Surging Blue Hens Halted At George Mason 67-56
February 17, 2011
• Boxscore
Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell
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FAIRFAX, Va. -- With three players in double figures, George Mason University halted the University of Delaware women's basketball team, which was riding a four game winning streak going into Thursday's competition. The Patriots used 42.1 percent shooting from the field to outduel the Hens 67-56 in the Patriot Center.
“It was a very frustrating evening for us,” said Delaware head coach Tina Martin. “We didn’t necessarily shoot the ball well, we had our opportunities, we missed a lot of layups.”
Winners of their last four games, two of which were on the road, the Blue Hens slipped to 15-10 overall and 8-6 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Patriots snapped a two-game skid to improve to 12-13 overall and 6-8 in the CAA.
Despite its record, George Mason plays at home very well, holding a 9-4 record in the Patriot Center this season. One of those four home losses came 68-67 to one of the top teams in conference, Old Dominion University, at the buzzer.
This was Delaware’s first loss in the month of February and first since an 81-66 setback to Hofstra on Jan. 30.
Delaware’s offense was paced by sophomore guard Lauren Carra, who finished with 16 points, going four of 10 from the field but hit 100 percent of her free throw attempts (7-7). Coming off of a 33-point effort on Sunday at William & Mary, sophomore All-American Elena Delle Donne was the only other Blue Hen in double figures, posting 14 points, ending a three-game double-double streak.
On the glass, Delaware was led by another sophomore in Danielle Parker, who pulled down a game third-best six rebounds, including four on the offensive glass, helping Delaware tally seven second-chance points.
The Patriots were led by Brittany Poindexter’s game second-best 15 points, Amber Easter’s 14 points and Ashleigh Braxton’s four-of-six three-point shooting for 12 points. Poindexter added 10 boards for the double-double.
Delaware had an 80.8 percent night on the free throw line, going over 25 attempts for the second consecutive game after hitting 27-of-31 free throws at William & Mary. Tonight, Delaware went 21-of-26 at the charity stripe, which was key to keeping the Hens in the game.
At the 11:24 mark, sophomore guard Jaquetta May rolled in a layup, which was Delaware’s last field goal until there was just over three minutes left in the game.
Down 44-39 at that the 11:24 mark, Delaware knocked down eight free throws until Vanessa Kabongo’s roll in at 3:03.
But hitting deep three pointers, the Patriots maintained control of the contest, holding an insurmountable 61-49 lead by the time Kabongo scored.
As a team, Delaware went 17-49 from the field, led by Delle Donne’s 14 attempts, of which she converted five. Kabongo went three of eight from the floor and hit her only free throw on an and-one. She finished with seven points.
George Mason went 24-57 (42.1 percent) from the field, including 14-of-28 in the first half. The Patriots went nearly 50.0 percent from beyond the arc, hitting six of their 13 attempts (46.2 percent). Mason narrowly edged Delaware in rebounds, pulling down 35 to the Hens 34.
The Blue Hens dished out nine assists, led by three from Carra. Defensively, Delle Donne grabbed four steals while swatting away two Patriot shots.
Delaware will return home after a three-game road trip to host league-leading James Madison University Sunday afternoon. The Hens will be participating in the WBCA’s PinkZone during the 3 p.m. game in the Bob Carpenter Center. The contest will also be televised on Comcast Sports Net in the Middle Atlantic and Philadelphia markets.
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