March 8, 2003
Box Score
RICHMOND, Va. - Fourth-seeded George Mason shot 28.0 percent from the floor compared to No. 5 seed Delaware's 50.0 percent shooting in falling 61-49 to the Fightin' Blue Hens in the quarterfinal round of the 2003 Pioneer Electronics Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball championship Saturday afternoon at Richmond Coliseum. The Patriots conclude the season with a 16-12 overall record.
Junior guard Raoul Heinen (Bunschoten, Holland) led Mason with 16 points, while senior forward Jon Larranaga (Oakton, VA/St. John's-Prospect Hall) chipped in 10. Senior forward Jesse Young (Peterborough, Ontario) added eight points and a team-high eight rebounds. Junior guard Mark Davis (Springfield, VA/R.E. Lee), the Patriots leading scorer entering the game averaging 15.9 points, made 1-of-14 field goals, scoring a season-low five points. Freshman forward Jai Lewis (Aberdeen, MD/Aberdeen) contributed eight points.
The Patriots missed nine of their first 12 shots in the first 10 minutes of the game. Following a 9-9 tie with 11 minutes remaining in the first stanza, Delaware's Mike Ames, who scored 13 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, made eight of the Fightin' Blue Hens' last points during a 20-9 run which ended the first period, leaving UD ahead 29-18 at the break.
After Delaware opened its lead to 37-24 at 15:57 in the second period, the Patriots would close to within seven, 37-30, with 14 minutes left on the clock after a layup from junior guard Richard Tynes (Washington, DC/St. John's). Mason could get no closer the rest of the way as UD pulled away, maintaining a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest following Ames' 3-pointer at 13:15, which gave the Blue Hens a 40-30 advantage. Delaware would lead by as many as 18 points in the second half, 55-37, at the 4:24 mark before resulting in the final score.
The Patriots shot 30.4 percent (7-for-23) in the first stanza and 25.9 percent (7-for-27) in the second frame. Mason was 2-for-16 (12.5 percent) from 3-point range for the contest. In the second half, 10 of the Patriots' first 14 points and 16 of the team's 31 came from the free throw line. The Patriots made only two of their first 18 attempts in the final period. Delaware connected for 48.3 percent in the opening period and 52.4 percent, including 4-of-9 (44.4 percent) from beyond the arc, in the second. The Patriots outrebounded the Fightin' Blue Hens, 38-30.
Note: Larranaga collected three rebounds, bringing his career total to 502. He is the third Patriot in men's basketball history to total over 800 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, and 100 steals for a career as he earned 980 points, 253 assists, and 137 steals in his four years at Mason.
Box Score
Delaware (15-13) - 29-32=61
George Mason (16-12) - 18-31=49
