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.

Pure Domination: Patriots Start Road Swing with Loss

Coach Jeri Porter has always preached the full 40 to her team. This means playing a full game of basketball with intensity and hustle until the final whistle. In tonight’s game against Ohio that game plan fell to the wayside, as Mason lasted only four minutes. After establishing an early 8-0 lead over the Bobcats, the Patriots quit. Mason (7-4, 0-1) watched Ohio (7-7,0-0) take complete control as they dominated play in route to a 75- 59 win on their home court.

Ohio never looked back as they embarked on a 19-4 run, to flip the script and give their team a seven point lead after trailing earlier in the game. They weren’t finished, as they went on another run this time 11-4 to force a Mason timeout. The Bobcats would close out the half with a 40-23 advantage, all due in part to their strong shooting, posting a 50 % first half average.

The second half was much of the same as Ohio stepped on the gas building their biggest lead of the game at 23 points on a Mariah Byard 3-pointer. The Bobcats used the 3-point shot all day to keep the Patriots off balance, connecting on five 3-pointers and shooting over 40% from the arc.

Mason never got closer than 13 points as they were put away for good. In the game the Bobcats connected on 28 field goals, a season high. Their 52.8 % field goal percentage is the best of the year as they were averaging just 36 % on the season. Junior Ashley Fowler poured in a season high 13 points, going 4-4 from the free throw line.

Ohio played an all around basketball game, as even the defense was dominate securing eight steals and three blocks. There wasn’t much for George Mason to take form this game, as they were beaten in every statistical category but rebounding.

On an individual note George Mason guard Taleia Moton remained hot, as she put up 25 points to go along with three rebounds. She remains in the top 15 in the nation in scoring. Her counterpart guard Raneeka Saunders continued to dominate the glass, pulling down seven rebounds. The 5 ft 6 guard leads Mason in rebounding at 6.8 per game.

The Patriots will be back in action on Monday, as they welcome in the New Year with a game against Norfolk State. They will look to get their first win of this three game road swing, tipoff is at 6pm.

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