麻豆国产

Recapping women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 basketball teams鈥 historic seasons

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Although their seasons came to an end over the weekend, both the George Mason 麻豆国产 men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball teams made history this season.听

The women's team traveled to Louisiana for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Photo by George Mason Athletics

The women鈥檚 team earned its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth by winning the Atlantic 10 tournament, capped an amazing season with a tough first-round loss to Florida State.听

Paula Suarez scored a career-high 25 points, including five three-pointers. Kennedy Harris had 12 points and five assists.听听

After an initial surge by Florida State, the Patriots found their rhythm in the second quarter, matching the Seminoles 19-19 in the frame. Su谩rez caught fire from deep, keeping the Patriots within striking distance. But as the game wore on, Florida State's size and depth proved difficult to counter

鈥淭he outcome of this game does not define who they are,鈥 Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis . 鈥淭hey have put a legacy in place at Mason鈥hat can never be taken away.鈥澨

The team ends its historic season with a 27-6 record.听

The men's NIT game against Bradley. Photo by Art Pittman/George Mason Athletics.

The , led by George Mason alum and A-10 Coach of the Year Tony Skinn, BA Communication 鈥06, set a new school record this season with 15 wins in the A-10. They matched the best overall win total (27) in school history. The Patriots also set a new program best for home wins (18) and swept their home A-10 slate (9-0) for the first time.

The men鈥檚 team scored a decisive 86-69 victory against Sanford in the first round of the NIT on Wednesday, March 19, at EagleBank Arena.听

On Saturday, they trailed Bradley by nine (37-28) at the break and by as many as 18 (55-37) in the second half. They closed the gap to three (65-62) with 3:47 left, but Bradley pushed it back to eight (71-63) with 1:31 left and hung on.

"I'm thankful for our seniors," Skinn said. "This was a phenomenal season鈥27 wins in a season is not normal, and I'm grateful to these guys for it."