Junior forward Caira Washington and sophomore forward Kelli Prange combined for 30 points and 18 rebounds on 59 percent shooting to lead top-seeded GW (24-6, 13-3 A-10) to a 78-48 quarterfinal win over No. 9 seed George Mason (12-19, 6-10 A-10).

“I was really proud of our team because I thought we played to our strengths. I think Caira Washington and Kelli Prange got us started with how they got the ball and how aggressive they were offensively,” head coach Jonathan Tsipis said. “To be in a tournament like this, with the experience we have from last year, you win this tournament with your defense and your rebounding.”

Friday was the third head-to-head matchup in the past six weeks for the Colonials and the Patriots, so they know each other pretty well. The game started off back-and-forth with two lead changes, two ties, and strong defense for both teams. After the first media timeout the Colonials started to pull ahead. Junior guard Shannon Cranshaw hit a three just seconds after the timeout to give GW a five-point advantage.

The Colonials were able to maintain that lead by playing aggressively on their side of the court and forcing Mason to take low percentage shots. The Patriots shot less than 30 percent in the first half and 1-for-9 from behind the arc in the first half.

That aggressive defense continued the entire matchup. The Colonials forced 15 turnovers, blocked five shots, and held the Patriots to 31.7 percent from the field.

Senior forward Jonquel Jones got a warm welcoming from the crowd after making her first appearance since going down with a shoulder injury on Jan. 20. She recorded five points and seven rebounds in a solid nine minutes while imposing her presence on the court, showing that she was back and 100 percent early.

“Everyone was ready and really excited for the first [postseason] game,” said Jones. “And just to be back playing with my teammates is awesome and I just love being out there with them.”

Jones finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in only 13 minutes of play. Despite her lack of playing time, Tsipis insisted that she did not have “a minutes restriction.”

The Colonials extended the lead going into halftime by shooting well themselves. Despite George Mason’s improved 42.9 percent from the field, the Colonials knocked down nearly half their shots including 2-for-4 from three-point range.

In the first half, redshirt junior guard Kara Wright was the sole imposing force for the Patriots. She muscled her way past defenders and got to the hoop, scoring 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting.

Her production slowed down in the second half when the Colonial defense focused more on her and contested all of her shots. She went 0-for-3 from the field in the final 20 minutes despite playing almost the entirety of it.

After ending the first half down 15, the Patriots were trying to play catch up in the third quarter, but GW’s offense would not let them. Prange and junior guard Hannah Schaible were both efficient and productive with the ball in the paint. Also, graduate student guard Lauren Chase continued her strong play on defense and was dominating in transition.

The matchup between Chase and Patriots redshirt senior guard Taylor Brown that traces all the way back to middle school has finally come to an end – and Chase finished with the upper hand. In all three matchups this season they have matched up up with each other and led their teams. On Friday, Chase’s six points and seven assists may not sound like much, but her defensive impact forced Brown to go just 3-for-16 from the field and only 1-for-7 from deep.

“We go into every game with Taylor Brown knowing that she is such a dynamic offensive player. Lauren Chase has done an amazing job the past two years when she has guarded her. Lauren is just is willing to say I am going to go everywhere possible and be disciplined and if she scores Lauren has the mindset that it is not going to happen again,” Tsipis said.

Back to back impressive and-one buckets from Jones and a buzzer beater three-pointer from Prange brought the lead to 22 before the start of the fourth quarter.

The Patriots did not give up when they were down big in the final quarter, but they were never close to pulling off the comeback. The Colonials defense seemed to get tougher as the game went on (they held Mason to seven points in fourth quarter) and their lead seemed to give them the confidence that they needed to continue shooting well from the floor.

Winning by 30, with two minutes remaining, Tsipis took his starters off but the team did not lose as step. The ability of the bottom of GW’s bench to score displayed their depth and assured everyone that they could stay in the game even if the starters are not performing.

“We tried to get everyone under 30 [minutes]. The minutes that Shannon Cranshaw and [freshman guard] Mei-Lyn Bautista can give us are good, but also the experience of someone like [freshman forward] Kelsi Mahoney experiencing her first A-10 tournament is the bigger picture.”

The Colonials move onto the semifinals of the A-10 tournament on Saturday, where they will play No. 5 seed VCU. Tip off is scheduled for 11 a.m.