December 3, 2008

George Mason Game Notes (pdf)

FARMVILLE, Va. - Longwood comes into Thursday nights after dropping its last three contests. The Lancers closed out November with a 2-4 record, after falling to the Syracuse Orange on Sunday, Nov. 30 in Syracuse, N.Y. Longwood fell behind to Syracuse early and were not able to mount a comeback, falling 72-40. Senior Amber Sims, freshman Brittanni Billups and Kayla Loughner all ended the day with six points for the Lancers.   
   
George Mason (0-6) is coming off a 66-65 loss to High Point in non-conference action on December 1at the Millis Center. Mason was limited to 25 percent shooting in the first half (7-of-28), while the Panthers connected on 16 of their 35 field goal attempts (45.7 percent). Mason held a slim 23-to-22 advantage off the glass in the opening period.   
  
This marks the ninth matchup between these two sides with George Mason leading the series 7-1. The last time these two sides met was November 23, 2007 in which the Patriots defeated the Lancers 58-53 in Fairfax. Cierra Baker and Becky Fernandes both scored seven points for the Lancers. 

A Lancer Win Would
• Break the Lancers three game losing streak
• Improve the Lancers home record to 2-1
• Make Willett Hall the hardest place to beat the Lancers, improving the teams home record to 11-5 since becoming a full Division I institution last season

A Lancer Loss Would
• Give the Lancers their longest losing streak under head coach Kristin Caruso

The Last Time Out
• George Mason won 58-53 in Fairfax on November 23, 2007

Longwoods Last Game
• The Lancers shot 28% (16-58) from field goal range in their game against Syracuse, while shooting 10-32 in the first half
• Longwood shot 14% (3-22) from behind the arc for the game    

Coach Caruso on George Mason: “We are looking forward to a rematch from a game last year that was very competitive.”

Who's Hot
Brittanni Billups stepped up her play in the Lancers last two matchups, scoring a career and game high 15 points in the Lancers loss to Richmond on Nov. 25. Against Syracuse on Nov. 30 Billups put up a team high six points, while also recording a block and steal. The 6-1 freshman is currently fifth on the team in scoring average and rebounds, while ranking fourth in field goal percentage.    

Who's Not
The road has been a tough place for the Lancers to play all season, with the team posting a 1-3 road record. Longwood's lone road victory comes against Elon in the teams second game of the season. Despite earning a win against the Phoenix, the game was decided in in overtime with the Lancers escaping with a 58-54 victory. Longwood has been outscored 250-190 on the road this year.  

Up next
After George Mason, the Lancers will be a bit of a break before hitting the road once again, this time for the North Florida Holiday Classic on December 17-18.