(Davon Marion / Fourth Estate)
Mason women’s basketball wins first-ever A-10 regular season title
BY PETER MAHLER, ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
On a sunny Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh, George Mason women’s basketball (21-8, 16-2 in A-10) closed out a historic season, winning their fifth straight game by defeating Duquesne (11-18, 4-14 in A-10) by a score of 65-48, and bringing home the program’s first-ever regular-season conference title.
Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis’ Patriots share the championship crown with Rhode Island (25-4, 16-2 in A-10) heading into the A-10 tournament, with an early-season loss giving the Rams the tiebreaker. Because of that, Rhode Island will be the No. 1 seed in the A-10 tournament, while Mason will be the No. 2 seed. Mason’s 16 wins mark the most in a season, having registered three consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time.
Duquesne junior guard Reina Green opened the scoring with 6 points, pushing the Dukes to an early 8-2 lead. The advantage didn’t hold for long, as a 32-7 Mason response gave the Patriots a 17-point lead by halftime.
Junior Zahirah Walton led Mason in scoring for the fourth straight game, recording a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double. The two-way forward ends the regular season averaging a career-best 18 ppg that is second in the A-10, while leading Mason in rebounding, assists and blocks.
Junior guard Kennedy Harris and senior guard Jada Brown combined for 29 points, with Brown shooting lights out, finishing 4-of-5 from three.
Mason held an opponent to under 50 points for the eighth time this season. The Patriot defense, which has allowed just over 59 ppg, stymied the Dukes, surrendering just 17 first-half points on 30% shooting from the field.
Duquesne’s offense woke up in the second half, scoring 31 points on a slightly improved 35% from the field, but Mason’s commanding lead never fell below double digits.
Green (11 points and 11 rebounds) and junior guard Gabby Grantham-Medley (12 points and 10 rebounds) were effective for the Dukes with double-doubles, but few players around them could match Mason’s firepower.
Harris and freshman guard Mary Amoateng each added 4 steals as the Patriots stole the ball 13 times, scoring 16 points off 20 Duquesne turnovers.
Now locked into their tournament seed, the Patriots own a double-bye going into the A-10 quarterfinals. They play Friday, March 6 at 5 p.m. against either No. 7 Dayton or No. 10 George Washington, two teams they swept during the regular season.
