FAIRFAX, VA- The Patriots outscored American 43-26 in the second half, as George Mason (3-1) powered past American (2-2) 73-55 Thursday night in EagleBank Arena. Nicole Cardaño-Hillary lead the Green & Gold with 23 points, 17 of which came in the second half, while Jacy Bolton and Alexsis Grate both added 10 points each.
The first half was very similar to Mason’s game against Detroit Mercy: a game of runs. George Mason opened tonight with seven straight points, jumping to a 7-0 lead, before a 10-4 Eagles run tightened the game back up. The Patriots took at 17-12 lead after 10 minutes.
The second quarter was not kind to the Patriots, as American out-scored GMU 17-13, including an 11-0 run in the latter half of the period. As a team, Mason committed 13 first half turnovers, and saw Nikki and Tamia Lawhorne get into foul trouble. With 6:05 left in the half, starting center Camarie Gatling went down with an injury and did not return to the game. While Nyla Milleson was unable to given an update on Cam’s condition after the game, she was seen on crutches and in a walking boot. The silver lining of her injury is it seemed to be the kick in the pants that Mason needed to find another gear. After AU had taken their first lead of the night, 29-25 with 1:36 left in the half, Nikki came off the bench with 2 fouls and drilled a three, followed by a Jacy Bolton three, to give the Patriots a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the night, 30-29 in the final minute of the half.
The third quarter was Mason’s finest 10 minutes of the season, holding American to just two field goals, on 2/14 shooting. After five quick points to start the half, American head coach Megan Gebbia called timeout, and proceeded to slam her clipboard on the floor and yelled at her players, “I hate it when you start [the half] like that!” Unfortunately for the Eagles, Gebbia’s speech would fail to turn the tide, as the Patriots outscored AU 19-7, including an extended 23-3 run, to lead 49-36 after 30 minutes.
American did close the deficit to 10 points early in the 4th quarter, but an 11-2 run for Mason all but put the game to bed. Nicole Cardaño-Hillary nearly single-handedly dug the Eagles’ grave in the second half, with 17 second half points. The highlight of the game came when Jacy Bolton dove into the scorers’ table, saving the ball directly into Nikki’s hands who drove down the floor and finished through contact:
Here is the phenomenal save from @jbolt_2 to @nikkich_14 from tonight @MasonWBB victory over American. #SCtop10 @ESPNAssignDesk pic.twitter.com/HqAQSvGUIe
— Daniel Frank (@n1a2v3y4) November 22, 2019
With 3:07 remaining, Sarah Kaminski drilled a three, her third of the night, to move her into sole possession of third-place in program history in made three pointers at 147.
Overall, this was a phenomenal second half performance from the Patriots, who out-scored American 43-26 in the final 20 minutes. George Mason improves to 3-1, ending their three-game homestand on a high note before they head to Happy Valley on Sunday for a date with Penn State. The Patriots return to Fairfax on Tuesday night when they face UMKC at 7:00 with the game being broadcast on ESPN+.
