Mitchell Richtmyre/Fourth Estate
The Patriots hold an 8-1 record for the second straight season
BY CHRISTIAN SEGOVIA, ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Mason women’s basketball has dominated their first nine games of the season with their current record of 8-1. The team is 1-0 in the Atlantic 10, 4-0 at home and 4-0 in true road games. The Patriots’ lone loss came on a neutral court against No. 7 Maryland.
Sophomore guard Kennedy Harris leads the team with 16.5 points per game. Senior guard Paula Suárez leads the team in assists with 4.7 per game. Graduate student forward Nalani Kaysia leads the team in rebounds with 9.4 per game.
Harris got her first player of the week for A-10. In her two Navy Classic games against Navy and Maryland, she averaged 25.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Harris’ performance in the Navy Classic also earned her a spot on the NCAA’s Team of the Week.
“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.
Each night, Mason has different players contributing to help the team win.
In their game against George Washington, graduate student guard Ta’Viyanna Habib led the team to a win with 20 points, with help from junior forward Zahirah Walton scoring 17 points. In their win against the Navy, Walton helped Harris lead Mason to victory by scoring 19 points, with more help from Kaysia with 15 points and Habib with 14 points.
In their win against Mount St. Mary’s, junior guard Jada Brown led the team to victory with 14 points, alongside junior guard Page Greenburg with 13 points. Suárez, Kaysia and sophomore guard Louis Volker each had 12 points.
Mitchell Richtmyre/Fourth Estate
In the A-10, Mason women’s basketball team is third in offense, averaging 78.3 points per game. Mason is fourth in field percentage, shooting 43.7%, and third from the point line, shooting 37.6%. Mason is fifth in assists, averaging 15.4 per game..
Mason is fourth in the A-10 defense, holding teams to 56 points per game. The Patriots are sixth in the conference in opponent field goal percentage, holding teams to 38.4%. Mason is also second in the conference in rebounding, averaging 40.7 rebounds per game.
After their win against George Washington in their A-10 opener, the team will head back to the nation’s capital to face Georgetown on Dec. 9 at 7 p.m.. On Dec. 14, Mason women’s basketball will be back home to face the Maryland Eastern Shore at EagleBank Arena at 3 p.m.