ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The St. Bonaventure University women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker to George Mason, 49-45, Thursday evening at the Reilly Center.
Nalani Kaysia's basket with 22 seconds remaining in the game pushed the Patriots (8-7, 1-1 A-10) ahead for good, 45-44.
The Bonnies had a good look at a potential tie with four seconds showing on the clock, but an attempt from I'yanna Lops shot fell short, forcing the Bonnies to foul.
George Mason went 4-for-4 from the free throw line down the stretch to clinch the road victory.
Nikki Oppenheimer led the Bonnies by scoring a career-high 15 points, highlighted by four made 3-pointers. I'yanna Lops finished with nine points and five rebounds for the hosts.
Lops pushed the Bonnies ahead, 44-42, with 1:51 remaining in the fourth with a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down. George Mason would head to the line on the following possession, making 1-of-2 and then forcing a turnover to get the ball back.
Bona's went into the locker room at halftime down 10 at half and the Patriots' lead continued to grow to as many as 14 in the third quarter, 34-20, following a pair of free throws from J-Naya Ephraim with 7:11 showing on the clock.
The Bonnies (3-14, 0-2 A-10), however, held George Mason without a field goal over the next 10-plus minutes, taking their first lead since the opening basket of the contest. SBU used a 17-1 run which was capped by a Payton Fields three-pointer to pull ahead 37-35 with just over seven minutes to play in the contest.
The Brown and White remain at home to host George Washington Sunday afternoon. Tip is slated for 1:00 p.m.
GAME NOTES
- Thursday was a defensive battle with both teams finishing the night shooting under 30 percent from the field. The Bonnies finished at a 29.1 percent clip while the Patriots shot 27.1 percent from the floor.
- George Mason dominated the boards, 49-31.
- Payton Fields was a team-best +/- rating of +11 in 12 minutes off the bench. Fields finished with five points and a pair of rebounds.
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