GLEN ALLEN, Va. -- The George Mason Patriots have broken program record after record.
George Mason set a program best with its 25th victory in Friday’s Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Quarterfinals. Friday’s victory also secured the Patriots their first spot in the A-10 semifinals.
And in Saturday’s semifinal, George Mason (26-5) made another program first.
The Patriots semifinal win set the stage for their first ever A-10 Women’s Basketball Championship.
“Growing the program through this feels amazing,” Nalani Kaysia said, “that we can leave a legacy and have chance to leave a legacy here.”
Second-seeded George Mason defeated the third-seeded Davidson Wildcats 63-50 in the A-10 semifinals at the Henrico Sports and Events Center on Saturday. The Patriots punched their ticket to Sunday’s A-10 championship game and will matchup against the fourth-seeded Saint Joseph’s Hawks.
George Mason’s victory was fueled by big runs. It was the Patriots’ third quarter double digit run that allowed them to command a double-digit lead.
George Mason held an eight-point lead at halftime. The Patriots opened the third quarter on a free throw from Zhariah Walton and a bucket from Kennedy Harris. Paula Suarez shortly followed with a 3-pointer and Nekhu Mitchell added a layup off of a Davidson turnover.
Harris capped the 10-1 run on a jumper.
The Patriots scored 26 points off of Davidson’s 21 turnovers.
“We told them that they would have those opportunities and that we had to capitalize, especially in a game like this, in a formidable team like Davidson,” GM coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis said, “that when you had your opportunities we had to connect.”
Three Patriots finished with double digits. Walton finished with a team-high 16 points. Suarez scored 13 and Kaysia added 11.
Kaysia nearly had a double-double after grabbing a team-high nine rebounds.
The Patriots trailed the Wildcats early in the game, but George Mason utilized its first big run of the game to pull away from the Wildcats (. The Patriots ended the first on a 9-0 run, capped on two free throws by Paula Suarez.
George Mason used another big run in the second quarter to widen its margin over Davidson. Issy Morgan converted a Patriots turnover to a layup. Morgan’s bucket brought the Wildcats to within one-point. But George Mason responded with a 10-4 run, sparked by a Walton free throw and a 3-pointer by Mitchell. That helped the Patriots secure an eight-point lead as they headed into halftime.
Katie Donovan finished with a Davidson-high 16 points and Charlise Dunn scored 14 points.
It was Davidson’s first appearance in the A-10 semifinals.
“I wouldn’t trade this group, I wouldn’t trade the process that we went through to get to this point,” Davidson coach Gayle Fulks said, “and how we showed up and I knew that we were ready.”
The Patriots will face the Saint Joseph’s Hawks at 4 p.m. on Sunday at the Henrico Sports and Events Center. The A-10 Championship will be aired on ESPN2.
Saint Joseph’s won both matchups against George Mason in the regular season.
“It’s good that we faced this team twice because now we kind of have an idea of tendencies,” Blair-Lewis said. “And I’m glad that we faced them less than a week and a half ago because now you can remember it.”