Patriots Clip the Wings of the Lady Monarchs, GMU 85 ODU 69

      For the 3rd time this season, and the first time since 2003, the Patriots surpassed the 80 point margin in route to their victory over the Lady Monarchs of Old Dominion. George Mason grabbed the lead (9-8) after a turnaround jumper from Evelyn Lewis with 16 minutes left in the 1st half and never looked back. The home crowd was treated to a clinic on how to dominate a basketball game, hosted by guards Taleia Moton and Rahneeka Saunders. Moton and Saunders continue to prove that they may be the best two guard combo in the CAA. Saunders was relentless at the point, weaving through triple teams and slipping past the bigs down low. She finished with 17 points, 7 assists, and 8 rebounds (by the way in case anyone forgot, she is listed at 5'6).

      Taleia Moton was the Jordon to Saunder's Pippen as she had her 3rd straight 30+ point performance, the last time that was done was by Cindy Lundberg back in, oh wait, 1975!; which happened to be Mason's first women's basketball season. Moton's line ended up being 33 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. Forward Janaa Pickard put it best after the game, "Taleia and Rahneeka are definitely up there with the best in the conference, no doubt in my mind." Pickard had an excellent game too, finishing with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

      George Mason was able to find their points in the paint to start. Lewis and Pickard were able to body up the Monarch's post players, Tia Lewis and Shakeva Richards, which opened up the floor for Saunders and Moton to score. Tia Lewis, who had been averaging close to 17 points per game, struggled from the floor in the first half for ODU. She was only 3 for 7 with 6 points and 4 boards. The majority of the points for the Lady Monarchs came from guard Jackie Cook, who put up 13 points in the first and finished with 17. Lewis eventually found her stroke in the 2nd half, finishing with a team high 20 points.

      The "stat to look at" for this game was the free throw production for Mason. Moton and Pickard were able to draw contact down low and cash in. The team made 29 of 36 free throws (80.5%), with Moton converting 12 of 13 and Pickard 7 of 8. The 3 point show also came to the gym today as Mason hit 4 three-pointers, with Moton, Saunders, Pickard, and Amber Easter each having one.

      Mason will head on the road to UMBC on Thursday, Tip-off set for 7 p.m.

CAA Conference Opener: GMU vs. ODU Preview

George Mason will enter the Patriot Center tonight for their first CAA matchup of the season against rival Old Dominion. Old Dominion comes into the game with new but familiar faces, lead by first year head coach Karen Barefoot. Barefoot, the former head coach of Elon University, led her Elon team to their first ever Division I playoff appearance is no stranger to the game of basketball. The 209-143 career record coach Barefoot has compiled, as well as receiving two "National Coach of the Year" awards, shows her commitment and ability to turn around programs..

Offesivley ODU is paced by their standout senior Tia Lewis. Lewis is averaging 16.9 ppg and a sizable 9.3 rebounds. Last year Lewis was both a member of the All-CAA third team and ODU women’s basketball team MVP.

George Mason is riding a 5 game win streak into tonight’s contest, the best start under head coach Jerri Porter. Mason has been on a tear lately, lead by the floor general Taleia Moton. Moton will look to continue her dominance tonight, as she asserts herself as one of the best scorers in the nation, averaging just above 21 ppg.

This will be the 50th meeting between the two teams, Old Dominion has a strangle hold on the series with a 48-1 advantage. The last contest between the two teams was a 68-67 nail bitter, as Jasmine Parker hit a buzzer beater with 1 second left to seal the win for ODU.

Thing to Watch:

- Taleia Moton vs ODU freshman point guards. Moton has dominated every team she faced this year and should have her way against a young ODU backcourt.

- Tia Lewis vs Mason bigs. Tia Lewis fights for every board and loves scoring inside. If Evelyn Lewis and Janaa Pickard get into foul trouble again, it could be a long night.

- Coach Barefoot vs Coach Jerri Porter. Karen Barefoot is no stranger to the ODU program, she was with them from 05-08, where she won three CAA Championships. But Coach Porter has her kids playing inspired basketball. The best part is that all the players on the team are her recruits. What a coaching battle.

Listen in as we sit down with head coach Karen Barefooot to talk about her new coaching gig, the CAA and stopping the 5-1 Patriots