Spiders Take Loss at George Mason, 77-56

Wednesday, January 17

Fairfax, VA

11:00 AM

University of Richmond

7-12, 2-4 A-10

George Mason

15-4, 4-1 A-10

Richmond

George Mason

01/17/2018 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Matt Moretti III (@Moretts13)

FAIRFAX, Va. – The University of Richmond women's basketball team (7-12, 2-4 Atlantic 10) was hot from the floor early on but a cold-streak in the second quarter created a deficit that the Spiders were unable to overcome down the stretch, resulting a George Mason (15-4, 4-1 A-10) victory, 77-56.

Two of the best freshmen in the Atlantic 10 locked horns on Wednesday morning. Alex Parson, who came into the game averaging 13.4 points per game in Atlantic 10 play, including back-to-back 18-point efforts, was matched up with Nicole Cardano-Hilary, the league's leading scorer. That duo went shot for shot, dropping in 13 points apiece.

Micaela Parson joined Alex in double digits with 11 and Jaide Hinds-Clarke came off the bench to score nine points and pull down six boards. She was one of three Spiders, along with Karleigh Wike and Micaela to lead the team with six rebounds. Amy Duggan added five points and five rebounds and Dee Hatcher went 2-7 from long range for her six points.

The first half was truly a tale of two very different quarters. The Spider offense was clicking early and often in this one. Karleigh Wike got the scoring started in the first with a hook shot in the lane over the league's fourth-leading shot blocker and we were off and running. Wike added a pair of free throws after that and Dee Hatcher canned a three ball but Mason was matching shot for shot the whole way.

Both sides then went through an extended drought, halted by a Mason layup at the 4:30 mark. Jaide Hinds-Clarke put her first points on the board at 4:37 to match the score, 9-9, then it was Micaela and Jaide scoring on each of the next two possessions to push the Spiders ahead, 13-11. Following a three ball from Kailyn Fee at the 2:39 mark, Richmond held its largest lead of the first half, 16-11.

The Patriots battled back to knot the score at 19 and the two sides traded buckets in the final minute to close the quarter with the score tied at 21. That tally is the most the Spiders have ever put up in a first quarter against an A-10 opponent. As a team Richmond shot 50 percent in that opening frame with contributions to the scoreboard from seven different players.

Richmond was not able to sustain that hot streak into the second quarter. The defense remained stout, holding Mason to 5-18 from the floor (27.8 percent) and just 18 points thanks in large part to a 7-13 mark from the free throw line. The Spiders did manage to get the league's leading scorer, Nicole Cardano-Hilary, into early foul trouble and held her to just two points in the first half. The A-10's second leading scorer, Natalie Butler, posted a double-double in the first half, (11 points, 12 rebounds) but needed 13 shots to get there with Wike playing tough defense underneath.

The Spiders on the flip side went 0-11 from the floor in the second quarter and were saved from a scoreless frame by Alex Parson who drew a foul in the final second and knocked in both free throws to leave the Spiders with a 39-23 deficit to work with at the start of the second half. Alex was the eighth different Spider to put points on the board. Wike and Hinds-Clarke led the way with four apiece.

George Mason came out hot in the third quarter, converting each of its first four tries from the floor while Micaela tried to keep her Spiders afloat. She dropped in a triple then drove the lane and converted to shake her early slump. She went on to score seven points in the frame while Alex poured six of her own with a pair of triples.

The Spiders went 6-20 from the floor in the third and scored 18 points but Mason was up to the task. The Patriots dropped in 24 points on 8-14 from the floor (57.1 percent) and went 7-11 from the free throw line to build a 22-point advantage entering the fourth.

Alex got the scoring started in the fourth quarter with five-straight points, pushing her into double-figures for the third game in a row and 14th time this season. Big sister later joined her with a jumper at the 1:39 mark. She's been in double-figures every single game this season. In the end, the Spiders were able to keep pace but unable to cut into the deficit.

Richmond returns home on Sunday (Jan. 21) for a 2 p.m. tip with another one of the league's top teams, Fordham, which entered play on Wednesday unbeaten in A-10 play. One week from today the Spiders will welcome Dayton to the Robins Center for a 7 p.m. tip. Dayton also enters play today unbeaten in the Atlantic 10.