George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
George Mason
Women's Basketball Falls Short Against Patriots, 70-67
12/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
FAIRFAX, VA (Dec. 20) - The Colonials battled back from 15-point second-half deficit to pull within one with 10 seconds to play versus local rival George Mason, but were unable to hit a last second shot that would have sent the game to overtime.
GW (4-5) struggled most of the evening against the aggressive play of the Patriots who out-rebounded the Colonials 47-36, including 20 offensive boards, and scored on second chance shots. GMU (5-3) capitalized early, and pulled away in the first half, and headed into the locker room up 10 on GW, 35-25.
The Colonials chipped away at the Patriots lead in the second half, only to see GMU build their lead back up to a game-high 15 points with 11 minutes left in the game. Slowly GW made a comeback over the next 10 minutes, and decreased the lead to one point with 10 seconds left in the game. Junior Erica Lawrence fouled on the inbound and sent GMU's Laura Kooij to the line for two shots.
The freshman guard converted both free throws, and GMU called an immediate timeout to set their defense. The Colonials quickly brought the ball down the court, and ran a set play that freed junior guard Lindsey Davidson at the top of the arc. Davidson shot the 24-foot jumper and watched the shot lip out as the buzzer sounded to end the game.
Sophomore center Ugo Oha led four Colonials in double figures with 15 points, and fell a rebound and two blocks shy of a triple-double, recording nine rebounds and a season-high eight blocks in 32 minutes of play. Junior guard Cathy Joens scored 14, senior forward Elena Vishniakova added 12 and Lawrence threw in 10 points in the losing effort.
GW will return to action following the holiday break on Friday, Dec. 28, at 10:00 p.m. (EST) in the first round of the Pepperdine Holiday Classic in Malibu, CA when they face Oklahoma State in the opening round of the four-team tournament. Host Pepperdine faces Brown in the other first round match-up, with the consolation and championship games scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. respectively on Saturday, Dec. 29.
