Dec 4, 2003

Box Score

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - George Mason hit 12 three-pointers and shot 52 percent from three-point range in handling Hartford a 79-58 loss in men's basketball Thursday evening at Chase Family Arena.

Mason senior guard Mark Davis (Springfield, VA/R.E. Lee/Palm Beach CC) had 20 points, leading three Patriots in double figures. Teammates Terry Reynolds (Jr.; G; Nashville, TN/Toledo) and Lamar Butler (So.; G; Oxon Hill, MD/Oxon Hill) had 17 and 16 points, respectively. Senior Ryan Stys led the Hawks with 11 points. George Mason improved to 4-1, while Hartford dropped to 2-2 overall.

George Mason jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the early going, but Hartford rallied back behind 3-pointers from Aaron Cook and Charles Ford to take a 6-5 lead. It would be the Hawks only lead of the night. The Patriots scored the next six points on consecutive 3-point baskets from Butler, who netted 14 of his 16 points in the first frame, and eventually ballooned their lead to 10 in the stanza after Butler and Reynolds combined on three straight from beyond the arc. Mason connected on eight 3-pointers in the half and led 40-33 at the break.

Hartford trimmed the lead to four in the second half when Cook made a layup to make it 46-42 with just over 15 minutes to go. But, the Patriots countered with two Jai Lewis (So.; F; Aberdeen, MD/Maine Central Institute) free throws and then a 3-pointer from Reynolds to regain control. Mason padded its lead to as many as 23 points during the stanza, 79-56 with 29 seconds left, holding Hartford to seven field goals in the final 15 minutes.

The Patriots shot 46.2 percent from the floor and the Hawks connected at a 40 percent clip for the game. Hartford outrebounded Mason, 40-35., but had 17 turnovers and only nine assists.

George Mason visits 10th ranked North Carolina Sunday at 1 p.m.

Box Score
George Mason (4-1) - 40-39=79
Hartford (2-2) - 33-25=58