HUNTINGTON -- George Mason the founding father was described as small and slight in build.
The women's basketball team at the university named for Mason is not. That showed Sunday when the Patriots (4-0) used superior size and strength to defeat Marshall 69-56 in front of an announced crowd of 1,037 at Cam Henderson Center.
George Mason outrebounded the Thundering Herd 47-29, including 22-7 on the offensive boards. The Patriots posted a 26-16 scoring advantage in the paint and scored 13 second-chance points to Marshall's four.
"We have to figure out a way to finish out the last minute of the second quarter and the fourth quarter," Herd coach Juli Fulks said. "We keep having big swings in the last minute. We'll take a look at that."
Marshall was within 31-28 with 3:30 to go until halftime, but the Patriots closed on a 10-2 run for a 41-20 lead. George Mason outscored the Herd 16-5 in the fourth quarter.
That final period was the difference. The Herd erased a 14-point third quarter deficit to tie 53-53 after Leyocha Marigney scored from an assist by Meredith Maier 17 seconds into the fourth quarter.
"This is a team that always has a chance because we have a lot of great shooters," Fulks said. "We gave ways to get them the ball. I think that's one of the things when Peyton (Ilderton) came in, the offense flowed a little better."Â
George Mason went on a 6-0 run before Marshall scored again as Maier assisted Aislynn Hayes on a 3-pointer at the 5:55 mark. The Herd didn't score again as the Patriots went on a 10-0 streak.
Nalani Kaysia, a 6-foot-2 graduate transfer from Charlotte, was the biggest troublemaker for Marshall (1-3). She scored 12 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Zahira Walton, a 5-11 junior, scored 21 points and snared eight rebounds. Kennedy Davis, a 5-7 guard, scored 18 points.
Fulks compared the Patriots to Toledo, another big, veteran team that defeated Marshall 71-68 on Nov. 4.
"We knew (Kaysia) was going to be a pretty big challenge," Fulks said. "Just like Toledo, they had some graduate and upper-level post players who were really experienced and have played a lot of really big games."
The Herd never led, but George Mason's struggles at the free throw line kept the Patriots from pulling way. George Mason made 15 of 28 foul shots, compared to 13 of 18 by Marshall.Â
Hayes led Marshall with 16 points. Madison Kellione scored 14.
Kellione said she's optimistic heading into a game Thursday against Penn State (5-0) and Saturday against Tulsa (1-2), both in Orlando, Florida.
"I think we're coming together," Kellione said. "We're coming together on the court and off the court. We need to see it in games."
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