MIAMI, Fla.- Stephen F. Austin defeated George Mason in the second game of the FIU Holiday Hoops Tournament, 90-62 Tuesday afternoon. SFA improves to 10-2 overall, while GMU falls to 7-6.
George Mason came out fighting as they scored the first five points of the game and held the lead until two minutes left in the quarter. SFA finished the quarter on an 11-point scoring run to take the lead, 18-11. Kurstyn Harden scored the first four points for the Ladyjacks in the second quarter as they extended their lead to 11 points. SFA hovered around a ten point lead until 4:21 left in the half when Jordan Harrison knocked down a three-pointer that jump started a 13-7 run to end the half with a 46-29 lead. The Ladyjacks continued to maintain around a 20 point lead in the third quarter until they scored the last nine points in the quarter which gave them a 27-point lead going into the fourth quarter. SFA continued to pull away in the fourth quarter and defeated GMU by 28 points.
SFA led GMU in most stats categories including; points in the paint (38-24), points off of turnovers (21-9), second chance points (27-14), fast break points (10-9), bench points (47-36), field goal percentage (47.0-33.8), and three-point percentage (47.8-36.8). Harrison and Harden led the way for the Ladyjacks with 16 points, followed by Aiyana Johnson who scored 14. Harden also led the team in rebounds with 11, followed by Harrison and Johnson who each grabbed seven. Harrison led SFA with five assists, followed by Tyler McCliment-Call who recorded four. Johnson also recorded four blocks in this game which ties her career high and Kyla Deck led the team with three steals which also ties her career high.
The Ladyjacks finish their non-conference schedule with a 10-2 record and will be back to begin conference play on New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31st) at home for a matchup against Abilene Christian. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.