DOVER, Delaware -- Facing a 10-point deficit with under two minutes play in regulation, the Delaware State women’s basketball team (3-3) battled back at home to force overtime, followed by a courageous effort in the extra period to defeat the George Mason Patriots (5-4) Wednesday evening of the Atlantic 10 Conference for a 90-83 victory.
In the first half, the Hornets stayed within striking distance, despite shooting a dismal 29 percent (9-of-31) from the field, including leading scorer Tierra Hawkins going 1-of-6 (.166).
However, DSU shot 75 percent (15-of-20) from the charity stripe to stay in the game.
Leading the entire way, George Mason took a 35-33 lead into the locker room with guard Taylor Brown tallying 13 points (4-of-9) as the squad’s lone scorer in double figures. In the case of DSU, guard Raven Bankston totaled 14 points on 50 percent shooting (5-of-10), whereas Hawkins went into the half with eight points while going a perfect 6-of-6 from free throw line.
After the break, Hawkins connected on back-to-back buckets in the paint to start the second half, giving DSU its first lead of the game, 37-36, at the 17:27 mark. On the next possession, Brown drained a three to put the Patriots back on top by two, but Hawkins tied the game on a layup after a pass from forward Deanna Harmon.
As the half progressed, neither squad led by more than a point, until George Mason scored nine unanswered points to go up 55-49 with 10:29 left in the ball game.
Snapping the run, meanwhile, was Diamond Williams draining a jumper, yet a Brown three pointer about a minute later sparked an 11-2 run, giving a George Mason 66-55 lead with 5:44 remaining in the contest.
Facing their largest deficit of the game, the Lady Hornets managed to cut the margin down to seven twice, but the Patriots answered each time, including Brown feeding forward Sandra Ngoie for a three pointer to put her squad up 73-63 with 1:44 to play.
In what seemed to be in the nail in the coffin, head coach Tamika Louis called a 30-second timeout to rally her troops.
“I told them we were going to win this game, but the way we are going to do it is by pressing and making them turn the ball over,” she said to her team.
After the timeout, DSU’s Jade Washington found guard N’Kayah Kersey on the wing for a three to cut the deficit back to seven. On the next trip down, after another DSU timeout and a defensive stop, Williams connected for a three to make it a 73-69 ball game with 58 seconds remaining.
With George Mason feeling the heat, Brown turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, leading to Washington finding Williams for another three pointer with 47 seconds to play to cut the Patriots lead down to one.
Facing intense full court pressure, the Patriots barely got the ball in bounds on their next trip down, but Washington fouled Brown, sending her to the line for a one-and-one opportunity at the line.
Coming into the game, Brown was shooting a team best 86 percent (37-of-43) from the charity stripe.
After making the first attempt to put the Patriots ahead at 74-72, Brown missed the second, resulting in Hawkins pulling down one of her game-high 14 rebounds with 45 seconds left in the game.
With no timeouts remaining, the Lady Hornets milked the clock to under 20 seconds until Harmon drove all the down the lane for a layup to tie the game with 15 seconds left on the clock.
In what was likely the last possession of regulation, DSU’s defense held steady as Brown missed a step-back three as time expired. When the buzzer sounded, the Lady Hornets closed the final 1:47 of regulation on a thunderous 11-1 run to force overtime.
To begin the overtime period, the Patriots scored four unanswered points, but the Lady Hornets answered with a 9-0 run to go up 83-78 at the 1:05 mark. During this stretch, Hawkins scored five points, headlined by a three-point play after being fouled in the paint.
The rest of the way, Delaware State outscored George Mason 7-3, including Hawkins sealing the deal with two free throws with six seconds left to secure her perfect 9-for-9 night at the line.
At game’s end, the Lady Hornets shook off the slow start and shot 51 percent (17-of-33) from the floor in the second half, while finishing the contest shooting 79 percent (27-of-34) from the line.
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ndividually, four DSU players finished the game in double figures, led by Hawkins’ game-high 29 points (10-of-21) to secure her third double-double of the season. The Clinton, Md. native, also finished with a game-high two blocks.
Also, turning a performance double-double performance was Harmon with 14 points (6-of-13) and 10 rebounds while playing a game-high 43 minutes.
Bankston, on the other hand, finished the night with 18 points (6-of-15), whereas forward Tylinn Carter ended up with a career-high 10 points (3-fo-5), to go along with four rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
Washington, meanwhile, dished a game-high eight assists and tallied four steals in addition to her eight points (1-of-5).
In the case of George Mason, four players also finished the game in double figures, led by Brown’s 20 points (6-of-19). Brown also added eight assists, five rebounds and two steals.
Guards Kyana Jacobs (4-of-8) and Cierra Strikland (3-of-5) both had 10 points, whereas Ngoie had 18 points (8-of-13) off the bench.
Coming up, Delaware State will back in action this Saturday (2 p.m.) at home for its MEAC opener against Coppin State.
Box Score
COURTESY DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS
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