FAIRFAX, Va. – George Mason's Nicole Cardano-Hillary and Natalie Butler combined to score 25 points to lead the Patriots past the Longwood women's basketball team 60-41 Thursday night at EagleBank Arena.
After Longwood played its best defensive half of basketball this season, holding the Patriots to .324 shooting in the opening half including a stretch that saw the Longwood defense hold the Patriots scoreless in a span of nine minutes of playing time. Longwood, who faced an 11-2 deficit in the opening four minutes, closed the margin to two points, 28-26, following a Stephanie Guihon three-pointer to open the second half, before the Patriots went on an 18-1 run the remainder of the period to pull away.
With George Mason (11-3) leading scorer Butler averaging 19.2 points per game and Cardano-Hillary adding 17.5 per game coming into Thursday's game, the Lancer defense limited the Patriots two biggest offensive threats to nine points below their season average while forcing 16 George Mason turnovers.
Butler, who scored 35 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in George Mason's last game against Houston, secured her 13th double-double of the season with her 11-point, 11 rebound performance. The 6-5 forward finished 5-of-12 from the floor and added one assist in 27 minutes.
Meanwhile, Cardano-Hillary finished 6-of-17 from the floor after scoring eight of her 14 points in the opening four minutes of the game. She helped the Patriots score 27 points off 21 Longwood turnovers.
Longwood (2-8) was led in the scoring department by Dayna Rouse and Kristina Antonenko, who each tallied nine points. In addition, Antonenko secured a season-high eight rebounds to finish just shy of collecting her first double-double as a Lancer.
Antonenko finished the game 3-of-10 from the floor and addad an assist and a steal, as she was part of a Longwood frontcourt group along with Rouse and Mallory Odell that limited forwards Butler and George Mason third-leading scorer Taylor Dodson to 11 points throughout.
Senior captain Micaela Ellis finished Thursday's game with four points, two assists in 40 minutes on the court, she moved to within 12 assists of tying Casey Sullivan for 10th-place all-time on Longwood's career assist record book.
Longwood was without the services of leading scorer Autumn Childress for the second consecutive game.
Longwood will have less than 48 hours before returning to Willett Hall Saturday, Dec. 30 to host Norfolk State in the final nonconference game of the season. That game is set for a noon tip and will be broadcast on the Big South Network.
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