ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The St. Bonaventure University women's basketball team battled for the full 40 minutes, but fell to George Mason, 57-48, Wednesday afternoon at the Reilly Center.
Aaliyah Parker paced the Bonnies with 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Laycee Drake chipped in seven points while Mackenzie Pettinelli and Elyse MacDonough tallied six points each for the Brown and White.
The Bonnies (12-8, 3-5 A-10) and Patriots (13-6, 8-0 A-10) traded baskets most of the first quarter before Bona's ended the period on a quick 5-0 spurt to take a 16-13 lead into the second.
George Mason was quick to take the lead back, scoring the first five points of the second until Gabby Robinson ended the run with a second-chance basket to tie the game at 18-18.
A free throw from Brillana Boyd with under two minutes left in the first half gave the Brown and White a 26-24 edge over the Patriots.
George Mason, however, scored the half's final four points to take a 28-26 lead into the halftime break.
The visitors jumped out to a six-point, 34-28 lead midway through the third quarter following a Zahirah Walton layup.
The Bonnies chipped away at the deficit, tying the game at 36-36 on a MacDonough 3-pointer with three minutes left in the third.
Kennedy Harris knocked down a three for George Mason with 1:15 showing on the clock in the third to give the Patriots a 41-38 advantage heading into the fourth.
Bona's battled back in the fourth to take a 44-43 lead following a pair of free throws from Parker.
Walton and Jada Brown netted the next four points for George Mason, retaking the lead, 47-44.
Parker drove the lane for a basket on the next Bonnies possession, but that is as close as the Bonnies would get as the Patriots ended the game on a 10-2 run, earning the win.
GAME NOTES
- The Bonnies finished the game shooting 33.9 percent (19-for-56) from the floor and held George Mason to a 35.4 percent (17-for-48) mark.
- Bona's committed just 11 turnovers in Wednesday's matchup.
- The Brown and White dominated the painted area, outscoring the Patriots, 22-12.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH JIM CROWLEY
"I thought we executed our gameplan really well. We made them take tough shots. They are a very good defensive team. They stalled us a little bit at times and then we had some opportunities at the free throw line that we didn't take advantage of. We attacked better in the second half and had some good reads in the first half that just came up empty."
UP NEXT
The Bonnies remain at home to host La Salle Saturday, Jan. 24. Tipoff is slated for 3:00 p.m. at the Reilly Center.
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