After their victory over Penn State on Sunday, Mason has a quick turnaround with just one day between games. The Patriots (4-1) welcome the UMKC Roos (3-3)
We Are…Mason!!!
Nicole Cardaño-Hillary dropped a career-high 41 points as George Mason won their first ever game over Penn State, 78-68 on Sunday in Happy Valley. Mason trailed by as many as 15 points before a 16-2 run completely changed the dynamics of the game.
Down two both Camarie Gatling (foot/ankle) and Jacy Bolton (sprained ankle), Nikki shouldered a lot of the scoring burden herself, but got some help in the form of four made threes from Sarah Kaminski. Alexsis Grate added 7 points, including some big buckets down the stretch of the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Nikki’s 41 points is tied for 3rd most this season by a Division I Women’s Basketball player, and is 6th most ever by an Atlantic 10 player.
We Are…MASON!!!!!!@MasonWBB goes into Happy Valley and defeats Penn State 78-68 behind a career-high 41 POINTS from @nikkich_14!!!!!!!
— GMU Giant Killer (@GMUGiantKiller) November 24, 2019
For her part in the win, Nicole Cardaño-Hillary was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, the fourth of her career.
Nicole Cardaño-Hillary is #A10WBB Player of the Week! She averaged 32 points per game for @MasonWBB along with 6 rebounds per game and shot 15-16 from the stripe. @nikkich_14 🏀
Read More: https://t.co/TgJdT57heF pic.twitter.com/WTxt9OY2cK
— A-10 Women's Hoops (@A10WBB) November 25, 2019
George Mason Hosts UMKC
It’s a very quick turnaround for Mason, while the Roos have not played since Friday against Loyola-Chicago. UMKC enters at 3-3 with wins over Denver, Portland State and Rockhurst, while their loses have come against University of the Pacific, Davidson and Loyola-Chicago.
RealTimeRPI ranks George Mason 104 in the nation entering Tuesday, while UMKC checks in at 275. This should be a game that Mason can handle their business in, but the biggest factor will undoubtedly be fatigue, especially if Jacy Bolton is unable to return to the lineup (and Camarie, though we expect she may be out slightly longer-term as she was seen in a boot on Thursday). If Jacy is going to play, that would be a significant boost for Mason. Still, this team is very much about finding a way, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see someone step up for this team come Tuesday night.
Tipoff is set for 7:00 from EBA, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+. See you all there!
