DAYTON, OH- It was a 40 minute battle last night in University of Dayton Arena, but the Flyers held on down the stretch to defeat George Mason 59-55. The loss was Mason’s first of conference play, which drops their record to 7-8 (1-1) while Dayton improves to 9-7 (2-0).
Junior Nicole Cardaño-Hillary led George Mason with 17 points, but was the only Patriot to reach double figures.
Both teams started the game exceptionally cold from the field, as Mason and Dayton combined to shoot 30% from the field in the first quarter, with the Flyers leading 14-8 after 10 minutes. Camarie Gatling scored on a put-back bucket in the post with 4:11 left in the quarter, which at the time evened the score at 8-8, but that would go on to be George Mason’s final points of the quarter. The drought would extend all the way into the second quarter, when Sarah Kaminski hit a three to pull Mason to within four, 16-12, to end the nine minute field goal drought. The only other point during that span was a Jazmyn Doster free throw, when she went 1/2 on a trip to the line.
Late in the first half, Alexsis Grate drove the ball to the basket to give George Mason their first lead of the game, 18-17, with 23 seconds remaining in the half, but was quickly answered by a Christine Szabo three to give Dayton a 20-18 lead into the break.
In the third quarter, both offenses came alive, combining to hit the first 10 shots of the second half. Dayton built a 34-28 lead midway through the period when Nikki picked up her third foul, taking her out of the game for the remainder of the quarter. The Patriots responded with two Sarah Kaminski threes which tied the game at 36-36 prompting a Dayton timeout. Just like the end of the first half, Alexsis Grate drove and scored in traffic to give George Mason a 42-40 lead, but this time the Patriots would hold on to lead at the quarter break.
The Flyers would not be denied, however, as they began the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 47-42 lead, one which they would not surrender the remainder of the game. Mason did make their late run again, as they did at SMU, as Nikki went on a personal 5-0 run to pull the Patriots to within one, 55-54 with 3:16 to play. In the minutes to come, George Mason would have several chances to tie or take the lead, but each trip came up empty, either producing a turnover or a one-and-done trip down the floor.
In the final minute, Dayton got not one, but two offensive rebounds extending their possession. Even so, Jacy Bolton grabbed a huge rebound with 30.4 remaining, and Nyla Milleson immediately called timeout to advance the ball. Even after the stoppage, Mason was unable to find a good look at the basket, and Nicole Cardaño-Hillary had to settle for a contested step-back with 20.3 left, and the Patriots were forced to foul. Shakeela Fowler hit both her free throws to extend the Dayton lead, and another contested shot by Nikki came up short, and the Flyers were able to dribble out the clock, to win by a final margin of 59-55.
Post-Game Thoughts
Let’s start with the bad…
George Mason committed 21 turnovers tonight. This was the sixth consecutive game that the Patriots have turned the ball over 16 times or more. During that span, Mason has eclipsed 20 turnovers on three occasions.
In the fourth quarter, Dayton out-rebounded Mason 9-4. In the final 1:04 of the game the Flyers grabbed four rebounds to Mason’s one, including a string of back-to-back offensive boards in the final minute.
After the third quarter when Mason was ahead 42-40, the Patriots’ scoring was quite balanced. Sarah Kaminski had 9, while Tamia Lawhorne, Nikki and Camarie Gatling all had 8 points. At the end of the game, Nikki had 17 but everyone else stayed the same. Of George Mason’s 13 fourth quarter points, Nikki accounted for nine of them. Jacy Bolton hit the only other field goal, and Alexsis Grate hit a free throw (the second attempt was washed out by a lane violation). Dayton knew what was coming, and play tight man-to-man defense on Nicole forcing her to take contested shots. Mason had very little low-block game in the fourth.
The positives…
Tamia Lawhorne continues to impress and develop. Thought she only had eight points tonight, she did have four rebounds and a pair of assists. She was one of the hardest workers out there.
Mason went blow-for-blow with Dayton in the third quarter. In previous games this year, when the opposition’s offense would find some rhythm, George Mason wouldn’t have an answer. Tonight they did, and actually won the battle of the third quarter, 24-20.
Alexsis Grate went 5/5 from the foul line tonight. She came into the game averaging just 61% from the line, but it is clear that she has been working on that part of her game.
The fought until the end and did not pack it up when they had multiple opportunities to, especially in the fourth quarter. This team is growing, and the signs of improvement are clear, even from the last time I saw them in person back in December against Bucknell.
Here’s how the standings shake up after a busy Wednesday around the A-10:
Updated @A10WBB Standings:
2-0 UMass
2-0 Davidson
–
2-0 Dayton
2-0 VCU
1-1 Fordham
1-1 Saint Louis
1-1 Rhode Island
1-1 Saint Joseph's
–
1-1 George Mason
1-1 George Washington
0-2 Duquesne
0-2 Richmond
0-2 La Salle
0-2 St. Bonaventure#A10WBB— Daniel Frank (@n1a2v3y4) January 9, 2020
There’s a loooooong way to go, and Mason is on the right track. They just need to focus on the little things and just keep improving.
George Mason is back in action on Sunday when they travel to Olean to take on St. Bonaventure who is 3-12 (0-2), so it should be a very winable game for the Patriots. GMU then returns home to EBA on Wednesday January 15 to host the red-hot Davidson Wildcats. We will be back on campus with our regular coverage on campus the following Sunday on January 19 against Fordham.
Special shutout to SID Molly Metress for making this trip to Dayton possible!
