Maryland Vs. George Mason: A DMV Women’s Hoops Showdown
As the never-ending mission to highlight DMV area hoops continues, we were once again brought back to College Park, Maryland, to see the Maryland Women (7-0) take on George Mason (4-2).
Following a convincing win against Bethune-Cookman, it was expected that Maryland would be more than ready to face a George Mason team that had given them a scare in 2024.
Maryland was ready, but George Mason, in a season freshly removed from their first NCAA Tournament appearance, was ready in their own right.
Mason’s coach, DMV product Vanessa Blair-Lewis stated, “Our girls are excited about playing top-tier teams,” and that excitement showed in the way the Patriots delivered the first haymaker in this contest.
Mason played at their pace in the first quarter, impressively, as Maryland is typically the team that creates havoc and plays the game at their speed.
The power of the Patriot scoring punch was Zahirah Walton, who scored 13 of her game-high 27 points on a perfect 6-of-6 from the field in the first quarter.
With Walton on fire and the defense playing well, the Patriots took control. Due to turnovers of their own, leading to losing the first quarter points off turnovers margin 14-6, they were unable to make Maryland pay for a slow start out of the gate. The quarter ended 24-23 George Mason.
In the second, both defenses stepped up. Maryland was able to lock in defensively and make things tough for the opposing team’s leading scorer, but still lacked control when the ball was in their hands.
Outside of Oluchi Okananwa, who scored 13 of her team-high 23 points in the first half, the Terps lacked firepower offensively for much of the first half.
However, as the clock dwindled down into halftime, Saylor Poffenbarger hit a leaning two as time expired to tie the game at 36. A shot that proved to be a momentum builder for the Terps and proof they survived the early Patriot punches.
But as Oluchi said in the postgame presser, “It’s a game of runs, we’re going to get punched, but what is really important is that we punch back.”
Oluchi Okananwa in the postgame presser
From the opening whistle of the half, Maryland truly punched back. In the 3rd quarter, Maryland forced 9 turnovers and outscored Mason 32-17.
Despite a relatively even 4th quarter, the Terps were able to keep George Mason at bay en route to an 84-62 victory.
For Maryland, we caught another glimpse of the team's resilience. On an off shooting night from beyond the arc (2 of 17 from three), it was their defense and ability to get out and run that made them successful.
Also, this game highlighted the huge role that freshman Guard Addi Mack has early into her college career. A big part of Maryland upping the pace in the second half included Mack. When she runs, others run with her, and Maryland is a dangerous team to beat when they outwork you up and down the floor.
It will be fun to see how this team responds to a top-20 matchup against Kentucky on November 26th.
For George Mason, we saw the fight and talent that truly signify how much this program has turned around. Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis and a roster full of DMV talent walked into the game as an underdog by most projections, but not in their own eyes.
George Mason Head Coach Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis talks about her team delivering a punch early.
That mentality and fight were on display all night despite not having everything bounce their way.
As they look to build on their first tournament birth and have the firepower to repeat in the A-10, finding a way to channel the intensity they brought in the first half of this game will be key in that pursuit.
Mason is back in action against Rider at home tonight at 7:00pm.
Overall, a great display from two local programs, and I’m excited to stay locked in to the progress of these teams throughout the season.
