The Basics
Final Score: George Mason 75, Detroit Mercy 62
Records: Detroit Mercy 0-4, George Mason 2-1
Location: Fairfax, Va. (EagleBank Arena)

FAIRFAX, Va. (11/16/2019) -- Sophomore forward Nicole Johanson notched her first career double-double and two other Titans scored in double figures, but the University of Detroit Mercy women's basketball team fell 75-62 on the road at George Mason on Saturday.

Johanson had 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in the contest, with sophomore forward Maxine Moore and freshman guard Sylare Starks each adding 12 points for the Titans. Junior guard Aly Reiff scored nine points for Detroit Mercy in the setback.

Johanson was a key part of a first-half rally for Detroit Mercy (0-4) that saw the Titans take a 33-30 halftime lead over the host Patriots (2-1). George Mason led 20-9 after the first quarter, but the red, white and blue out-scored the Patriots in the second stanza, 24-10.

After George Mason took a 22-9 lead early in the second quarter, the Titans went on a 24-8 run the rest of the frame. Starks opened the scoring in the second for the Titans with a 3-pointer and then Johanson went to work, scoring on a bucket down low off a feed by Starks. Starks then sank another triple from the corner off a crosscourt pass from freshman guard Annika Corcoran that prompted a George Mason timeout.

After the timeout, Johanson made a pair of free throws and a Zoey Oatis lay-up off an offensive rebound has the deficit down to three points, 24-21, midway through the second. Johanson then made another lay-up, this time off a pass from Oatis. Johanson then connected with Oatis, grabbing an offensive carom and feeding a wide open Oatis for an easy lay-up. After George Mason went up 30-25 with three minutes left in the first half, the Titans closed the half on an 8-0 run with Reiff connecting on a 3-pointer, freshman forward Bridgid Fox tying the game, 30-30, on an old-fashioned 3-point play and Moore converting on a lay-up with just seconds left in the half to push the lead to 33-30.

George Mason scored six of the first eight points in the third quarter and eventually took a nine-point lead in the third, but Detroit Mercy didn't stop fighting. Corcoran scored five points in the third quarter for the Titans, sinking a 3-pointer from the corner and then after a Johanson lay-up, making a pair of free throws to cut the Mason lead to two, 43-41. George Mason would again chip away and take a double-figure lead after the third frame, 57-45.

The Titans opened the fourth quarter on a 7-2 run with Johanson getting into double figures on a lay-up off a Corcoran feed and then Moore making a 3-pointer from the wing. Fox then made a strong drive to the hoop for a lay-up as Detroit Mercy was within seven, 59-52, with 7:08 left. After George Mason went up 11, Johanson again got the Titans to within single digits, making a jump shot from just outside the paint. Starks then followed with a bucket in the paint as Detroit Mercy was down 63-56 with 5:08 remaining.

The Patriots followed with a pair of baskets to push the advantage into double figures again and Detroit Mercy would run out of time on the comeback attempt.

Detroit Mercy shot above 40-percent for the first time in 2019-20, sinking 41.7 percent of its shots (25-of-60). Detroit Mercy made 6-of-8 free throws, while the Patriots went to the line 21 times, sinking 13 shots from the foul line. Detroit Mercy had five blocks -- three by Johanson and two more from Oatis. The Titans also had five steals -- three by Starks.

George Mason won the rebounding battle, 45-32, and both teams made six 3-pointers. George Mason shot 43.1 percent overall in the contest (28-for-65).

Titan News & Notes
• Johanson tallied career-highs across the board with 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks; It was her first career double-double in her seventh career outing and fourth appearance as a Titan.
• Moore scored in double figures for the third-straight contest, while Starks scored a career-high 12 points and scored in doubles for the second-straight game.
• Reiff had her best scoring game as a Titan with nine points and Corcoran had her second game of three assists in her young Titan career.
• Oatis had two blocks in the game and has a team-high five blocks after the first four games of the season.
• Starks has made at least one 3-pointer in each game this season and had a career-best six steals (which leads team).
• Moore has totaled 35 points across her past three contests (11.7 points per game).
• Detroit Mercy shot above 40-percent in each of the final three quarters, including 53-percent in the fourth quarter.
• It was the second meeting between the two schools in women's basketball (George Mason won in Detroit in 2016, 55-54).
• The Titans play two-straight Mid-American Conference foes next -- playing at Western Michigan on Wednesday before hosting Akron next Saturday.

Up Next
Detroit Mercy returns to the road for its fourth-straight contest away from Calihan Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 20, playing in-state foe Western Michigan in Kalamazoo. The Titans then return home for a Saturday, Nov. 23 contest, hosting Akron in Detroit.