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).

#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 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.

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

Mason (7-8) comes into today's match-up riding a 5 game losing streak, including dropping 3 straight conference games. UNCW (8-7) is also trying to rebound, as they have also dropped 2 of their last 3 conference games. The Patriots will have to work hard in order to reverse their fortunes on the road, as they have only won 2 of 7 games away from the Patriot Center this season. Both have fallen to 1-3 in CAA play.

What to Watch for:


UNCW appears to be a much deeper in terms of scoring potential then Mason is as they have 7 players overall averaging over 5 points per contest, and three of those  players  average over 9 ppg. It will be Mason's duty to apply equal pressure to the starters as they do the reserves for the full 40 minutes of play.

Mason's bench players need to step up. Against Northeastern, they only contributed 2 points in 38 minutes of playing time. On the other hand, their opponent was able to get 28 points off their bench, mostly by one player solely. Mason needs a spark off their bench, and the player that has shown that spark is Christine Weithman. Mason is in a critical point of their season and they need a skilled player like Weithman to really start to step up her game, and be an impact off the bench with her 3 point shooting ability. If  Mason cannot get this bench production, UNCW has no reason to respect any bench player and will go ahead and play defense conservatively when those reserves players see court time.

Mason needs to show some balance in their game plan, they cannot rely solely on Taleia Moton dropping 20 to 30 points a game. After having a 16 point lead and scoring 36 in the first half against Northeastern, the Patriots only scored 18 in the second half and lost the game by 4. Mason needs to learn to play a full 40 minutes against an opponents starters and reserves, or they will blow leads as they have in the past.

I would tell you a player for Mason to key in on, but I honestly cannot. UNCW is as balanced as they come, or as unpredictable. In their last 5 games alone, they have had 6 different players tie/lead them in scoring.The key to this game is to mark every player like they are the star, because you do not know which one is going to go off for 18 points.

Tip-off is set for 2pm at Trask Coliseum in Wilmington, North Carolina. UNCW won the last meeting in February 2011 by a score of 74-56 in Wilmington.

Dogging it: Patriots Turn in Dismal Second Half in 59-54 Loss

If basketball was a one half game, Mason wouldn’t have to worry. But that isn’t the case and over a two half, 40 minute grueling time span on Thursday night Mason would be exposed. The Patriots dropped their 5th straight contest, a 58-54 battle to CAA rival Northeastern University on Solomon Court. The Patriots have changed identities over the last few games, going from a dominant ( 7-4,1-0) team in mid December, to a mediocre (7-8,1-3) since then. The Huskies snap a three game skid, improving to (3-12,1-3).

Mason stared the game with intensity, an aspect of the game Mason has been leaving on the bus lately. Northeastern was having shooting troubles early, as they failed to connect on their first 14 shots depending heavily on foul shots to keep the game close. At the 15 minute mark Mason went on a spurt, a 10-3 run capped off by a Pickard trip to the line. Both teams would use late runs to keep the score at an arm’s length.

A Taleia Moton dish to floor mate Rahneeka Saunders set up a deep three pointer that sunk with ease. George Mason had developed a 27-18 advantage with five minutes left in the first half. The Patriots continued to step on the gas, their choice of fuel, guard Taleia Moton. Mason’s stand out guard would go on a tear, reeling off the next nine straight points. She would end the first half with 13 points, finishing the game with a team high 21.

At the half the Patriots held a demanding 36-20 lead, holding the Huskies to 21 percent shooting from the floor. George Mason was controlling the game on both ends of the court. Just five minutes into the game Moton was back to work, hitting a 3-pointer to put the score at 44-28.

Northeastern took it personally; they would come back with a vengeance knocking down seven straight points to cut the score to single digits. The Huskies who had trailed since the 17 minute mark in the first, had found their offense in the form of junior guard Deanna Kerkhof.

After an Evelyn Lewis foul, Northeastern had a chance to tie the game at the line. The Huskies converted tying the score with less than two minutes to play. Approaching the 30 seconds mark the score was still tied, until a Kerkhof layup gave Northeastern their first and only lead of the game. A missed jumper by Amber Easter with seven seconds to play would seal Mason’s fate.

The Patriots who had been dominant defensively in the first half racking up three steals, five blocks and holding the Huskies to just one 3-pointer in the first half, couldn’t do the same in the second. Northeastern limited their turnovers and shot a strong 45 percent from the arc connecting on five 3-pointers. Two of those 3-pointers were credited to Deanna Kerkhof who proved to be too much for the Patriots finishing with a game high 25 points.

George Mason will look for some positives amidst this losing streak. Mason has averaged ten or more trips to the line in their last three games, a stat that shows Mason isn’t shying away from the competition. Mason will look flip the switch on Sunday when they take on CAA rival UNCW in North Carolina. Tip-off is slated for 2pm.