GLEN ALLEN, Va. – Saint Joseph's rallied from a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit to make it a two-possession game late, but George Mason held off the Hawks' comeback for a 73-58 victory in the title game of the 2025 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship at Henrico Sports and Events Center on Sunday afternoon.

Down 60-41 with under eight minutes to play, Mackenzie Smith scored eight consecutive points to bring the Hawks to within 60-49 with 6:02 remaining. The Patriots pushed their lead back to 14, but Smith sparked an 8-0 spurt for Saint Joseph's, as a layup by Laura Ziegler made it 64-58 with 1:26 to go.

Unfortunately for St. Joe's, that would be as close as the Hawks would get as George Mason scored the final nine points to secure a 73-58 victory and the A-10 title.

Smith led the Hawks with 19 points and added four rebounds, while Ziegler finished with 18 points, seven assists and four boards, and Talya Brugler chipped in with 10 points and a team-best six rebounds. Smith and Ziegler were named to the A-10 All-Championship Team for their play throughout the conference postseason tournament.

Paula Suarez paced three Patriots in double figures with a game-high 23 points.

Ziegler connected on a three-pointer to open the contest, but George Mason countered with a 10-2 run to take a 10-5 advantage. The Patriots kept the Hawks at a distance as they made it a 27-20 game lead midway through the second quarter. Saint Joseph's answered with a 7-0 run to end the quarter as a Ziegler free throw tied the game at 27-27 after 20 minutes.

Gabby Casey connected on a three-pointer to give the Hawks a 30-29 edge early in the third quarter, but George Mason countered with a 12-3 run as a Kennedy Harris three-pointer made it 41-33 in favor of the Patriots.

Saint Joseph's cut the George Mason lead to four, 43-39, but the Patriots had an answer again as they scored the final 10 points of the quarter and quickly built their lead to 19 early in the fourth.

Inside The Boxscore
• Rhian Stokes added four points, five rebounds and two assists.
• Gabby Casey scored three points and grabbed five rebounds.
• Emma Boslet and Aleah Snead each scored two points.
• For the contest, Saint Joseph's connected on 20-60 from the field, while going 6-23 from distance (26.1 percent) and 12-18 from the foul line.
• At the other end, George Mason went 24-48 from the field, including 10-11 from the floor (90.1 percent) in the third quarter.

UP NEXT
The Hawks await to find out their postseason fate.