Women’s Basketball loses to George Mason 78-60

VCU Women’s Basketball faced George Mason last Thursday in Fairfax, Va. The 8-7 GMU (5-3 in the CAA) defeated VCU (7-10, 4-4 in the CAA) 78-60.
Leading VCU in points was guard Cyndy Wilks, who totalled 15 for the game. Wilks went 6-14 from the floor and netted all three of her free-throw attempts. Wilks also earned three rebounds in the 36 minutes she played for the Rams.
Kristine Austgulen was also in the double-digits, with 10 points against the Patriots. Austgulen went 3-10 from the floor and sunk 4-5 of her free throw attempts. Austgulen also led the Rams with eight rebounds in her 33 minutes of play.
Both Candice Phelps and Lisa Troyahn added to VCU’s point tally with eight points each.
Leading the Patriots with 23 points was junior guard Jen Derevjanik. Derevjanik went 7-12, 5-6 from outside and went 4-4 with free throws. Derevjanik also had five rebounds for GMU.
During the game, Derevjanik tied her career record of five three-point baskets in her 29 minutes of playtime.
Guard Vernessa Neamo was the second leading scorer for GMU, tallying 18 points. Neamo went 7-15 for the game, made 2-4 three pointers and sunk 2-3 free throws. Neamo also earned six rebounds in her 30 minutes of play.
The Patriots set a school record during the game with 12 three-pointers. Overall, 12 of the 14 players on GMU’s bench contributed to the final score.
GMU controlled the game from the beginning, opening with a 7-0 run against VCU. Derevjanik had 13 points in the first half, including three three-pointers.
The Rams came back at the end of the first half with a 9-4 run to close the gap to 34-27.
GMU widened the margin in the beginning of the second half to 11. The patriots then had a 16-1 run, which widened the lead even more to 63-39.
GMU’s lead remained more than 20 points for the majority of the second half, until VCU had a 9-5 run in the final moments of the game to bring the final score to 78-60.
VCU shot 39.6 percent from inside, 20 percent from outside and 72.7 percent from the line.
The loss marks Women’s Basketball’s second loss in six games. George Mason moved to 8-7 overall, and VCU dropped to 7-10.
Women’s Basketball’s next game is against Old Dominion Feb. 6. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Siegel Center.