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(Keith Lucas / Sideline Media / A-10)

BY BRIAN A. HAYUM, SPORTS EDITOR AND PETER MAHLER, ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

According to ESPN analytics, junior guard Kennedy Harris’ turnover with 3:51 left in regulation gave George Mason women’s basketball (21-8, 16-2 in A-10) a 1.4% chance of advancing to the A-10 tournament semifinals. 

Against all odds, the Patriots mounted a 10-point comeback late in the fourth quarter, forcing overtime and defeating the Dayton Flyers (17-14, 9-9 in A-10) 87-85 thanks to a buzzer-beater by junior forward Louis Volker.

Tied at 85 with less than two seconds remaining, Dayton’s Molly O’Riordan denied Mason forward Hawa Komara at the basket, but the ball took a fortunate deflection into Volker’s hands for the game-winning score.

“I think I got my swagger back!” Volker yelled at the camera following the thrilling finish. 

Her impact was felt well before the decisive play, wrestling 3 offensive rebounds in the overtime period and anchoring the defense.

“To me, it felt like a movie,” junior Zahirah Walton said. “It was all in slow motion. It was crazy, but I was very proud of Louis, because she made those extra plays for us.” 

Though six Patriots notched at least 8 points, Dayton’s offense overwhelmed them until the decisive final minutes. 

“I’m glad this game is over,” said Coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis after witnessing her team give up 46 points in the paint.

Dayton’s frontcourt punched Mason in the mouth early. O’Riordan, junior Fatima Ibrahim and junior Ajok Madol were a mismatch nightmare in the paint, combining for 47 points on 74% shooting.

“There was a lot of miscommunication between our guards and how we wanted to switch,” Blair-Lewis said. “It gave them an opportunity to post up a smaller guard.” 

Dayton, coming off a 62-54 win over No. 10 George Washington the day before, was battle-tested and well-prepared for the Patriots.

“I give it up to Dayton,” Blair-Lewis said. “They had a great gameplan. They came off a great win last night; they were just high-spirited. Sometimes, those are the toughest teams to play.” 

Although the Flyers flew up and down the court on offense, the Patriots kept up the pressure, scoring 26 points off 21 Dayton turnovers.

On their last breath, and after allowing Dayton to land over 50% of their shots, it was the defense that brought Mason back.

Down 2 with 2:16 left in regulation, freshman Mary Amoateng deflected a bad pass by Dayton’s senior Nayo Lear, which Walton then pounced on to solidify the comeback. 

Amoateng missed two free throws that would’ve put Mason up four with 11 seconds left, leading to a game-tying layup by Lear with 6 seconds left. 

Harris, who led the game with 24 points, began the game on fire, landing 5 of her first 6 shots during an 11-point first quarter. Despite sustaining a lower-body injury near the end of the first half, she came up huge during overtime, landing her first three field goal attempts in a back-and-forth exchange where the score was tied four times until Volker iced it.

After scraping past Dayton, the Patriots will face No. 3 Richmond (25-6, 15-3 in A-10) today at 1:30 p.m. in the conference semifinals. They previously overcame the Spiders in a 46-37 grudge match on Feb. 16 after falling 71-57 a week before.