Mitchell Richtmyre/Fourth Estate
The Patriots handled Monmouth to set up a crucial road trip
BY GABRIEL KING, CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Mason women’s basketball defeated Monmouth 89-66 on Tuesday at EagleBank Arena to improve to 3-0 on the season. After three straight home wins, the Patriots will play six of their next seven games away from home.
Sophomore guard Kennedy Harris has led the way for the Patriots, averaging 14.7 points in three games and shooting 50% from the field. Against Monmouth, Harris scored a team-high 20 points and made a career-high seven free throws.
“I just took the opportunities,” Harris said. “It’s just another chance for me to score easily at the free throw line.”
Along with Harris’ strong start, the Patriots have used a balanced attack to smother their opponents. Six Patriots are averaging at least eight points this season, including Harris, graduate student guard Ta’Viyanna Habib and graduate student forward Nalani Kaysia all averaging double figures.
“I think this year, the depth that we have, where it can be anybody’s night… I think that’s what’s going to make us really special,” Head Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis said.
The Patriots won their first three games by an average of 33 points, the second-best scoring margin in the Atlantic 10. Mason has been able to grow their leads with disruptive defense, as they’ve forced 72 turnovers this season, good for first in the A-10.
While Mason’s defense has been stout, the Patriots have not gone without their occasional struggles. Mason’s opponents have scored at least 20 points in three quarters, including the third and fourth quarters against Monmouth. The Hawks scored 21 points in the third quarter and 20 in the fourth to put some pressure on the Patriots.
“I just think that there were just some lulls in our defensive commitment tonight,” Blair-Lewis said. “I think that we could definitely do better.”
In a seven-game stretch that includes three games against power conference opponents, the Patriots will need to play stellar defense to pick up resume-building wins.
The Patriots may be without Kaysia for the road trip. The graduate student left Tuesday’s win with an undisclosed injury.
Mason’s road swing starts at Marshall University on Nov. 17 at 6:00 p.m. The Patriots defeated the Thundering Herd 84-77 at home last season. Mason will then head south for a matchup with Atlantic Coast Conference foe Wake Forest on Nov. 20 in a nationally televised game on ACC Network.
The Patriots return home on Nov. 26, hosting Blair-Lewis’ alma mater Mount St. Mary’s at 7:00 p.m. Student tickets are available through Mason360.