Red hot Patriots down Rhody in road battle

Photo courtesy of gorhody.com

Two red-hot rivals went toe-to-toe on Wednesday as the George Mason Patriots took down the Rhode Island Rams 56-44 at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia. 

George Mason entered the contest on a nine-game win streak, while Rhody had claimed four of its last five and was looking to make a statement at the home of the second place Patriots. The Patriots protected home court though, riding a 15-8 third quarter to its 10th straight win and third-highest win total in program history. 

Mason was able to do it by holding Rhody to a clip of just 29.3 percent from the field, URI’s worst percentage of the season. Over the past five games URI had shot 38.9 percent from the field, a near 10 percent swing against GMU. URI’s sophomore guard Sophia Vital carried the load, knocking down seven of her 11 attempts enroute to 16 points, her third game in double figures since Jan. 29. Mason, on the other hand, shot 40.4 percent on Wednesday. Mason’s senior guard Paulá Suarez led the way with 17 points and a season-high five rebounds. Suarez was helped by redshirt sophomore Zahirah Walton who added 12 of her own, with eight of them in the first half, allowing Mason to find a 25-22 lead at the break. 

The third quarter is where the hosts pulled away as GMU knocked down three triples in the third period of play, unlocking its offense while only allowing three Ram field goals in the quarter. Seven URI turnovers compared to Mason’s two were the difference in the quarter, as Rhody struggled to keep possessions alive. 

As the clock wound down, Rhody missed every one of its final seven field goals in the fourth quarter, unable to overcome a 40-30 advantage after the third portion of play. The 6-0 GMU run to end the night culminated in the 12-point victory, as the Patriots moved to 12-2 within Atlantic 10 play. 

URI returns home on Saturday to face off against the 8-19 La Salle Explorers in a basketball doubleheader. Tip off is set for noon with a broadcast available on ESPN+ and radio options on RIU2.org and The Varsity Network.