FAIRFAX, VA- Camarie Gatling exploded for eight points in the fourth quarter off the bench to help boost George Mason past Detroit Mercy, 75-62 Saturday afternoon. The Patriots improve to 2-1 on the season while the Titans fall to 0-4.
George Mason stormed out of the gates, jumping to a 5-0 lead, causing Detroit Mercy to call a timeout just 50 seconds into the game. This would set the theme of the afternoon in what turned into a crazy game of run. Mason would go on to out-score Detroit Mercy 20-9 in the first 10 minutes and hold a 15-9 advantage on the glass. The Second Quarter could not have been more different, as Detroit Mercy out-scored George Mason 24-10, and held a 14-8 advantage on the glass in the second 10 minutes. You gotta give credit to Detroit Mercy, they battled their tails off, especially in the second quarter, putting Mason in a real tough spot to start the second half.
Facing adversity, George Mason came out of halftime with a vengeance, jumping out to an 11-0 run to take a 43-34 lead, capped off by two Marika Korpinen free throws. Just when it looked like this game was going to become a run away, the Titans pushed right back with a 7-0 run to cut the lead to just two, 43-41 with five minutes left in the quarter. The Green & Gold responded with another run, 13-0, to push the lead to 56-41, their largest of the game.
Heading into the fourth, George Mason lead 57-45, but this game was not over yet. Detroit Mercy surged with a 7-2 run to cut the lead to seven points, 59-52 with 7:01 left. Facing yet another push, Nyla Milleson went to Camarie Gatling, who had been on the bench since the first half. Camarie took full advantage of the opportunity, and took over the game, with eight points in the final seven minutes, going on a person 8-0 run to inflate the lead to its final margin, of 75-62.
Jacy Bolton led the Patriots in scoring through much of the game, finishing with 19 points and 7 rebounds, while Nicole Cardaño-Hillary had a big third quarter, finishing with 19 points to her name as well. Camarie Gatling finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds, while Sarah Kaminski had 9 points, and a career-high 9 rebounds.
With her three made triples today, Sarah Kaminski moved into fourth all-time in made threes in George Mason Women’s Basketball history with 144 made threes. Sarah is just two behind Krista Jay (146), and by the end of the season will could sit second or perhaps, even first all-time when all is said and done. Keri Chaconas (218) and Jen Surlas (213) sit first and second all-time currently.
The Patriots will be back in action Thursday night against American in EagleBank Arena, with tipoff at 7:00 and the game being broadcast on ESPN+.
