Women's Basketball 3/4/2016 1:34:00 PM Atlantic 10 Conference

Top-Seed GW Moves on With 78-48 Victory over George Mason

RICHMOND, Va. - Top-seeded George Washington played the part of defending champions, spurred by the return of Jonquel Jones, eliminating ninth-seeded George Mason 78-48 Friday in the first quarterfinal of the 2016 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship at the Richmond Coliseum.

The Colonials (24-6) dominated the inside, as First Team All-Conference forward Caira Washington had a double-double with 16 points and eleven rebounds, while Kelli Prange added 14 points. In her first game since suffering a shoulder injury January 20th, Jones had eleven points and nine rebounds in thirteen minutes of action.

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"We went in with the mindset knowing it's a third game against a rival, and that their seniors hadn't beaten us. I was really proud of our team as we played to our strengths," said George Washington head coach Jonathan Tsipis. "Caira and Kelli got us started with how aggressive they were offensively, but you win this tournament with defensive and rebounding, and I was proud of the second quarter push we had."

"Just to be back playing with my teammates is awesome," Jones added. "It's great to be back out on the floor with them. We just want to come out in the tournament, do what we're supposed to do, and put ourselves where we want to be for the postseason."

The Patriots (12-19) stumbled early, shooting just 29 percent in the first quarter, falling behind by seven points and unable to make a legitimate push for the lead. In her final game for George Mason, Taylor Brown was draped defensively, making only three of sixteen shot attempts for seven points. Kara Wright led the Patriots with 12 points.

"I'm extremely proud of our basketball team, but we ran up against one of the elite programs in the country, in my opinion," noted George Mason head coach Nyla Milleson. "Taylor goes out as one of the best players this program has ever had. When you're trying to build a championship culture, it's been a hard process, it's a grind every single day. We're closer, and we'll have exceptional leadership next year."

George Washington advances to the first semifinal Saturday at 11am, where they will face the winner of VCU/St. Bonaventure. This will be the Colonials' third consecutive appearance in the semifinal round.