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

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

Rolling Along: Patriots Cruising to Best Start Since 2001

When George Mason hits the floor tonight at the Patriot Center in a matchup against UMass, they will look to build off a week of success. The Patriots currently sit at 4-1 in their conference, good for third in the CAA. Mason's weekly success includes wins over Longwood, Stony Brook and UNC Asheville. During this strech they have averaged 74 points, 12 assists and just under 38 rebounds. In these games, Mason has been lead by the strong play of senior guard Taleia Moton, who ranks in the top 15 in the nation in ppg. Below is a list of the individual and team accomplishments George Mason has made over the last week:

- Sophomore Christian Weithman hit 5 three pointers against UNC Asheville to tie her career high, and also tied a career point high with 22

- Senior Taleia Moton scored 19 second half points against UNC Asheville to end the game with 30 points. It was the second time this week, she also scored 30 in the game against Longwood.

- George Mason reachd the 80 point plateau twice last week, the first time since the 2006 season

- Senior Taleia Moton was name CAA co-player of the week

- At 4-1 this marks Mason's best start under head coach Jeri Porter


Tune in live tonight to our broadcast of GMU women's basketball starting at 6:30pm. Follow this link to listen in .

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.