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).

The Silencing of the Rams: Mason Gets Sweep of VCU, Looks Forward to Senior Night Against JMU

The Patriots (14-14, 8-9) traveled to the Verizon Wireless Arena in Richmond just one day after the Mason men's basketball team was defeated on national television by the VCU men's basketball team. The women came into the game seeking to settle the score between the in-state rivals, as well as improve their overall record back to an even .500. The Patriots did this in convincing fashion by securing the lead with 11:13 left in the first half and never giving it up until they had sealed the victory 69-59.

Lewis had a solid night w/ 8 and 10

As stated in our preview for this match-up, in order for the Patriot's to secure a victory they would have to limit the threat of VCU's all-star forward Courtney Hurt. And while Mason did not by any means take her out of the game or shut her down, the defensive presence by Evelyn Lewis and Janaa Pickard held Hurt to below her averages in both scoring and rebounding. Courtney Hurt came in shooting 45.9% from the field, and the Mason defense was able to limit her to only hitting 8 of 19 from the field (42%).

The second thing we  stated Mason needed to focus on was limiting the effectiveness of the role players on VCU, thus putting more pressure on Courtney Hurt to force shots and put the team on her back. Mason did this to a certain extent, allowing only one VCU player not having the name "Hurt" on the back their jersey to score in double-digits. Andrea Barbour of VCU had 18 points on 50%  shooting from the field, but the other three Ram starters only combined for 6 of 19 (31.5%)  from the field and 14 total points. Mason effectively played team defense for the full 40 minutes, forcing the Rams into 17 turnovers with tough on-ball pressure coming from Rahneeka Saunders and Taleia Moton who both had 3 steals apiece.

Strickland had 8 points in 18 mins

Overall Mason was able to get their second win against VCU this season because of a strong TEAM game. Taleia Moton and Amber Easter combined for 35 points on 13 of 26 (50%) shooting from the field. Evelyn Lewis had a very solid offense night to go along with her great defensive performance, scoring 8 points (4 of 7) and hauling in 8 rebounds. And to top it all off, the most surprising figure of the night had to be in the column of Sophomore guard Cierra Strickland. Strickland, who came into the game only averaging 1.7 points in extremely limited action, scored 8 points in just 18 minutes of court time. Solid bench production like this is what separates an average Mason team, from being a a good or great basketball team.

Mason looks to continue their success as they conclude the regular season at home in the Patriot Center celebrating Senior Night. The Patriot will be playing an incredibly crucial game for the final CAA standings against JMU. A win could give the Patriots a #6 seed in the CAA tournament which would give them the advantage of playing the latest game of the first round, thus the most time to prepare for the opening round match-up. A win over JMU and achieving a #6 seed would match the Patriots up with the #11 seed, who based on Wednesday night's results, will most likely be Georgia State whom Mason just defeated in overtime a few weeks ago. From that point on a win would move them into a match-up with the #3 seed, whom based on Wednesday's results could be either Drexel or Hofstra. Mason has played both teams only once, and has beaten Drexel in Philly (56-51) while losing to Hofstra (70-82) in Fairfax.

A win over JMU will not be easy, as the Patriot have already fallen to the Dukes on the road 45-49 in a nail-biter. A victory tomorrow over a top 4 CAA opponent is important not only for team confidence, but it can potentially give the Patriot's an easier road to the conference championship game.

Looking for another reason you may or may not want to win tomorrow?  If Mason were to lose tomorrow, get the #7 seed and still advance past the first round of the CAA tournament, they would face the #2 seed JMU Dukes guaranteed in the second round. Playing the same team twice in a matter of a 10 days can be a good or bad thing, but playing a good team like the Dukes to advance in a one-and-done tournament would most likely be a road the Patriots want to avoid.

Once Again the Patriot face-off Wednesday night at 7pm in the Patriot Center. You can tune into WGMU Radio for live coverage of the game.

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.