Women Patriots fall in first round of CAA Championship to Georgia State

The George Mason Women Patriots (13-17) were defeated by the Georgia State Bulldogs (12-18) by a final score of 68-64 at Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Md. Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the CAA Tournament.

It was the typical high energy matchup of an eight and nine seed with the victory coming down to the wire.

Mason, 2-0 all time when playing as the number eight seed prior to the game, looked to senior leadership for assistance.

It was a field of eight’s for the Patriots, as they trailed Georgia State at the end of the first half.  Georgia State looked like the better team as they held eighth-seeded Mason to a lowly 8-25 from the field and eight turnovers. 

Georgia State took an early lead in the first half, fending off a lone comeback by the Patriots which included five straight points from guard Rahnekaa Saunders.  After cutting the lead to two points, it was two missed free-throws by Angelee LaTouche that set another Georgia State run in motion. On 3-5 shooting from the three-point line, the number nine-seeded Bulldogs held a 38-26 halftime lead.

With the start of the second half, it was Georgia State taking a page out of Mason’s playbook as they dominated the play with three-point shooting and transition offense.  With only one lead change for most of the game, Mason looked to make a run with under 11 minutes left in the second half.  Once again, however, Georgia State matched the Patriots with a five point stint of their own.

But the Patriots were far from done as they attempted another comeback, this one led by Taleia Moton.  It was her dish to open shooter Brittany Eley that cut the lead back to seven points.  Moton finished the game with a team high 19 points.

Georgia State had the mindset of “I can do anything you can do better,” however.

The Bulldogs matched another comeback by the Patriots, who seemed all but lost down by nine points with five minutes remaining.  Everything was working for Georgia State.  Their bench was better.  Their shots were better.  They were more intense.

But it’s that “never say never” attitude that has allowed this Mason team to reach success.  A pivotal steal by Amber Easter on a Mason full-court press cut the lead back down to just four.  Then it was Moton to the rescue again, connecting on a difficult layup under the basket.

After a pair of free throws by Georgia State forward Angelique Burts, Mason had seven seconds to overcome a two-possession game.  A few launched three-pointers, a lucky rebound and lowered heads was all that ensued for the Patriots.

George Mason ends their season on an early exit from the CAA Championships.  It’s the second year under Coach Jeri Porter that the Patriots have failed to win come tournament time.  Senior Brittany Poindexter, the long time face of Mason women’s basketball, left it all on the court in her last game, scoring 11 points and securing seven rebounds.

Mason will enter the 2011-12 campaign looking to fill some gaps left by graduating seniors.  Their biggest challenge, once again, will be to try and build on a shaky season.