George Mason fell short to top seed Rhode Island 79-63 at Eaglebank Arena Saturday afternoon. There was a lot riding on this one. Prior to the defeat, George Mason sat at third with only one loss to Richmond. Richmond was second with one loss to Rhode Island and Rhode Island was unbeaten in conference play. Winning this game would\u2019ve put George Mason in the position to win the regular season title. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the first quarter, both teams had a slow start but George Mason couldn\u2019t figure it out. The Patriots dynamic duo Zahirah Walton and Kennedy Harris combined for 0-12 shots in the first quarter. Hawa Komara picked up the slack and grabbed 8 boards, 6 were offensive, in the first quarter alone. She also led her team in scoring the first quarter with 6 points on 3-4 shooting. Meanwhile Rhode Islands Brooklyn Gray was just warming up with 4 points on 2-4 shooting in the first quarter. The first quarter saw 7 ties and 4 lead changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the second, Harris started to get going early in the quarter with back to back buckets. Midway through the second, Walton committed her third foul and was subbed out. She didn\u2019t return until after the media timeout in the third quarter. Walton has been the Patriots most consistent offensive force so without her in the game they had to figure out a way to put the ball in the hole. Rhode Island won the second quarter 20-12 led by Brooklyn Gray with 13 points in the half shooting a perfect 5-5 from the charity stripe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the third quarter the Patriots went on a 7-0 spurt and brought the deficit within 5. Shortly after, Rhody put their foot down going on a 14-4 run to end the quarter. Brooklyn Gray showcased her shiftiness and physicality to navigate her way to the rim, draw the foul and score the bucket. George Masons Hawa Komara added on 7 offensive boards in the quarter. George Mason fought hard but couldn\u2019t close the gap, Rhody won the third quarter 20-18. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the final quarter of the game Walton showed some fight going 3-4 from the floor adding 6 points. The Patriots had no answer for Brooklyn Gray she finished the game with a career high 30 points with five and 1s, 9 boards, and a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis was unhappy with her team\u2019s offensive performance: \u201cWe knew it was a big game today and we didn\u2019t show up and meet the moment. We missed 50 shots at home, that\u2019s unacceptable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the bright side it was a reunion day for Hawa Komara, she played under Coach Reiss at Rhode Island last year<\/a>. In the handshake line Coach Tammi Reiss showed genuine excitement for congratulating her on a career night: \u201cI\u2019m happy for you, you didn\u2019t have to do it to us\u201d Coach Reiss said jokingly as the two laughed and hugged.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n George Mason has a quick turnaround on Monday against second seed Richmond. They have the opportunity to split the series with Richmond and clench the second spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See full breakdown below from Jalynn Holmes. For more in-depth coverage and analysis, visit our full college basketball<\/a> hub at Double Take Sports. <\/p>\n\n\n\n