FAIRFAX, VA- George Mason failed to make a field goal in the final 4:41 of the fourth quarter as Norfolk State upset the Patriots 66-59.
It was a rough night for pretty much everyone not named Jordan Wakefield, as the team collectively shot 27% from the field. Amaya Scott finished with 12 points, but was just 4/13 from the field. Tamia Lawhorne added 9 points, but shots just 3/14 from the field including just 1/11 from three. Jazmyn Doster had a game-high 10 rebounds, but struggled offensively once again, going just 2/12 from the field. Jordan Wakefield was the bright spot of the night, with a career-high 27 points, surpassing her previous record of 19 points earlier this season. Wakefield went 6/15 from the field, and 9/10 from the field, and added 8 rebounds.
George Mason struggled out of the gates as an early 11-2 Norfolk State run gave the Spartans and early 11-5 lead. The Patriots were able to slowly chip away in the second quarter, as a 6-0 run before halftime made it a two-point game at 24-22 with 3:12 to play. That run was extended into a 12-2 run as Mason briefly took a 28-26 lead with 36.3 left in the half before a Lacee Savage runner at the horn tied the game up once more at 28-28 heading into the break.
The third quarter was Mason’s best of the night, aided by three technical fouls assessed to Norfolk State in the span of 1:40. The first was assessed to St. Bonaventure-transfer Deja Francis, the second was given to Danaijah Williams and the final one was given to Head Coach Larry Vickers. Jordan Wakefield made all-six technical free throws, part of a 13-2 run as the Patriots took a 46-40 lead in the waning seconds of the period.
The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with teams trading buckets through the first several minutes of the quarter. Amaya Scott made an and-1 with 4:41 remaining in the game, which gave George Mason a 58-56 lead heading into the under-5 media timeout. The Patriots scored just one point the rest of the game, missing their last five shots, including a pair on back-to-back possessions, one from Tamia and one from Amaya, that appeared halfway down before rimming out. In all, Norfolk State closed the game on a 10-1 run.
“I think tonight was one of those games you call a trap game,” said Head Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis. “I think the girls were really high this week having a really good win over against a SEC [team], and trying to reel them in and reel them back down to a [Norfolk State] team that was struggling to find a win in their last five games. So they just came in and really just out-played us in every facet of the game.”
“I think whether its a win or a loss, like I said last time, we gotta turn the page. There’s obvious things that we gotta work on, some things the players have gotta work on. They gotta come with that tenacity and want to compete every single night. You know, as a team like ours, we’re still trying to find our identity. Still in the season, in this non-conference, it’s about finding out who we are and who we’re gonna be. Tonight was a step back for us.”
