assist to turnover ratio for the second straight game, with 17 assists to 14 turnovers. Meanwhile Oakland struggled with their turnovers, having 9 assists to 16 turnovers.

        The defense was very strong in Sunday's game, with 10 total blocks. The swatting Patriots were led by Janaa Pickard who had 4 blocks in the game, stifling Oakland's post play. Mason also dominated in almost every category. Points in the paint (32-26), Points off turnovers (11-7), second chance points (13-6), and one of the most important categories: Bench points (20-9). Coach Porter was definitely proud of Mason's team effort, with every single player that played minutes in the game contributing with at least one basket. It was afternoons like Sunday when Mason proved that when their offense is on, they can play with anybody.

       What to watch for: The freshmen for George Mason are beginning to contribute. Rachel McNair added 6 points and 2 assists in her 22 minutes, along with Talisha Watts who grabbed 7 boards and 2 blocks on defense. Look for these two to continue making an impact moving forward with this season. Amber Easter, who seemed to have an off-afternoon, still managed to score 11 points with 8 rebounds, but had 7 turnovers. Look for Easter to cut down on the turnovers and continue to put up good offensive numbers. The guard play and ball-handling of Taleia Moton and Rahneeka Saunders is very impressive. Both are very speedy guards who are able to hit the open player with good passes. Moton and Saunders stack up well against any guard combo out there.

What We Learned: Regular Season Opener Versus American

Match-up: GMU vs American

Final: 51-55 L

Top GMU Performer: Amber Easter 20 pts(8-17), 12 Rebounds, 2 assists

This weekend the Mason Patriots Women's basketball team opened up it's regular season with two games in two days at home in the friendly confines of the Patriot Center. The first game, coincidently on 11-11-11, fell against the eagles of American University. It's important to note that American was a team who won 20 games last season, and this year returned 4 starters from that successful squad. On the other hand, the Patriots lost 4 starters from a squad that won 13 games last season. It would be a challenge for Coach Jeri Porter to replace that 20 ppg lost from graduation going into this season.

What We Learned: From the get go Mason put itself in a hole with a lack of perimeter defense, and American went up 6-0 in the first 2 minutes. They would never for the rest of the game take a lead in the contest. They would only tie the ball game with just 49 seconds left in the contest, but would never again take the lead after 12:49. Mason's first half shooting was simple atrocious, and they seemed out of sync individuals trying to create for themselves instead of going into their offensive scheme.

Mason was 8-34 on field goals in the first half, for a lowly 23.5%. This improved in the second half by going 13-36, but not by much at 36%. The most amazing stat of the night would be the free throw situation for the Patriots, 2-7 for 28.6%. It's not just about the few they missed, which would’ve in hind sight given them the W, but it was the team’s inability to force fouls by driving the ball. Compare Mason's 7 total free throws to American's 29, and in a close game the most likely or not the team at the foul stripe the most is going to win.

Mason was unable to use its visible size advantage by players like Evelyn Lewis, who was unable all night to finish around the hoop going 1-9 on field goal attempts. The lack of low point presence, against a team in American who was playing a 4 guard set, is what lead to the teams downfall. American was more organized on the offensive front, taking time to go in their sets and take good shots. American also was able to get points off a a deep bench, who contributed 12 compared to Mason's 2. Overall with Mason not getting the calls down low, the game was put on the two stars of the team in Amber Easter and Taleia Moton. And when the stars got off to a very slow start with the two going a combined 16-38, and the rest of the starters going 4-26 from the field for the game, Mason seemed doomed for a loss.