Fourth Estate/Mitchell Richtmyre

The Patriots fell in controversial fashion at the A-10 Tournament

BY GABRIEL KING, SPORTS EDITOR

Mason women’s basketball fell to Duquesne 63-62 in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Friday. The Patriots (23-7, 14-4 Atlantic 10) had a chance to tie the game on their final possession, but the fifth-seeded Dukes (20-12, 13-5) made a late defensive stand.

Mason trailed by 14 points in the first half, but came back to take the lead in the third quarter. There were six lead changes in the fourth quarter before Precious Johnson made the game-winning layup for Duquesne with 44 seconds remaining. 

Senior Sonia Smith led the Patriots with 24 points. The game was Smith’s eighth of the season with at least 20 points. Junior Paula Suárez was the only other Patriot to score in double figures, as she scored a season-high of 17 points on 7-14 shooting.

“It was a very good game, a game we couldn’t wait to play tonight after a really good season by these young women. It just didn’t end the way we felt it should,” Head Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis said. Sophomore Zahirah Walton was awarded two free throws with less than one second remaining, but the call was overturned, leading to the Patriots’ loss.

The late call sparked controversy throughout the Atlantic 10. “The decision made by the crew to reverse a call made at .5 seconds remaining in the game was not permitted within the rules,” the Atlantic 10 said in a statement Saturday. “The league office and coordinator of officials has addressed the issue, took appropriate action and pledges to do better in the future.”

With the loss, Mason is a longshot to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. “We hope that the committees making the call for postseason play will consider our overall body of work and will not … end their careers on an incorrect call,” Blair-Lewis said in a statement. 

Despite a quarterfinal exit, the Patriots had one of the best regular seasons in program history. “We still got in the top 50 [of the] NET this season. We just made [the] top four in the conference, we haven’t done that in a long time. I’m just really proud of this team,” Smith said.

 If the Patriots are not selected for the NCAA Tournament, they could still earn a bid to the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.

Duquesne went on to lose to Richmond 80-66 in the semifinals on Saturday. Richmond then defeated Rhode Island 65-51 in the championship game on Sunday to earn the A-10’s automatic bid.

Mason will find out their postseason selection on Mar. 17. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is set for 8 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.