Patriots Stun Georgetown in Overtime After Epic Comeback

MJ Johnson’s double-double and Zahirah Walton’s 17 second-half points helped power the Patriots to a 3-1 record

BY PETER MAHLER AND LATRELL PRYOR, STAFF WRITERS

With their team down 38-24 and less than 10 minutes left in the game, fans in EagleBank Arena shuffled around anxiously as a Patriot loss to Georgetown appeared inevitable. 

The game seemed well in hand, but the momentum flipped in the fourth quarter, sparking a Mason comeback for their third straight win.

Mason women’s basketball overcame a poor offensive performance that continued late into the third to beat Georgetown 61-54 in an overtime thriller. Bearing their defensive teeth, the Patriots showcased grit and resilience.

“We took another step towards greatness,” Head Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis said after taking a moment to collect her thoughts in her post-game interview. 

After an opening night overtime loss to Temple, Blair-Lewis expressed pride after her team came out on top this time.

“Tonight, we came out on the other side,” Blair-Lewis said. “That’s growth. We probably had one of the roughest starts we probably ever had, but these girls stayed resilient.”

Four of five Mason starters played at least 35 minutes, with junior guard Kennedy Harris and junior forward Louis Volker playing 44 of 45 minutes. 

Blair-Lewis couldn’t help but appreciate her front-row seat to the dramatic finish.

“I’m pretty sure it was an amazing game to watch from the stands, but it couldn’t have been more amazing than to sit on the sideline and watch our ladies just continue to fight,” she said.

Poor shooting and foul trouble plagued the Patriots early on, as junior forward Zahirah Walton and graduate forward MJ Johnson each took two fouls in the first quarter.

Head Coach Darrell Haney’s Hoyas opened the first period with a suffocating full-court press, stifling Mason from starting as fast as they did in their 88-40 victory over Florida A&M.

The Hoyas pressured Mason early on, forcing the Patriots to shoot just 16% in the first quarter — their worst start to a game all season.

Georgetown’s sophomore guard Alexia Araujo-Dagba quickly capitalized on an early Mason turnover in the second, adding to Mason’s sluggish start. 

Taking what the Patriots gave them, the Hoyas found many opportunities in the paint, outscoring the Patriots by double digits. Mason’s offense couldn’t find a rhythm, settling for many contested jump shots. 

Mason came into the game holding their opponents to 38% from the field. Their defensive effort carried over into the first half, limiting Georgetown to 31% shooting and 0-9 from three.

Even with their offensive struggles, the Patriots only found themselves down eight at the end of the first half. 

Johnson had the best performance of her young Mason career, earning her second double-double of her collegiate career with 11 points and a team-leading 12 rebounds. Despite battling early foul trouble, Johnson’s impact was felt on both sides of the floor all game, helping spur the comeback.

“MJ was big, especially when we got dry offensively,” Blair-Lewis said. “Her confidence in how she communicated with her team tonight was exceptional.”

“She kept telling them they were gonna win,” she said.

Occasional moments of offensive success gave way to continued struggles in the third quarter for the Patriots. Midway through the quarter, Harris knocked down a tough three that cut the lead to four points, but turnovers and second-chance points grew the Hoyas’ lead to 12.

The fourth quarter was a completely different game, as turnovers started to swing momentum in the Patriots’ favor. The Hoyas would turn it over 23 times compared to Mason’s 8. Tight defense would lead to offensive success, especially in the fourth quarter. 

Harris, freshman guard Mary Amoateng and senior guard Jada Brown combined for 10 steals, converting the turnovers into 17 points.

After shooting 20% from the field through the first three quarters, turnovers catapulted that percentage to a whopping 67% in the fourth quarter and overtime.

It was a quiet first three quarters for Walton. The junior struggled from the field early, as Hoya defenders crowded her space at every turn, making a point to force her far away from the basket to deny easy opportunities in the paint. 

Walton, like the rest of her teammates, did not waver. Despite a rough first half that saw her shoot 0-6 from the field, the redshirt junior stepped up to contribute on both ends of the court. 

She showed grit, securing several timely rebounds. During her 4-minute scoring drought in the third, she had five boards, showcasing consistent effort during that stretch. 

Her first points came midway in the third from a tip-in off of her own rebound. Walton credited her coaches for encouraging her to remain patient. She never let the Georgetown lead diminish her drive to win. 

“The game’s not over. We still got time,” she said in her post-game presser, recapping her mindset while the team was down.

She finished with 17 points in the final 20 minutes, a complete reversal from her first half performance. The star forward stepped up when the team needed her most, with nine of those points coming in the clutch.

After trailing for 34 minutes in regulation, a Harris floater gave the Patriots a chance for overtime, tying the game with 12 seconds left. 

By the end of regulation, the body language of both benches said it all, with Mason looking ready to play another five minutes. 

With 24 seconds left in overtime, graduate guard Laila Jewett dropped a routine pass that landed out of bounds, giving the Patriots a crucial possession. The shocking turnover was one of nine by the Hoyas in the fourth quarter and overtime. 

Junior guard Page Greenburg’s free throws would ice the game, completing a memorable comeback for the Patriots. 

“Every game on our schedule is going to teach us about ourselves … this is good for them to see what fight is, and what not giving up will do for them … It doesn’t get any easier,” Blair-Lewis said.

The Patriots will look to use what they’ve learned from the win when they face Florida Gulf Coast University on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Fans can attend the game at EagleBank or watch on ESPN+.