Recapping women’s and men’s basketball teams’ historic seasons

Although their seasons came to an end over the weekend, both the George Mason University men’s and women’s basketball teams made history this season.  

The women’s 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.  

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

After an initial surge by Florida State, the Patriots found their rhythm in the second quarter, matching the Seminoles 19-19 in the frame. Suárez 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 

“The outcome of this game does not define who they are,” Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis told the Associated Press. “They have put a legacy in place at Mason…that can never be taken away.”  

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

The men’s team, led by George Mason alum and A-10 Coach of the Year Tony Skinn, BA Communication ‘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’s team scored a decisive 86-69 victory against Sanford in the first round of the NIT on Wednesday, March 19, at EagleBank Arena.  

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—27 wins in a season is not normal, and I'm grateful to these guys for it."