Women’s hoops ends six-year winless drought in CAA Tournament

Fresh off her First-Team All CAA award, Taleia Moton contributed 20 points to Mason's CAA Tournament victory over Northeastern Thursday night. They move on to face JMU Friday night at 5 p.m. (John Powell).

Riding a late rally in the second half, the George Mason Patriots pulled away from Northeastern for their first win in the CAA Women’s Basketball Championships since 2006 by a final count of 70-60 Thursday night. The win helps prove that this program is on the upswing, led by head coach Jeri Porter and her recruiting classes, anchored by junior Amber Easter.

“It feels good to get a win, but we know we have to get right back at it tomorrow.  There is no sitting around,” assistant coach Greg Pulliam said.

Mason moves on in the tournament, taking on CAA rival James Madison in a battle of the seventh and third seeds. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. Friday in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. The Patriots are 3-6 all time against the Dukes in the CAA tournament.

In Thursday night's contest, there were 15 lead changes, Mason saved their best for last.  With the score tied at 57 with just fewer than seven minutes to play, Mason went on a 13-3 run sparked by a Janaa Pickard jumper.  Pickard, who failed to score in the first half, scored all ten of her points in the final frame.

When asked about the run over the last few minutes of the contest, Easter responded, “We came together and said we need to play basketball.  We wanted to see tomorrow.”

Easter would lead all Patriots’ scorers, finishing the game with her fourth double-double in her last seven games.  She had 22 points to go along with 13 rebounds, as her hustle late in the second half proved vital to the victory.

The first half was a seesaw; neither team could apply enough pressure to get an edge. After trailing by seven to start the first half, Porter went to her bench for some support. 

A Taleia Moton three-pointer would give the Patriots their first lead of the game. Each team would trade blows, until a Christine Huber layup put the Huskies back in front by five.

“I’m not sure why Christine Huber didn’t win any [CAA awards], she is amazing,” said Porter with a smile.

Huber was the best player in uniform for the Huskies as she provided an offensive spark with a game-high 25 points. She scored in various ways, hitting shots from beyond the arc as well as posting up for layups on the inside.

While the Huskies tried to ride Huber, Mason would turn to Moton to get them back in the game. A driving layup to the cup and a 10-foot jumper gave Mason all they needed to secure a one-point lead at the half, 32-31.

The second half was a Mason free throw clinic as the Patriots fought off the Northeastern swats to put themselves at the line. Back-to-back free throws by Evelyn Lewis gave Mason a four-point lead with just under four minutes to play.  The Patriots set a new tournament record, going 18-for-18 from the stripe in the game.

“Free throws are important and playing in a game sometimes it comes down to one or two free throws,” said Moton, who was 2-for-2 in the game.